"Moisture is the essence of wetness. Wetness is the essence of beauty."

Please, please, please, tell me you recognize the Zoolander quote above.

If you don't, it's ok. You're still awesome.
I think after working with six and seven-year-olds all day, I just start to feel a generation gap. Like a lot. They can't believe I have no bloody clue the importance of i-Carly, and I can't believe they don't know what a VCR is. Life's a funny thing.

Anywho . . . the point of this post is about . . . well . . . water.

The hubs recently brought home a book for me to read called What You Don't Know May Be KILLING YOU!  

 
Thank the good Lord in heaven he didn't bring it home to scare us into locking ourselves into an organic bomb shelter never to emerge into this world of revolting chemicals and death. I'll be frank, if books about the danger in the world around you make you want to be a hermit, don't pick this book up. If you want to educate yourself on some ways to make some wise, "simple" and healthier decisions, this seems, so far, to be a good choice. While seeming slightly paranoid, Dr. Colbert is very informative and practical--which I love. I don't want someone telling me all the world is filth and then giving me obscure, uber-expensive brands that are the only way to life. No, he gives you average brands in any grocery store or info on ingredients to watch for. Very helpful for the average shopper with a smaller bank account.

As my students say, "FOCUS!" so we're focusing. On water. Strap yourself in.

Did you know . . .

• Your body in total is about 60% water
• Your muscles and brain are roughly 75% water
• Your blood is around 82% water--the shortage of water in your blood can affect all other parts and functions of your body
• Your bones are approximately 25% water
• The average human needs about 3 quarts of water a day
• To discover how much water YOU as an individual needs, take your weight, divide it by 2, and that is the number of ounces you need to drink DAILY (i.e. If someone weighs 200 lbs, they would drink 100 oz of water a day)
• Caffeinated beverages like coffee, soda, and tea do not count as water, even though they are liquid. They actually can cause you to lose water rather than restore it. 

Ok, so now that you have the statistics of the NEED for water, let's look at the benefits:

• Drinking enough water can help with back and neck pain. How? Between your vertebra, there is a jelly-like substance to help cushion. If you're not drinking enough water, those lovely cushions become dehydrated and shrink, BUT if you're drinking plenty of H2O, they stay full and fluffy, giving your spine the support it needs. 
• It can help prevent wrinkles and improve skin overall. What's this?! I don't need wrinkle cream?? Not as much as you think. :] If you have a fruit that is fully, ripe and juicy--aka full of water!--does it look dry and wrinkly like a raisin? No! If your skin cells are plump with plenty of water, they give your skin a fuller healthier glow. Will it kill all wrinkles? No, but it helps more than you realize. 
• It can help prevent/reduce the affects of arthritis,  ulcers, asthma, Alzheimer's, hiatal hernias, and high blood pressure. Whew! All this just by keeping my body hydrated??? Oh yes, it's true! Just keep thinking of that juicy fruit vs raisin analogy. 
• You will feel more awake and alert

So how on earth do I get enough water, now that I realize how simply fantastic it is??? Well, I'll tell you :]

• Drink about 8 oz of water before and after breakfast. Yes, you can still have your juice (Yay!) but remember that juice, while lovely, does not make up for the glories of good ole H2O. 
• Eat fresh fruits and veggies. "Wait a minute!" you say, "I thought this was about DRINKING! Not eating," Well, it is. Remember that juicy fruit? It's filled with--you guessed it--WATER!! If you eat your full amount of fruits and veggies in day, you will actually consume 1 of your 3 daily quarts of water. Phew! Sadly--but logically--processed foods, meats, and starches do not count. 
• Have a glass or two before and after each meal. If you're drinking water beforehand, this will not only help your stomach feel slightly more full--so you consume less calories--but it will also aid in your digestion. Try to time it 30 minutes before and then 2 1/2 hours after. Unless you have an enlarged prostate, hiatal hernia, or acid reflux, have another 8 oz before bedtime. 

A couple of tips I did find helpful: to help prevent immediate exposure to some of the things floating around in even American water--or anywhere with great tap water:

• Consider investing in a filter system to help get rid of chemicals and other unwanted items that could be in your water. 
• Run the tap for a minute or two before filling your glass--this helps flush out some things that otherwise might be going directly into your tummy. 
• Don't begin cooking or drink with hot water straight out of the tap. Hot tap water can leach metal from your pipes, and we don't want to be drinking metal. Yes, heating the water may kill bacteria, but the not chemicals or metal.

So see? It's not scary! It's not hard! In fact, it's pretty simple. You don't even have to give up your cup of tea or coffee (though moderation is encouraged ;]).

The benefits of adding water--this awesome beverage that is clean and available in our country--are outstanding. Don't give up or overlook it.

Your body will be singing your praises, promise! :]

Veggie Tales

 Vegetables are interesting but lack a sense of purpose when unaccompanied by a good cut of meat. 
--Fran Lebowitz

So the hubs keeps asking for more veggies in his dinner . . . I can understand that--veggies are good for you, most are delicious, they add color, they're good for you, they can be relatively easy to prepare, they're good for you, blah blah blah. The problem?

I am running out of veggies. 

No joke. It seems every week I bring home the same goodies . . . and I am so bored with it. Help? I'm trying to branch out, but it seems like either other veggies are gross (brussel sprouts anyone?), my hubs won't eat them (Hello! Big cucumber fan here, and what is his sworn enemy? the cuke), or they're too expensive or not available. We try the whole fruit thing, but we're so focused on preparing veggies we sometimes forget about the yummy fruit in our fridge . . .and then we remember . . . and it's funky colors fruit should never, ever be.

So I turned to the ultimate source of knowledge.
Why hello, Google. So nice to see you again. Been well? Splendid.

This is what dear Googs gave me:

• How to Get More Vegetables in Your Diet 
• Tips for adding veggies every day 
• Easy Ways to Get 5 Fruits and Veggies a Day 
• A - Fruits & Vegetables: Eat 5 A Day for Better Health 
• And thank God for budget articles . . . 30 Ways to Stretch Your Produce Budget

Just thought I'd share the wealth :]

My favorite bits?

• SALSA COUNTS AS A VEGGIE SERVING!!! Stop the presses! My world has just been forever changed! I now have an excuse to buy all the La Mexicana salsa I can eat! I don't know if you fully understand how epically gorgeous this is! All this time I've been feeling guilty for my salsa snackage, but really I was doing myself a favor! Hallelujah! 
• I don't have to feel guilty for serving rice or taters at dinner time--all this time I've been thinking carbs are bad, but, hey these are veggies, I'm ok! And potatoes are pretty grand. Bring on the taters!
• Recently, I've expressed my love for hummus. Lightbulb. Snow peas and hummus? Red peppers and hummus? Broccoli and carrots and hummus, oh my! Spectacular. 
• An ice cream scoop of steamed veggies counts as a serving. Just one ice cream scoop. We've been eating more veggies than we even realized. 
• Chris, I continue to find evidence that frozen veggies won't kill you. In fact, they're pretty good for you. While I'm not giving up on freshies, I'm not cleaning out my freezer just yet. Thank you. I win.
• All those canned no-added-sugar mandarin oranges I have in the pantry? Um, going to start having those in classroom snack time. They have to be better for me than those mini muffins I've been enjoying, right?

What about you? How do you get in your five-a-day?