Sometime during my lifetime, nutritionists switched up the four food groups and developed the pyramid concept as a replacement. The first USDA pyramid encouraged citizens to eat ELEVEN servings of grains, breads, cereals, and pasta every day. Americans promptly gained hundreds of pounds and the obesity epidemic was born.
Perhaps this is not exactly what happened, but many experts now believe that the low-fat, high carb recommendations of our government are to blame for the extreme rise in obesity in this country. The Zone diet suggest a very different kind of pyramid.
What is at the bottom? What is the biggest section of this Zone pyramid? Any guesses?
WATER!
Yes, plain, old regular water. And most of us are not drinking nearly enough of it.
How much is enough? Well, 8-10 cups is a decent start. If you are exercising at a pace that makes you sweat, or if the weather is hot or particularly dry, you will need even more water than that. 8-10 cups per day replaces the water that you lose through breathing, digesting, sleeping, basically just living.
I make it a practice to start the day by drinking one full liter of water before I teach or exercise. This assures that once I begin working out, I have a full reservoir from which to sweat. Maybe you don't sweat as much as I do, but a liter of water in the morning will benefit you nonetheless!
Being well hydrated will make every single system of your body function better, from your brain to your digestive system, to your muscles and joints. Do your knees ache? Is your back feeling stiff and sore? Do you get headaches? Are you constipated? All these symptoms can be caused by dehydration!
Drink up and feel better!
Perhaps this is not exactly what happened, but many experts now believe that the low-fat, high carb recommendations of our government are to blame for the extreme rise in obesity in this country. The Zone diet suggest a very different kind of pyramid.
What is at the bottom? What is the biggest section of this Zone pyramid? Any guesses?
WATER!
Yes, plain, old regular water. And most of us are not drinking nearly enough of it.
How much is enough? Well, 8-10 cups is a decent start. If you are exercising at a pace that makes you sweat, or if the weather is hot or particularly dry, you will need even more water than that. 8-10 cups per day replaces the water that you lose through breathing, digesting, sleeping, basically just living.
I make it a practice to start the day by drinking one full liter of water before I teach or exercise. This assures that once I begin working out, I have a full reservoir from which to sweat. Maybe you don't sweat as much as I do, but a liter of water in the morning will benefit you nonetheless!
Being well hydrated will make every single system of your body function better, from your brain to your digestive system, to your muscles and joints. Do your knees ache? Is your back feeling stiff and sore? Do you get headaches? Are you constipated? All these symptoms can be caused by dehydration!
Drink up and feel better!
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