Comments on: How To Increase Water Absorption

By: John Kearney

John Kearney — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:41:39 +0000

Great article and I was hoping you could maybe provide me with some advise.
I have a high water throughput. I’m a big guy currently weigh about 120KG/264lbs/18st,12lb. Which according to the equation above would mean I should drink just shy of 4 litres of water a day. Which I do easily most days. My problem is in endurance training. Yesterday for example I went jogging for an hour and then cycling for appor0x 4 hours. my total water consumption was 9 litres over the 5 hour period. however over the last hour I stopped sweating and started cramping. I think this has to do with diminished electrolights. Now I know that potassium, sodium, chlorine are very important to water retention. I actually does all my water these days with mineral additives. http://translate.google.com/translate?langpair=auto|en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bodybuilding-depot.de%2Fshop%2FVitamine%2BMineralien%2FS.U.%2BMineral%2BComplex%2BSoftdrink .
I guess what I’m saying is that in general what you are saying is correct but an important factor is how are you losing the water and at what rate? I know that in warm desert climates salt tables are used as part of dehydration treatment. So I’m confused when you say people should reduce their salt intake, to increase water uptake.
I always had a sort of simple theory of this in mind. Basically water absorption happen through a sort of osmosis in the large intestine. To help this the blood needs to be more salty than the fluid in the intestine. So completely fresh water can be absorbed the best. however if you are sweating a lot this causes a lot of salts to be expelled from the body continually reducing the effectiveness of this process. Therefore over the longer term is is actually better to drink mineral infused or even slightly salty water to replenish these expelled salts.
So I’m curious would you agree with this or not?

By: Rob

Rob — Fri, 06 May 2011 21:42:50 +0000

@Joseph, I’m not a doctor and do not give that sort of medical advice. What I can say is to follow the advice of your doctor and then look into increasing potassium and magnesium (from food sources would be my recommendation). Chia seed would fit the bill, and Hemp Hearts (shelled hemp seeds) would be great as well.

Sounds like (but I’m not the final say in the matter, your doctor is) an electrolyte issue. More than just potassium and magnesium.

By: Joseph

Joseph — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 02:40:58 +0000

Hey Rob, excellent article! Ok i have a severe problem, my body refuses to absorb water. Like you said, it just passes right out. Ive measured in cups, everything I drink will come out with in the hour, my body will not absorb any of it!! It has been like this for five months now, my doctor doesnt know what it is, and its gotten to the point where I have bones poking out from water depravation. So according to your article, I should greatly increase my potassium level?

By: Beryl

Beryl — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 19:49:43 +0000

Hi Rob,
Great article, was searching on how to increase my body water %, and reduce the body fat%. I am at 36% body fat and body water is 41% which is low for a 30year old female. I train 4-5x a week and drink about 2ltrs on most days. I realised that if I reduce my water intake for 2 days i wake up feeling foggy and mucousy. I am trying to search for reasons and guidance on how to shift this percentage. I feel i am doing a lot of effort but getting little result. sometimes my weight fluctuates by 2-3lbs from one day to the other. I started using glutamine 3wks ago as i found it also supports intestinal health. I have been diagnosed with lactose, egg, wheat, yeast and nut intollerance 3wks ago. I have been vegan since january and although my diet is mostly veg and fruit I cannot loose anymore fat. Should I reduce my fruit to one a day? I do have an increase in body water % (of about 2%) if i do a water fast for 3 days, but it goes back to normal afterwards. good information you offer and hope i will be able to loose weight as it is driving me nuts.

By: Shoga

Shoga — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 02:24:25 +0000

Thanks for the info!!

I’m not looking to lose weight, but to retain water as my body is contantly dry. It’s been that way ever since I was a kid- I am prone to nosebleeds, cracked/bleeding skin, dry hair and such. Other than not drinking enough water for years, I drink one cup of coffee a day and maybe one soda a week.

For the past week I have been very good about drinking enough water though, but I literally have to pee 15 minutes after I down the glass and I feel like it’s just not making any difference. I’m just wondering, is there a “transition period” where it takes my body some time to get used to the increased water intake? My diet is so-so but that’d be nice to know before I start panicing to change it.

Thanks!

By: Lorri

Lorri — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 12:37:02 +0000

Hi Rob,

As determined by my naturopath, my water rentention at the cellular level is very poor. We have been working on this for 4 years now, all to no avail. I share my story to see if you have any insight to add.

I am female, 56 years old, 5′7″ in height, weighing 145 lbs, BMI 22.7.

My colon is twice the length of the average human (as determined by a gastroenterologist a decade ago). This might explain 40 years of IBS and chronic constipation and other waste management issues (to be delicate). Consequently, I am passionate about my nutrition and exercise:

1. 4-5 litres of source water a day (290 dissolved solids)
(I even tried a product to alkalinize my water for 4 months or so, and that did not help either, despite the manufacturer’s claims re increased cellular water retention)

2. 1 fruit serving per day (berries)

3. 6 veggie servings per day (4 greens/other and 2 starch)

4. 2 fatty fish servings per week

5. 2 tbs of Udo 3-6-9 Oil blend and 1 tsp of Cyto-Mix Omega D-3 Oil

6. fiber on a daily basis: 2 tbs of acacia (soluble fiber), 1 tbs of ground flax seed, 1 tbs of psyllium husk and 2 tbs of sprouted chia seed, for a total daily fiber consumption of at least 36 grams (including veggies) (I tried upping that gradually over time, eventually reaching 68 grams, but all that served to do was severely irritate my colon without any effect on constipation, so I’ve backed off).

7. no added sugar … I use stevia when something needs sweetening to my taste.

8. no added salt in cooking … I use grey sea salt at the table only, and as little as possible

9. exercise 2 hours a day on average, some combo or another of pilates, ballet, yoga, weights, abs, stretching, back relaxation (yes, it’s exercise), power walking …

10. guided meditation ½ hour per day

None of this effort has aided in moving my water retention numbers one iota, or my bowels for that matter.

Anything in general you can think to add would be appreciated.

And more specifically:
1. how much glutamine would you recommend for me
2. do the sprouted chia seeds I take work as well as non-sprouted (I use sprouted because it is less messy and there is no time wasted in soaking … it’s ready to use …)
3. you talk about coconut water … never heard of it … what makes it effective … and do you mean to replace all source water with coconut water?
4. suggestions for monitoring potassium/sodium intake ratio

So very grateful for your time,
Lorri

By: Rob

Rob — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 17:16:25 +0000

You dont have to grind them, but you can. Grinding them simply makes the nutrients more accessible, but not required. Sometimes I grind, sometimes I dont. Depends on the recipe where I’m using them

By: Rob

Rob — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 03:26:20 +0000

Well @Tony, Psyllium husks are fiber and fiber alone. Chia have powerful nutritional value to them and are not just fiber. They provide fiber, but way way more.

factor in as well that chia has omega 3 EFA’s where psyllium do not. Factor that into your nutritional profile for the day

By: Tony

Tony — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:49:57 +0000

I take 5 tbs of psyllium husks at night,which creates a fibrous gel much like I imagine these chia seeds will. Should I replace the psyllium with chia or do both?

By: Tony

Tony — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:47:29 +0000

Do you need to grind chia seeds like you do with flax seeds?

By: Rob

Rob — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 17:41:58 +0000

Banana’s have too much sugar in them. THey create too much mucous in the body. When we eat them, our body switches to burning that sugar instead of fat.

Apples are a much better choice. Apples and any berries. If you want fruit, stick with apples. And.. if you want to reduce weight quickly, stick to one serving of fruit only. No more, and again, berries would be the best choice.

I ate banana’s daily as well, right before noon. I eliminated them and dropped 5 pounds in a week.

your next improvement might be to add a single scoop of whey protein into your day. Two might even be better. One earlier, one mid afternoon. The cleanest whey I’ve found is http://www.WheyWheyBetter.com

By: Josh

Josh — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:13:58 +0000

Hey Rob,

I sent you this as a comment in the CONTACT section, but not sure if you got it. So here I go again,

I am currently working hard at losing my extra baggage and I’m currently in a weight loss bet with one of my good friends. So losing weight fast is important, but I’m also trying to do it right.

I’d like to know why you think Banana’s are a bad choice? Banana is actually my first food of the day, I eat a banana as a light snack about 2 hours before my breakfast. Is it because of the dense carbohydrates that I should avoid them? Or is there another reason?

I do like to at least get 2-3 good size portions of fruit each day, like cantaloupe, melon, cherries, blueberries, strawberries.

Is there a better choice I can be making for my early morning snack?

Your insight/help would be much appreciated.

Josh ( long time lurker )

By: Rob

Rob — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 03:21:49 +0000

@Serena, the warfarin isn’t permanent. It’s a temporary thing you’ve got going on.

By: Serena

Serena — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 00:35:49 +0000

Great article on water. Unfortunately I cannot eat green leafy vegetables as I am taking warfarin for anticoagulation. I have to stay away from spikes in my vitamin K. which means green leafy vegetables. And since I didn’t eat many of them before, if I start now it will mess up my prothrombin times. But I do limit the salt, haven’t been able to give it up completely yet but I’m trying!

By: Rob

Rob — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:12:20 +0000

@Brad, I think it was easier when we were growing up. Our little bodies were better able to adapt and would work despite the things we did to it.

after many generations of poorer and poorer quality food thought, even that is changing.

Coconut water is excellent. I recommend it.
Drinking more water itself is of course excellent.
I’m not at all for vitamin water. That’s just marketing.

not sure what your issue is at the moment so can’t really comment, but a change over to a natural diet is a good thing. That does not mean going vegetarian (I’m not any longer), but it does mean to super increase your consumption of fresh foods, whole foods, and dark leafy greens especially.

Electrolytes are found in all green things, so by simply eating more greens, we can usually begin to balance out a lot of health issues.

plus, the more greens we eat, the less opportunity we have for other crap to get in the way.

focus on the greens, and the rest will work itself out

By: Brad Ford

Brad Ford — Fri, 14 May 2010 15:21:03 +0000

I just stumbled onto your site. Great info. Thank you.

I discovered this page after Googling “how to retain water.” I’ve been waking up with morning headaches. It makes me want to stay in bed. One friend recommended Vitamin Water, one said to drink half my weight in ounces, and one said coconut water because of the natural electrolytes.

For the record I know I habitually don’t drink much water. Period.

I have tried a few new things in the past year: not eating red meat, not eating meat at all, having colonic, as well as a morning shake with spinach and rice or soy milk. I think my body is confused.

Is it me or were these choices easier when we were growing up.

By: Sandra Martinez

Sandra Martinez — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 13:07:40 +0000

Thanks for the article, I found it highly informative. I had no clue about the Chia seeds or the glutamine. After reading this I run a search and now I understand things better from the chemical perspective.

I have a little trick to know when I have enough water, I just pay attention to my lips, when they feel a bit dry or mushy I know I have to drink water.

This rules out all the external measures of how much water you “have to” drink. As I feel nobody in the outside should know better than our own body.

By: Ryan M Hall

Ryan M Hall — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:59:02 +0000

Hey Rob!
Wow, for some reason it’s been a while since I’ve been over to the site. It looks great.

Love this post, I tell almost everyone I talk with to drink more water and most of them crinkle their nose.
It seems that soda is so much more fun that water, but once you detox from the cravings of soda and energy drinks, you notice that the water makes you feel waaaaaaay better when you drink it.

BTW, thanks for adding the info on Glutamine, that is absolutely fantastic advice!

Ryan

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:24:53 +0000

Good article. Drinking water at room temp with Celtic sea salt is the start for good absorption yet many people are severely dehyrdrated and their cells won’t allow access of water, so people will continue to drink more water and still be dehydrated. It takes time and healing before you can absorb all that water.

By: James

James — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:23:06 +0000

Very interesting piece Rob. I am currently on a calorie deficient diet trying to lose some weight. I am currently 195 and my goal weight is 175. I am on about a 1500 calorie a day diet and i exercise six times a week varying from weight training to conditioning to light cardio. Will the chia seeds help my weight loss diet? GNC had a chia seed (link below) that i am looking to purchase based on what you think it will do for me rob. And should i use whey protein with my diet?

http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3968464