A-Z hydration Articles

Staying hydrated is about more than just consuming a glass of water. It’s about maintaining the delicate balance your body needs for most major functions, from digestion and cognitive clarity to energy levels and skin health. While water is central to hydration, not all water hydrates your body equally. Understanding the quality of your water and the role of essential minerals like electrolytes can make a significant difference in your overall health.

Why Water Alone Isn’t Always Enough

Water that’s purified through methods like reverse osmosis or distillation is stripped of naturally occurring minerals such as magnesium, calcium, and potassium, these electrolytes are necessary for hydration and cellular function. While these methods effectively remove contaminants, they also leave water “empty” of the minerals that help your body retain and utilize fluids. 

If your primary water source is mineral-depleted, consider restoring these elements by adding trace mineral or electrolyte supplements. This simple step can significantly enhance hydration and support the body’s natural systems. 

Understanding Electrolytes And Their Role In The Body

Electrolytes are electrically charged minerals essential for regulating fluid balance, muscle function, nerve signalling, and pH balance. Every time you move, whether it’s simply walking, or something more strenuous like playing a sport, it’s your electrolytes that are helping conduct the nerve impulses that tell your muscles to contract, resulting in movement. Every muscle needs electrolyte signalling to move, even the beating of your heart muscle. The most important of these essential minerals include sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, but there are many others.

Without proper electrolyte levels, the body’s ability to maintain hydration and physiological function diminishes, the most noticeable of symptoms being fatigue and light headedness.

Benefits of Healthy Hydration

Proper hydration is critical for overall wellness. From physical performance and cognitive functioning to mood, hydration plays an integral role in your health.

Adequate hydration helps maintain proper body temperature, lubricates joints, delivers nutrients to cells, flushes toxins and waste, improves digestion and skin health, and reduces the risks of kidney stones and Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs).

Hydration isn’t just about fluid intake; it’s about fluid balance, a healthy synergy between water and electrolytes. 

While most people think consuming liquids alone will keep them hydrated, it’s important to note that replenishing both fluids and electrolytes is key to proper hydration.

Recognizing The Signs of Dehydration & Electrolyte Depletion

Your body is a dynamic system that require homeostasis to thrive. When hydration levels dip below optimal levels, symptoms can range from subtle to severe.

• Mild Dehydration: dry mouth and onset of feeling thirsty. Darker urine colour and less urine output. Feeling tired, and the onset of headaches.
• Moderate Dehydration: same signs as mild but more intense: more pronounced thirst, dizziness or lightheadedness, and decreased ability to sweat.
• Severe Dehydration: not urinating at all, dry/shrivelled skin, confusion, rapid heart rate and breathing, sunken eyes, shock.

Seek medical attention if signs of moderate to severe dehydration are present.

Common Causes of Dehydration

While insufficient water intake is a well-known culprit, several other factors can deplete your fluid and electrolyte reserves, including: heat exposure and sweating, intense physical activity, illnesses involving vomiting, diarrhea, or fever, high alcohol or caffeine consumption, certain medications like diuretics, and underlying health conditions like diabetes or kidney issues. 

The key to prevention is recognizing risk factors and responding with both fluid and electrolyte replenishment. 

Top Electrolyte Supplements

When you require additional support, here are 4 standout electrolyte supplements:

1. Organika Electrolytes – made with zero sugar or caffeine, this product is formulated to be taken whenever you feel thirsty. Delivering essential minerals to help you feel hydrated and replenish electrolytes. Also available in an Isotonic blend that’s made to prevent dehydration and rapidly replenish fluids lost due to diarrhea or vomiting. 
2. Trace Minerals – made with full spectrum trace minerals, this is a natural source of electrolytes that’s flavour free. 
3. Vega Sport Electrolyte Hydrator – this vegan formula enhances metabolism and alkalinity with zero calories. Containing beneficial minerals to restore electrolyte balance through workouts, this product is free from sugar and artificial sweeteners. 
4. Biosteel – the official hydrator of the NHL. Biotsteel is a sugar and artificial preservative free electrolyte blend that’s derived from fruits and vegetables and contains 5 essential electrolytes that are easy to absorb. 

How To Use Electrolyte Supplements

Using electrolyte supplements are convenient and easy to incorporate into your everyday routine: 

• Add powdered or liquid electrolytes into your water 
• Select ready-to-drink formulas like Biosteel on-the-go hydration
• Mix electrolytes into smoothies for a nutrient boost
• Add trace minerals to your morning tea or coffee 

These small changes can have a big impact in how you feel throughout the day, especially during heatwaves, intense training, or illness recovery. 

FAQ’s About Hydration

1. What Is The Best Way To Hydrate Your Body?

Drink plenty of water, water that has been filtered is best as it removes many contaminants and lead. You can also select electrolytes to help restore your electrolyte balance and increase hydration.

2. What Are The 5 Warning Signs of Dehydration?

The main signs of dehydration include: thirst, dark yellow urine, infrequent urination, dry mouth, and headaches. However, you may also experience dizziness, fatigue, and muscle cramps. If you suspect severe dehydration or heat stroke, seek medical attention.

3. How Do You Tell If You Need Electrolytes?

You may want to consider taking electrolytes after intense exercise or if you’ve been experiencing vomiting or diarrhea. You may also consider electrolytes if you have muscle cramps, weakness or twitching, headaches, fatigue, nausea or vomiting, dizziness or confusion, or an irregular heartbeat.

4. Is It Ok To Drink Electrolytes Every Day?

Yes, it is ok if you drink electrolytes daily. They are water-soluble and are often deemed safe. However, most people who consume a healthy, well-rounded diet receive a sufficient amount of electrolytes from the foods they consume. Those with kidney problems or high blood pressure should speak with a healthcare practitioner before consuming electrolyte supplements daily.

5. Does Lemon Water Have Electrolytes?

Yes, lemon water contains potassium, calcium, and magnesium, which can support hydration and muscle function. However, the electrolyte content in lemons is relatively low.

Kidney stone discomfort can be intense and disruptive, often affecting daily routines and overall well-being. Finding ways to support your body and reduce the risk of recurrence is key to long-term comfort and health. Alongside hydration and dietary adjustments, many individuals are exploring kidney stone support through natural approaches that aim to promote urinary tract health and maintain mineral balance.

In this article, we'll explore practical strategies to help you feel more comfortable and support your body naturally. 

Understanding Kidney Stones

To better understand kidney stone support strategies, you must first understand what kidney stones are and how they form. Excruciatingly painful kidney stones begin as small crystals that form in the kidneys, usually from excess minerals. They can stay as small as a grain of sand or grow as large as a grape. While in the kidneys, they can cause dull backache, mild irritation and lead to infections of the kidney called nephritis.

The intense pain results when these stones begin to travel from the kidneys and out into the bladder and urinary tract. Very small stones may pass without you even noticing. For those with larger stones, it is a completely different story. Severe pain accompanied by fever, nausea and extreme distress results. People at this stage are often hospitalized and prescribed very strong painkillers, such as morphine.

Kidney stones can contain calcium, amino acids, uric acid, or oxalic acid. Doctors determine stone type through testing or stone analysis. About 80% of kidney stones contain calcium. If you have passed a kidney stone, it is important to discover what type of stone it was, as this can help you to alter your diet and supplement regimen to address specific aggravating factors of each.

Key Causes of Kidney Stones

Other causes of kidney stones are: concentrated urine, a diet high in animal protein and dairy products, kidney infection, hyperparathyroidism, excess bone breakdown, and dehydration. Conventional treatment of kidney stones involves the use of painkillers until the stone has passed. Doctors use surgical techniques to break up stones that become lodged. Nutritional supplements may help prevent kidney stones. They may also help reduce pain during acute attacks.

Kidney Stone Support: Treatment Options

Balancing pH Levels & Calcium's Role

Proper calcium balance and absorption are crucial for the prevention and treatment of kidney stones.

Proper calcium balance helps prevent kidney stones. Calcium supports many essential functions, but excess blood calcium can create problems. The kidneys filter excess calcium from the bloodstream. This calcium can form crystals that eventually become stones. Over-acidity can increase blood calcium levels. They body pulls calcium from bones to neutralize excess acid. This process also contributes to osteoporosis. Excess calcium may then accumulate in the kidneys and form stones. Maintaining a healthy acid-alkaline balance may help reduce this risk. People with kidney stones should pay close attention to their pH. Family history also increases the risk of kidney stones. Those with affected relatives should take preventative measures and support healthy calcium metabolism through diet and lifestyle.

Using a green food supplement will usually raise your pH, making it more alkaline and thereby reducing the leaching of calcium. See the list below for types of green foods and dosages useful for balancing pH with respect to kidney stones. Avoid the mineral potassium that is often used to help neutralize acidity, as it can often irritate this condition. You can easily monitor your pH daily with convenient pH paper or an electronic pH meter. This allows you to alter your diet and supplement program accordingly.

Optimizing Calcium Absorption

Impaired calcium utilization can increase blood calcium levels. They body needs minerals and cofactors to use calcium properly. These nutrients help incorporacte calcium into bones and other tissues. Ensure that you are getting enough of the minerals silica, zinc, and magnesium, as they are all needed for the uptake of calcium by your bones. Also, ensure that you are getting enough fibre, as it helps the body excrete excess calcium that might otherwise be reabsorbed by the intestines when it is not needed. A daily fibre supplement is a convenient and effective way of increasing your fibre intake and reducing reabsorption of unneeded calcium. Other important nutrients for calcium utilization are: vitamin D, soya extracts, boron, and primrose oil.

Taking a calcium supplement does not cause kidney stones, although it is important that you take yours with a meal, as taking it on an empty stomach inhibits proper utilization. Ensure that it is of a high quality, such as a citrate or a chelate type. If you have osteoporosis, use the hydroxyapatite form, as it is the easiest to integrate into new bone mass and is less likely to contribute to higher calcium levels in the blood.

Kidney Stone Support: Prevention Tips

Dietary interventions to prevent kidney stones include drinking 2-2.5 litres of filtered water, juice or herbal tea daily, which keeps the urine diluted. If the stones contain uric acid, include black cherry juice in your fluid intake. To prevent concurrent kidney or bladder infections, drink unsweetened cranberry juice. Eat plant source protein, like beans, and egg whites. Consume foods that are high in B6 and vitamin A to prevent stones. This includes fish, whole grains, legumes, carrots, yams, apricots, peaches, cantaloupe and mangoes.

To avoid calcium oxalate stones, do not eat foods containing oxalic acid, for example, spinach, rhubarb and tomatoes. Minimize the consumption of sugar, caffeine, antacids, alcohol and salt because they increase urinary calcium. Animal protein and dairy products increase urinary calcium and uric acid, and should also be avoided.