The Optimise Health Blog

So who told us it was OK to drink diet coke till it came out of our ears? Well unsurprisingly soft drinks manufacturers were the main culprits for mainstreaming fizzy pop into our homes and lives with their agenda of increased sales and profits at the expense of our health. Their marketing created iconic links between: Coke and Football / Father Christmas, Basketball with PepsiMax and 7UP/Sprite; Lucozade with any sport; finally Dr Peppers with general craziness! Recent research in the US has linked cola, pop and other fizzy drinks containing artificial sweeteners like Aspartame to a higher risk of developing diabetes, obesity, heart disease and high blood pressure amongst other ailments. On one level you should stop the pop to reduce unnecessary calories and caffeine and save your teeth. On another you should stop drinking stuff containing sweeteners becuase of aforementioned risks. On another - WHY DO YOU NEED TO DRINK IT ANYWAY? When I work an Emergency GP night shift I w...

So you drink stuff through the day. How much of it contains sugar or caffeine? How much pure water do you drink? So why do we need so much water? Because our body cells are made up of 98% water. Its the stuff of life. Often your brain gets confused between dehydration / thirst and hunger/ appetite. If you want to kickstart your metabolism to lose weight drink a pint of cold water on waking. Then drink a pint BEFORE every meal - you will be surprised to find you eat less as your thirst is slaked and your true appetite remains. Initially you may pee more, but the kidneys soon get used to it. If your wee is yelllow you are chronically dehydrated, so drink water till the wee is clear - as they say at LIVESTRONG.COM - KEEP IT CLEAR. You should aim to drink 2-3 L of water or around 6 pints a day, more if working in heat or a physical occupation. Any less than this and you're into tension headaches, mood swings, poor concentration, energy slumps and overeating to slake y...