Institute of Nutritional Endocrinology (INE): Body Freedom Foundations – Pillar 5: Diet – Water and Hydration
Body Freedom Foundations
Pillar 5: Diet
Water and Hydration
One of the most frequently overlooked habits that makes the most impact on health is adequate hydration. Drinking water is just not as “sexy” as taking the latest new supplement or powdered drink mix. Yet without proper hydration, the body just can’t be healthy.
Start all clients with instructions to hydrate, using the resources on this page as guielines.
Hydration Strategy & Schedule: Click here to access a PDF copy of the information on the page below that you can save, print, and share with your clients.
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5 | Reviewed all the "Water in the Cause, Cure and Prevention of Disease" documents and recordings | |
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What You Need to Know to Share About Hydration with Your Clients
Dehydration can manifest in a myriad of diseases and symptoms. Most of your clients are dehydrated, and they don’t even realize it.
There’s a fascinating book called You’re Not Sick, You’re Thirsty by Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, M.D. In it he talks about the mechanisms by which dehydration triggers such things as asthma, allergies, heartburn, fatigue, hypertension and many others illnesses your clients may have.
To be properly hydrated your client needs to drink approximately 1/2 their weight in fluid ounces of water. If they are exercising heavily, they’ll need more.
Teaching Your Client About Water Quality and Quantity
Water is vital to your client’s survival. Without sufficient water intake, their entire body slows down, and their healing and repair becomes sluggish. Chronic dehydration is an underlying cause of many of your client’s common diseases. Contrary to popular belief, thirst and dry mouth are not reliable indicators of your client’s need for water.
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to teach your clients to take in the proper quantity of water for their body size and activity level. You’ll also learn how the quality of water your clients drink is as important as the quantity. Be sure to teach them to drink filtered water or spring water instead of tap water, which may contain many contaminants including remnants of prescription drugs, pesticides, heavy metals, chemicals, and viruses.
Your client’s choice of water filtration system is a complex decision, and it may take a lot of research on their part until they decide what feels best to them. See the Extras section for a water filtration document and resource list you can share with them.
Hydration Action Plan
#1: Have your client keep a hydration journal to assess how much they drink now.
Help your client get a sense of how much water they are currently drinking.
For 2 days, have them create a journal of their hydration habits.
In their journal, have them record:
- How much water they are currently drinking – have them record the approximate amount
- Have your clients notice what triggers them to drink
- Have your clients record whether they drink regularly as a habit, or if they drink only when they are thirsty
- Have your clients record a note section of what thirst feels like to them
Dr. Batmanghelidj says that thirst is not a great indicator of when to drink because by the time your clients perceive thirst, they are already down about 3 cups of water.
He also explains that often what your clients perceive as hunger is actually thirst, and he suggests that your clients drink at least 8 ounces of water whenever they feel hunger, and then wait to see if the feeling goes away. This is a great weight management tip for your clients.
#2: Teach your clients to determine how much water they need.
To provide your client’s body with all the water they need for optimal functioning, you need to teach them to:
- Drink at least 1/2 their body weight in fluid ounces of water every day.
- Add to that 8 ounces for every 15 minutes of vigorous exercise they do or perspiration they have.
- Note: Teach your clients that soft drinks, juice, coffee, tea, and other beverages do not count towards their hydration. In fact, alcohol and caffeinated beverages actually trigger mechanisms that cause them to lose water, and thus are dehydrating beverages.
#3: Have your clients become equipped with enough easy-to-access water vessels to get them through each day.
Have your clients get some water bottles, pitchers, or glass jars so that they have enough capacity to hold all of the water that they need in a day. Go ahead and have them fill up their containers with an entire day’s total so that they can see exactly how much they need each day.
Show your clients the amount of water they need may seem like a lot. Have them look at the volume, and fully realize their task at hand. While it’s better if you have them just get started to get this much water in right away, if this is significantly more than what they’re used to, it may be necessary for you to have them gradually increase their water intake.
The sooner you have your clients start drinking their full water requirement, the sooner they’ll begin to reap the benefits.
#4: Help your client create and follow a personal hydration schedule.
Having your client following the suggested schedule below will ensure that they ingest adequate water. Feel free to show them how to adjust to their own needs and lifestyle.
When you have your client add up all the water in the schedule below, they will get the following quantities (given that they eat 3 meals a day and exercise once a day):
- Lower quantity in range: Total is 72 ounces a day (2.1 L)
- Higher quantity in range: Total is 160 ounces a day (4.7 L)
This schedule works for weight ranges from 144 to 320 pounds. If your client weighs less than 144 lbs, they can drink less each time they drink. If they weigh more than 320 lbs, have them drink more each time they drink, or add an extra water drinking time to their schedule.
Hydration Schedule:
It’s okay to have your client drink a little more than their recommended amount, but not less.
- Upon awakening: Have them drink 16 – 32 ounces (.5 – 1 L) of water. Keeping a water bottle or cup at their bedside to begin drinking before they even get up is a great way to start.
- 30 minutes before each meal: Have them drink 8 – 16 ounces
(approx. 250 mL – .5 L). - 1 hour after each meal: Have them drink 8 – 16 ounces.
- Before exercise: Have them drink 8 – 16 ounces.
If they’re overweight, they should also drink 12 – 24 ounces whenever they’re hungry. Have them wait at least 15 minutes, and if they’re still hungry, then they may eat.
Hydration Strategy & Schedule: You are welcome to share this schedule with your clients, as long as you maintain the copyright. Or, if you prefer, you can use the information in this document to recreate your own hydration schedule to share.
#5: Have your clients share goals out loud.
If you want to help your clients have a new plan to stick to, have them share it in public. They can call a friend, tell a neighbor, use social media, or whatever would motivate them. If they can find a “water buddy” to help them stay accountable, that’s even better.
Extras About Hydration
Use these documents and recordings to further educate yourself, and share information with those clients who are ready to go deeper.
The Low Down on Tap Water and Filtration Systems: If your client is currently drinking tap water, share with them the information in this document so they get to know what’s really in their water glass. You’ll also find suggested research to share with them for helping them to choose the filtration system that’s best for them.
Note: The presentation and files below were extracted from a longer presentation. The audio presentation thus begins in mid-stream and may refer to pages/slides not included here.
Water in the Cause, Cure and Prevention of Disease – Partial Presentation
(download link) (Mp3)
Water in the Cause, Cure and Prevention of Disease – Partial Transcript: The transcript of the audio file above.
Water in the Cause, Cure and Prevention of Disease – Powerpoint Slides: A copy of the PowerPoint slides of the above, for your reference and as a teaching tool in creating your own presentation.
Water in the Cause, Cure and Prevention of Disease – Points: You can share this summary collection of points presented in the audio with your clients.
Resources for A Deeper Dive
- You’re Not Sick, You’re Thirsty! by F. Batmanghelidj
- Your Body’s Many Cries for Water by F. Batmanghelidj and M.D.
- The Hidden Messages in Water by Masaru Emoto and David A. Thayne
- Drinking Water Hazards by John Cary Stewart
