Summer Ideas

Dr. Kasia Kines, Nutritionist, CEO and founder of Global EBV Institute
[email protected]

Staying Hydrated in Summer

Let’s talk about hydration, since this summer is particularly hot. Each of us has an individual need of fresh water. There is a general claim that an adult needs about 8 glasses of water a day, which does not fit all. Fluids are not created equal either. Here are some safe, proven and simple tools to keep your body happily hydrated and out of trouble this summer.

1. Do not count sodas, coffee or strong black tea as hydrating. Take them out if possible or add extra water. For every cup of coffee, for example, you need to add an extra cup of water during the day.

2. Listen to your thirst cues. Your lips will be dry and you will feel thirsty. However, if you are over 60 years old, your thirst mechanism is going to start to decrease and you can no longer rely on feeling thirsty. Make sure you have water around you during the day. You may need to put a pitcher filled with water on the kitchen table and rememebr to empty it by the end of the day. Your needs will vary depending e.g. on activity level or outside temperature and humidity.

3. Always look at your urine color. If it is only pale yellow, you are hydrated. The darker yellow it is, the more dehydrated you are. This can only be tricky after taking B complex as your urine will be colored yellow from the supplement.

4. Rehydration is misunderstood. Refrain from energy drinks and after-exercise rehydrating drinks if they contain any source of sugar or if they contain artificial sweeteners. The safest and healthiest option is drinking coconut water or adding a pinch of Celtic sea salt to a glass of water. Both contain electrolytes. Celtic sea salt is rich in electrolytes as well as many minerals. Some coaches are already promoting Celtic sea salt in water to hydrate their athletes.

5. More water is not better. Excess of water can dillute electrolytes, cause swelling of the brain and even endanger your heart. Remember to watch the color of your urine and increase water intake with exercise or heat.

6. Water has not been created equal either. Distilled water is unbalanced and is not beneficial long term as it is devoid of minerals. As such, it can create acidity and may lead to leaching minerals from the body to balance the water. Tap water contains many impurities including possibly traces of oral contraceptives and other medications. Water served in resrtaurants and especially ice cubes may come from tap water. Water filtration system is a must. Reverse osmosis is a very good filtration system, for example. Whatever you can afford, please filter your water.

7. Molecular structure of water is something that is less discussed, but cooling water almost to the point of freezing will restructure water molecules and make it healthiest. Think about water freezing in winter and then melting. If this is not possible, whisk water in a glass for a while to create a vortex. I am not sure how this is scientifically proven and if it is, but that is also something I have read about. It is free, easy, fast, and since it does not hurt you, see if you can test it and how that water tastes to you.

7. If your adrenals are low or very taxed (as in long term stress), adding a pinch of Celtic sea salt to water will make that water not only taste better to you, but it will make that water more beneficial. Sodium becomes really important for adrenals.

Summer Essentials

Stainless steel traveling bottle with a filter by Pure H20 (photo above). You filter water out as you drink. This is a brand new product and I am very excited about it. In the photo above, I took out the filter so that you can see it. Click here for details.

Aloe vera gel for skin exposed to elements, especially sun. Ultimate Aloe Gel, which is what I personally use, is a rejuvenating formula made using a unique whole leaf process. With over 200 nutrients which are rich in enzymes, amino acids, vitamins and minerals, it works to soothe irritated skin caused by dry skin or sunburn, so it is a perfect addition to your beach tote bag!

Heavy, greasy foods on the beach? If you indulge on your vacation on the beach… you have two friends: enzymes and a aloe. Pack a box of packets of Isotonix Digestive Enzymes with you (in the photo above). They come in a double dose size, which then is mixed with 4 oz water. If you have eaten a very heavy meal or you feel the meal is not feeling good, do that double dose. Otherwise, you can use roughly 1/2 packet with 2 oz water right after a meal. While isotonic solutions require an exact measurement, this is an exception when you can be approximate.  Keep a few packets in your purse for those late and heavy dinners out!!!

Ultimate Aloe Vera Juice in powder (also in packets for traveling convenience) can support your gastrointestinal balance and wellness and help prevent unpleasant hiccups as well. Like Enzymes, Ultimate Aloe comes in packets requiring 4 oz of water. One box is an equivalent of one bottle and the price is the same. Each packet is the size of your finger, roughly. It is  light weight and patients love it when they travel, especially on a plane. Aloe vera juice has been revered for centuries for its support of a strong immune system, a healthy gastrointestinal tract and improved digestion and nutrient absorption.

Summer troubleshooting with isotonix powders:

Prevent isotonic powders from caking in hot and humid weather. While caking does not mean the effectiveness decreased, it is so inconvenient.

• Keep the cap screwed on tight after blowing off any remaining powder or the powder may start caking inside the bottle. It does NOT like air and moisture from outside.
• If it is really hot and humid, you can keep your isotonic in the fridge.
• Consider putting yourself on an isotonic cocktail instead, and set it for monthly or 90-day deliveries and keep the canister with the cocktail in the fridge.
• Switch to Daily Essential Packets (in the photo above) for convenience (although that is more plastic). This can meet basic supplement needs of most. The box has 30 packets. Each packet contains Activated B complex, Calcium Complete, Multivitamin without iron, and OPC-3 antioxidant superstar. This helps keep you consistent with supplements while traveling as you can take as many packets as the days of your vacation and they are roughly the size of a tea bag, so very small! You mix them with exactly 8 oz water and that is that. Please note: there is no iron in the multi.

Make your Own Popsicles

You can blend fruit of any kind and add some maple syrup or raw honey to it and perhaps lemon juice, depending on the flavor you are looking for. Please make sure the fruit is absolutely ripe for this! The flavor has to be intense. You can get the molds everywhere. But if you are trying to avoid BPA, there are BPA free molds. There is an online company called Life Without Plastics – not only do they have your plastic-free popsicle molds with reusable bamboo sticks but they also have glass straws, so you never have to use plastic straws and throw them away again. Here is a great recipe for summer fruit popsicles by my friends Ali and Tom.

Make your Own Ice Cream

Summer is coming and it is hot and humid in Maryland! I have looked at ways to make ice cream with simple ingredients but not involving ice cream maker (I can’t be bothered with that) or dairy. And I do not really care for all the non dairy ice cream on the market.- not too whole-foods oriented. So I did research for a while and finally I asked my husband to get me a Dessert Bullet for my 48th birthday. Truth be told: I love it. You have to like bananas as they are mostly the base, but you will be able to get around them. It takes seconds to put together, run and clean and I have instant cold and creamy ice cream any time I wish. Very satisfying and delicious, so thought I would share it with you – I highly recommend it. Here is a picture from my yesterday ice cream. This was just frozen bananas and strawberries, both organic, of course. It was a nice break from consulting on the phone and answering emails. You are looking at my work desk. Oh, Dessert Bullet is not expensive. Nutrition: There is nothing wrong with freezing fresh fruit as it is perfectly ripe one day and making this dessert next day. There is a lot of fear of the word “fructose” in the US right now. Please do NOT eliminate fresh organic seasonal fruits from your diet. Instead, eliminate high corn fructose syrup and corn syrup from your drinks and desserts. Happy Summer!

MORE PRACTICAL IDEAS FOR HYDRATION IN SUMMER

1. Make your Own Soda!

Summer in Maryland. Yes, it can be brutal, especially for my husband. Every year we go through probably hundreds of glass bottles of mineral water. And there are many times when we run out….and so the joy of a refreshing cold mineral water has always been diminished by the counting of the bottles we still had left!

This time, I decided to also get something summery for my husband for his birthday: and you guessed it. I bought him a soda maker. Come to think of it, I grew up in Poland with a soda maker called syfon. This was something we did in Poland. You had to replace the CO2 loan every so often. That was early 70s…..Needless to say, my husband is so very happy with his gift. The soda maker came with 2 bottles and a C02 load that lasts you for 60 liters of water, if I remember correctly. There are many on the market, and I got one that was very simple and on sale. You do not have to plug it in. It is skinny and small and will fit on the counter under your cabinet. The soda making process takes about 10-15 seconds. I just keep up with ice cubes. Nutrition: This is much better than club soda, so if the water you use for it has minerals, your new soda will retain them! But unlike mineral water, the soda maker does not give you any additional minerals. Use filtered water: get a filter that retains minerals (I use PURE H20 for that reason), and all you do is pump CO2 into it. DO NOT use tap water please, not even for the ice cubes. Why am I so excited about it? Because I have too many patients that struggle getting enough water or simply hate plain water, and so hydration without junk products becomes a challenge for them. This is a great way to enjoy water AND avoid sugary or artificially sweetened drinks. We are conditioned by industry to expect sweetness in a liquid we drink. I believe a soda maker will help you wean yourself off it!

Here are my two new friends, the Dessert Bullet and the Soda Stream!

2. How to Make your Cold Drink more Exciting

This is well worth it for me, so perhaps it will be for you as well: I keep a few silicon ice cube trays that make fantastic big ice cubes. I like to keep filling them with filtered water and keep them available. But you can also make them more dramatic, colorful and tasty with just a little imagination! We use the soda maker to make the sparkling water, and I pop some of the ice cubes into the glasses. They instantly look festive and plain pretty. Here are some ideas for you to try:

Idea #1: fill the ice cubes with fresh organic raspberries and then fill with water. Then freeze.

Above are the ice cubes in the making and then ready to be frozen. And I am plucking some fresh peppermint leaves. I will have to remake these in a few days again! And again. And again.

3. A Healthy Spin on Cold Summer Drinks

A dear friend of mine, Kyoho Jones, an amazing massage therapist, calls Apple Cider Vinegar a “Peace Maker” and started to add it to a mixture of water and aloe vera juice. The Peace Maker is too strong in flavor for many people even though its numerous health benefits are famous. So here is a new recipe I use that I really like: I fill most of the glass with our new soda water, add ice cubes (remember, use filtered water for ice cubes), I add a splash of Peace Maker and 2 or more oz of a good quality aloe vera, pomegranate flavor aloe vera juice being my all time favorite. Add only a teaspoonful of the Peace Maker first and then taste it. Do not let it overtake the drink. Enjoy supporting your immune system!

4. Now You Can Have Coconut Water from a Young Coconut without Chopping your Fingers off!

I refused to buy young coconuts and open them myself due to a high risk of injury…The young coconut is infamous for those. Until a few weeks ago, my friend introduced me to a very new product. Please do not think I am a budget person. I am all about simple tools. But you will find out that when you have the right tool when it is needed, you WILL eat better and will therefore feel better. It is not expensive. It is very simple and safe and there is a charming video demo by the inventor. Meet the COCO JACK. DID YOU KNOW? Asian supermarkets are the best place to get inexpensive fresh young coconut. More update on coconut water: DID YOU KNOW? Coconut water is isotonic!!! Not only is it rich in electrolytes but it is isotonic as well and that explains why it rehydrates so much better than water. This is very new to me and I have not looked into details yet, but I have noticed a new product on the market that is coconut water in powder!!!!!!! Something to consider when traveling, since otherwise, coconut water is unstable.

5. Iced “Coffee” for your Liver!

Just a few weeks ago I fell in love with Dandy Blend, a powder of mixed herbs that are reputable for liver support and dark roasted coffee- like color and taste without harsh acidity or caffeine. It is silky, smooth and very easy to make. The picture shows a hot glass of Dandy Blend. I have not even iced it yet. It is available in health food stores and in our clinic. I have enjoyed dandelion root tea for years, but this tops it. Oh, it is also certified gluten free. 🙂 Bad news for our SIBO patients: Dandy Blend is NOT SIBO-appropriate due to its prebiotic content (dandelion, chicory).

Dr. Kasia Kines, Nutritionist, CEO and founder of EBV Educational Institute
Virtual clinic serving the US and globally
[email protected]

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