by Parisa Wong, Nutritionist
For most northern regions, from winter to early spring, indoor air is particularly dry. The winds, rain and snow alternate, and the air humidity is relatively low. In this climate, many people feel dry skin, dry eyes, dry throat, and dry mouth.
Do you know the signs of dehydration in your body? There are 5 signs indicating a lack of water:
- Urine is dark yellow
- Constipation is due to the intestinal absorption of excess water. Once the body is short of water, the intestines will absorb more water to replenish body fluids, resulting in dry stool.
- Dry mouth and swollen tongue. Thirst is the first sign of lack of water in the body. Dehydration can cause dry mouth and slight swelling of the tongue.
- Lack of water in the body can cause dizziness. One of the key signals is that when you stand up quickly, you will be dizzy.
- Exhausted. Long-term lack of water can easily cause the blood flow and blood pressure to drop, and the blood oxygen content also decreases. Without sufficient oxygen, muscle and nerve function will be weakened, and fatigue will easily occur.
If the physical discomfort is only due to
insufficient water, then you need to consider to drink more water. It's
possible to still be dehydrated after drinking a lot of water because it will
quickly pass through the digestive tract, enter the blood, and then be
discharged from the kidneys, moisturizing the throat and digestive tract mucosa
only for a short time. In comparison, water with a small amount of fructose
(such as organic honey) is much better. It has a higher affinity for water than
glucose and sucrose. Add a bit of organic honey to warm water with a minimal
sweet taste, and make its osmotic pressure relatively low, which is a good
hydrating drink. Even if you feel very thirsty when drinking this light honey
water and swallowing slowly will make you feel more comfortable, and the thirst
of the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat will be relieved.
In the small molecule of fructose, the
larger molecule has better effect. The natural plant gum contained in some
foods bind a large number of water molecules in the aqueous solution and form a
state of high viscosity. For example, Tremella Soup, which contains Tremella
polysaccharides; Oats contains beta-glucan; There is a kind of saponified rice,
which is the inner membrane of the pod, which is rich in plant gum and is
especially sticky when cooked. This is also the principle. These sticky soups
keep moisture on the mucous membranes for a long time, and the throat and
digestive tract feel very moisturized. At the same time, because they cannot be
digested by the human body, they can bring water into the large intestine all
the time, so that the stool can also increase moisture, become softer and avoid
dryness.
The second reason for dryness is improper
diet, eating too much spicy, salty, processed and dried food, which increases
water consumption. We all know that salt has a strong water absorption effect,
and water will be produced when food is pickled with salt. In fact, our body is
the same. If the taste of the dishes is too strong, or the intake of processed
foods containing sodium is too much, after the salt enters the blood vessels,
it will increase the osmotic pressure of the blood, so the water molecules in
the tissue will be attracted by it and enter the blood vessels. As a result,
blood volume increases, blood pressure rises, but the water in the tissues
decreases, which naturally causes dryness. The kidneys then try to excrete salt
from the urine to keep blood volume and osmolality back to normal. But when
salt leaves the body, it takes a lot of water away, making the body drier, and
at the same time increasing the burden on the kidneys.
Although hot pepper does not increase the
osmotic pressure of human blood, it will speed up blood circulation in the
skin, heat the body and increase sweating. This will also lose body moisture.
The third cause of dryness is insufficient
vitamin A. This is because vitamin A is necessary for the synthesis and repair
of epithelial tissue. If it is severely insufficient, the resistance of the
skin and mucous membranes will decrease, the mucus and sebum secreted on the
surface will decrease, and the mucosal immune function will also decrease. This
situation not only brings a feeling of dryness, but also reduces the resistance
of the human mucosa. It is prone to various mucosal infectious diseases such as
pneumonia, measles, and enteritis, which is more obvious in children.
There is another manifestation of vitamin A
deficiency, called acanthosis, which is characterized by dry and keratinized
epidermis, protruding hair follicles, and the skin feels rough and prickly. If
your skin is particularly dry, white lines appear and the keratin is peeled off
with one stroke of your nails, you may wish to consider whether there is
vitamin A deficiency. If your eyes often feel dry and you don't see as clearly
as before at night, most likely you are lack in vitamin A.
Speaking of dry eyes, computer and mobile
phone addict are getting more popular. Many people often use all kinds of eye
drops, but the effect is minimal. People don’t know that using computers and
mobile phones, such as electrical appliances that change the intensity of
light, or watching TV or iPAD too much, will excessively consume the body's
vitamin A and make it more prone to deficiency. The typical vitamin A
deficiency is night blindness and dry eye, which can cause blindness in severe
cases.
In fact, it is quite easy to lack vitamin A
in our diet. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that likes to coexist with cholesterol.
It is found in liver, kidney, high-fat marine fish, egg yolk and cream. It's a
pity that we don't eat much of these foods. We often don't dare to eat the
offal and egg yolk, and we also drink skim milk. Carotene in plant foods can
also be converted into vitamin A in the human body, but only orange and dark
green vegetables are rich in carotene, such as carrots, pumpkins, red sweet
potatoes, spinach, kale, sweet potato leaves, etc. Green leafy vegetables with
dark green leaves. As long as the vegetables are cooked and eaten, they only
need to be eaten with other fat-containing foods to absorb carotene. There is
no need to add a lot of oil for frying, and there is no need to stew with fat.
If dry eyes have occurred, it is better to
take vitamin A or fish oil supplement
while improving the diet plan. But also pay attention, it depends on the
different body constitutions to determine how much vitamin A to take.
However, hydration and vitamin
supplementation cannot solve everyone's problems, because there are still some
people whose problem lies in lack of sleeping. Many people have the experience
that if you stay up often, your body will feel irritated, and your skin and
eyes will feel particularly dry. Traditional health preservation classified
this situation as "internal heat." This may be because the human body
is supposed to rest and sleep at night, and the body temperature decreases, but
if you stay up late, the body temperature will continue to rise at night,
increasing the loss of body water. Moreover, staying up late will affect the
timely repair and renewal of skin and mucous membranes, and water retention
will also decrease. In this case, the best measure is to rest in time. After
staying up late, fall asleep early on the second and third day to allow the
body to recover in time, the moisture of the skin gradually returns to normal,
and the eyes can return to their original clear and bright state.
The fifth cause of dryness is insufficient water
rich vegetables. According to the
Institute of Medicine, about one-fifth of our water consumption comes from food
(ie fruits and vegetables). Nutrition is important for health. An unhealthy
diet can damage metabolism, cause weight gain, and even damage organs, such as
skin, heart and liver. There are some hydrating foods with high moisture
content and can be used in conjunction with your kettle to help you maintain
moisture.
There is a saying in traditional Chinese health preservation called "Five colors food into the five internal organs". It means: green into the liver, red into the heart, yellow into the spleen, white into the lungs, and black into the kidneys. Figuring out what the body needs and providing customized food list can not only improve the nutrition balance but also water absorption. At the meantime, the body will naturally adjust by itself. Therefore, obtaining sufficient essential nutrients is the key to maintaining healthy skin and allowing the body to maintain adequate water naturally.
As a nutritionist, I can assist you in
figuring out how to balance your overall nutrition levels, and provide you with
individualized, personalized, customized nutrition plans.
Please contact Naturopathic Foundations Health Clinic at 905-940-2727 to book an appointment.
