when to drink water; plus, lime-water first thing in the morning!

You know by now that my answer to "When should I drink water?" would be "Whenever you want!" or "Whenever you can!" But there are certain circumstances where water is especially effective:

 

For some people, drinking just plain water is hard to do at first. It was for me. After all, I had bombarded my system with highly flavored drinks for my whole life; water seemed like a let down. So, I experimented with adding things to my water: cucumbers, mint, lemon, lime, ginger, fruits. All of them helped me when I first started drinking more water. Now, during the day, I drink just plain, room temperature, bottled water. Room temperature because it doesn't cause me to get cold, it's not a shock to my teeth or esophagus, and because it's easy to drink a lot at room temperature. Bottled (either purified or spring, whichever is on sale) because I don't like the taste of my tap water; purely a personal preference. I don't like to carry around a water-jug all day; but I do carry several in my car. (In addition to my own drinking, I like to give them out to homeless people.)

I like to START my days with the juice of half of a lime in my 16 oz. of morning water. I like the "jolt" of the sourness of the lime, and it seems to clear some of the "funk" out of my mouth and brain. Also, there are good health reasons to add lime or lemon first thing in the morning. Here are some:



Initially, I was concerned about lemons and my teeth. I know that eating lemons will etch the enamel off teeth and cause sensitivity (did that once as a teen). So, I consulted my dentist. (Yes, I still admire and require my western medical docs.) He had two things to say about drinking lemon/lime water.

1. Lemon/Lime water is no more harmful to your teeth than drinking a soda. (Actually, that made me stop and consider another reason to give up soda.)
2. DO NOT sip Lemon/Lime water throughout the day. This will change the pH balance in your mouth, which can lead to other issues. When you drink lime water, drink and enjoy, and then go on to drink just plain water or something else.

So, now I pass on these ideas to you. As always, consider which part of this makes sense for your life and start small. Try just a sip or two of lime water in the morning. You might be surprised! I now start my days with 16 oz of lime water (juice of half a lime), followed by another 16 oz of water with breakfast. Quite a big change from two Diet Dr. Peppers and a pack of crackers. My body feels better with this change, too!