Have you ever noticed that the less you drink, the less you feel the need to drink water? Have you noticed that the more sugar you eat, the more sugar you want? These two questions began my study 15 years ago on what I call the body’s Daily Set Point for Water and Sugar, or DSPWS.
Have you ever heard of the body’s set-point for weight? It’s a concept that means that your body likes to stay the same weight. If you eat a little more or a little less, your body will adjust its rate of burning food to metabolize a little more or a little less so as to maintain the same weight. That’s one great reason to not feel bad if you feel hungrier and eat more on a particular day. It’s also a great motivator to encourage you to never yo-yo diet but rather stick to an eating routine that you find satisfying for life. But this article is specifically about the concept of set point for water and sugar and how that applies to a healthy diet.
Unlike the set point for weight, the set point for water and sugar gets determined daily. How does it “get determined?” By YOUR actions.
The DAILY SETPOINT FOR WATER AND SUGAR:
As the name suggests, I have discovered that the body creates a daily set point for its need for water and sugar. This set point gets determined based on what you put into your body in the first few hours of your day.
If you drink a lot of water that has no added sugar or salt, then your body will want to reach that level of hydration and maintain it. You will feel the need to drink frequently. This is good for you. Keep a water bottle near your bed. Drink at least 8 ounces, but 16ounces if that feels right. Do not drink it after you drink coffee. Do not drink it after you eat food. Drink the water first thing, on an empty stomach. It does not matter if you wake up early or late. It does seem to matter that you don’t wait too long. Do not let your body think that there is a water shortage and determine its threshold for thirst too high. Drink within a few minutes of waking up.
Notice that you will want to drink very often through the day.
The total for the day will be a higher amount of water intake, better skin texture, better memory, more alert reactions, and many of the other benefits that result from being properly hydrated.
As you might guess, water and sugar are very related. Water helps dilute and transport sugar throughout the body. Your intake of sugar seems to have a daily set point as well.
Do not try this, as it is not good for you. But think about it: if you eat an x amount of sugar at breakfast, your body will experience a brief burst of energy followed by a low. When it gets sluggish, your body will reach out for more sugar. By the end of the day, your total daily intake for sugar will be much higher than if you did not throw your sugar-protein balance off.
In order to keep a lower total daily intake of sugar, leave sugary foods for the end of the day. Sugary foods include all foods that break down into sugar by the body. You may eat fruits and vegetables throughout the day, because their sugar will balance out the protein that you should be eating in every single meal. However, if you want to reach for a starchy choice from the grain group, do so in the evening. Your intake will help produce serotonin, which will help you relax in the evening as well. You daily total should be low, so enjoy (guilt free of course as always. Guilt has no part in HeartMark Health.)
For more information on the Daily Set Point for Water and Sugar, contact me talilehavi@aol.com or read my books. I have lectures for children on nutrition, healthy snacks, the food groups. In addition, I can design entertaining and educational lessons for your needs that combine cooking and or fitness. My recipes for children are safe and combine the concepts learned about health in the lecture. I also hand out recipes and coloring pages!
The only person who has ever studied this subject and named it is me, as part of the health company I formed “HeartMark Health.” Please feel free to fill out the form and add feedback so that I can have more participants in the study. I have pioneered many nutrition advances including the high protein-high calcium-high fiber diet, the Substitution Theory, and the HeartMark Method to Classically Condition Yourself to Want to be Healthy, to name a few successful methods that are now becoming recognized.
HeartMandala and HeartMark brands combine to help you focus on your ideal daily intake for water and sugar
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