| The New View of Water and Diet |  |
Water can revitalize forgotten diets or become the mainstay of a new
diet. Most diet books advocate drinking an adequate quantity of water
each day. Water hydrates the body, maintains adequate flushing of the
kidneys, provides fluid to maintain blood volume, and supports many
diet programs. Yet most people do not drink adequate amounts of water
each day. Although water is a necessity for good health it can also
be used to help you lose weight. Many dieters find that water is
their key to losing weight. How can such a claim be made? The case
for elevating the use of water in all diets is clearly made in a new
book The Five Keys to Weight Control by Marvin H. Berenson, M.D.
Filling the stomach with food or liquid causes stretch
receptors to send a signal to the brain that you have satisfied your
hunger. The first primary control technique for both losing weight
and maintaining that loss is understanding that hunger is gradually
reduced as the quantity of food and liquid that you put in your
stomach increases. The more food and liquid in your stomach the less
the hunger. This effect is independent of the caloric intake and has
nothing to do with what constitutes a good diet. It has everything to
do with the bulk content that fills the stomach.
The stomach of the average overweight person requires
approximately one quart or four full glasses of fluid to fill it.
That amount diminishes to three glasses in a person who is not
overweight. Many very obese persons can drink six or more glasses of
fluid before feeling filled. When water is drunk slowly without food
it quickly leaves the stomach, which accounts for why some overweight
individuals can seemingly drink without cessation. Fluid drunk with
food may remain in the stomach up to three hours during the first
digestive phase. Drinking just one glass of water before each meal
and one glass of water during the meal will cut down on your calorie
intake by helping fill the stomach. Add low calorie foods, such as
vegetables, and you have an effective technique to reduce hunger and
calories.
If you put one pound of high fat food into your stomach
rather than one pound of mixed vegetables, you would have consumed as
much as ten times the calories of the vegetable mix. From your
stomach's viewpoint one pound is one pound and the degree of
hunger
satisfaction is essentially the same. But the calorie difference in
that pound of food can be enormous. If you are dieting or just trying
to maintain weight control, acting on this information may make the
difference in whether or not you maintain weight control.
When dieting, the larger the quantity of food with the fewest
calories the greater the weight loss and the more effective the
control. Thus, if vegetables, fruits, and grains comprise a fairly
large proportion of your diet this will tend to reduce the amount of
fat-laden food that goes into your stomach. The greater the
proportion of fruits and vegetables, the greater is the effect.
Knowing that adding bulk to your stomach contents as part of
your diet will reduce hunger and thus reduce your food intake; you
are now prepared to adapt water to your diet and weight control
method. There's nothing particularly new about drinking water in
a
healthy diet. Most diets point out and even stress the value of
water. However, how much and when you drink water is the critical
element in weight control.
Upon awakening, drink one or two eight-ounce glasses of
water. At breakfast drink an additional glass of water just before
you begin to eat. During your meal drink another glass of water. This
is in addition to any juice, coffee or milk you drink. Those who
drink little water or who feel this is an excessive amount of water
to start the day should start their increased water intake slowly.
The amounts noted above can be half as much initially.
At each additional meal you eat, whether just lunch and
dinner or multiple small meals each day, drink one glass of water
before you begin eating and at least one glass during the meal.
Throughout the day whenever you feel like having a snack, no matter
how small, always precede it with at least half a glass of water.
Whenever you feel hungry or have an impulse to eat, try to limit the
impulse to only drinking water and not eating the snack. Eventually
you will be able to drink just water to satisfy your brief hunger
pangs. This will enhance your control over the amount of food you
eat.
You can drink water freely in your diet without concern that
it may not be healthy. There is no evidence that drinking fluids of
any kind with food interferes with digestion or absorption of
nutrients. Many foods are made up of as much as 90% water. Following
these suggestions can truly facilitate weight loss and weight control.
**********************************************************************
The Five Keys to Permanent Weight Control by Dr. Marvin Berenson,
Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the USC
School of Medicine, is available from his website
www.marvinberenson.com where he offers a free 31 page e-book Self
Growth and the Power of Mental Imagery, or by calling 800 247 6553,
or at bookstores nationwide.
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