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Submitted By: Ed Sexton, CEO
Read Time: 8 minutes
Welcome to the second article in the MNO Health Hacks series, entitled: “Hack Your Drinking Water Like a Boss” - written by me, Ed Sexton - the CEO of Mother Nature Organics…(that’s where I got the ‘like a boss part’ - I thought it was a bit clever).
I’m about to make a major assumption about you (this does not sound like it will end well 😆).
Because of COVID-19, we’re living in a new reality, and because of this we are seeing everything with new eyes. Out of survival, out of frustration from the status quo, and as a result of a more enlightened consciousness - there is this desire to hack everything.
We’re hacking the TV and ripping it out of the walls of our houses.
We’re hacking the Mainsteam News, and coming to a realization that a lot of it is Fake and orchestrated.
We’re no longer drinking the Kool-aid, because we finally realize that the proverbial ‘Red Dye #40 is probably a human carcinogen messing us up.
So you, me, and people who are waking up are we’re hacking everything about our lLives Iand Iit’s addicting, and empowering!
So in this article, we hack the water we drink - let’s reinvent it together, shall we?
1. Find out What's in Your Water.
There are many companies offering a free water test, or you can send your water off to a lab and have it checked out.
Determine the presence and concentration of:1) Fluoride, 2) Total Dissolved Solids, 3) Pesticides, 4) Heavy Metals.
Are You On City Water?
Your city may choose to fluoridate. You should make a hard decision on whether you want that or not. In our household, we prefer non-fluoridated water and we pull it out with RO.
a.- Food for thought (literally): There is a theory (which we hold to be true) that your pineal gland can be affected by fluoride resulting in over-calcification. Your pineal gland is that thing in your brain that generates Melatonin. Which regulates your sleep.
Sounds great and pure, and for the most part it can be, but runoff from farms can lead to impurities ranging from pesticides, heavy metals, and bacteria from animals.
Action Item: Definitely Get Your Water Checked.
Decide if you are comfortable with forced fluoridation or if you prefer managing your families fluoride levels with better dental hygiene choices available today. Soon, we’ll be diving into the latest and greatest health hacks around dental hygiene and biological / holistic dentistry! Written by no other than Katherine, Co-Founder and amazingly knowledgeable with innovative, latest and greatest family health practices!
2. Seriously Consider That Ice Water! Imagine this scenario… you’re taking the family out to dinner, you’re famished! Tummy incessantly growling, energy levels a bit depleted. You have to eat, like NOW. You finally get seated at your table at your favorite restaurant, and what is the very FIRST thing served to you? A gigantic sub-zero glass of ice water. It is so common, no one ever questions it.
It’s how it's always been done and it will probably continue forever. Unless we hack it and, break it down. So what actually happens when you, and your lovely children (if you have) gulp down that ice water? The stomach lining recedes and STOPS producing acid (hydrochloric acid). Then here comes the food. Poor digestion. Game over.
Action Item: Always request room temperature water. It might sound kooky at first, but believe me - you’ll thank me later. This is such an easy to implement hack on drinking water, it could be a game changer for those suffering with digestive issues, constipation, and interfer with nutrient absorption.
Remember All That ‘Old World’ Advice From Your Parent or Senior Family Member - Guess what? They were right! (About everything as it turns out).
3. Do You Acidic or Alkaline Water?
Alkaline water is all the rage, $5 a bottle in Whole Foods, a bit excessive but we must understand what we are drinking on a regular basis as a first step. In Step one, with the water test, you can also easily test the pH. Long story short, we should strive to drink neutral or alkaline (basic) water instead of acidic water. Viral replication (to speak in generalities but you know what viruses I’m talking about) thrive in acidic environments. Junk food is acidic, sodas, etc. So why would we consciously take in MORE acids. If your water tests low on the pH scale (below 7), then look for ways to install a water filter that neutralizes that acidity. We have a Culligan system that does that, our friends use other filters/brands.
Pro Tip: If you have a Reverse Osmosis system, your water may be more acidic as a result. Even more reason to test your water (see point #1, above).
Advanced Pro Tip: Water should have a negative Oxidative Reduction Potential (ORP) value. Most bottled and tap water has a + ORP, meaning that it is oxidative in nature. Other liquids known to be intrinsticly healthy are on the - ORP spectrum, eg:
In our household, we use a hydrogen water machine that produces water at an ORP level of -400mV to -500mV! The takeaway, there is more to water than simply just drinking it, we can enhance it to improve absorption, and energize it so that it actually cleans the body (by picking up free radicals).
4. Water IS the Vessel!
We drink water because we must hydrate, but water can be an easy vessel, or vehicle for added nutrition! What if we could drastically improve the healthiness of water by simply adding ‘things’ to it. Well, this is exactly what we do in our household! Our children never see it coming either! In our household, we add in vitamin D3 drops, L-Glutamine powder, and even certain tea extract, that rids bacterial overgrowth and parasites, into their glass of (slightly warm) drinking water in the morning. These additions are tasteless, which means one less battle at the table with our kids amongst an already numerous list of supplements to take. At present, one of our children has a leaky gut issue caused by gluten intolerance, and the L-glutamine is helping on that front. L-Glutamine also helps with building muscle, supports the cells that protect our intestines, and helps to detoxify the liver. It’s a must in our household!
5. Move Over Coffee - There’s Something Better!
One word: Shijalet. In our home, we have a ritual in our morning routine of enjoying first a glass of celery juice, then followed by a cup of coffee before our kids wake up… it’s not so much about the coffee anymore, it’s about that special time of day when you beat the Sun coming up, and for a brief period of time you get to finally and fully connect with your partner. In the backdrop, there’s the ritual of making, serving, and holding onto that mug of coffee. Drinking it has actually become secondary.
For the afternoon, we have a new ritual, it's our afternoon ideal routine of making Shilajit tea, to combat against drinking coffee in the afternoon and to hack our coffee ritual into something more healthy! With a little bit of black tarry resin, we transform a warm cup of water into the most amazingly nutrient dense drink your body has never seen. Packed with fulvic acid and over 84 minerals that ooze out of the earth in the form of a resin, Shilajit is your new best friend. From boosting your energy, mood, memory, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, you’ll never look back to that 2nd cup of coffee in the afternoon. Added bonus for the men in the house, shilajit has been studied and found to increase testosterone levels after 90 days of use. Here is the PubMed article - for those who may not know about PubMed, it is the real deal, scientific peer reviewed articles run by the National Institute of Health (NIH), you know… the Government. Anyway, please look into Shilajit - it will rock your world (and the health of everyone in your household).
Also, not such common knowledge is the effect of caffeine on the digestive tract. It’s a major issue, something to self-study…
Action Item: Minimize coffee/caffeine intake. Swap out your ‘ritual’ with a crazy healthy cup of Shilajit or whatever your jam is… ensure it is enriching your body in an exponential way.
6. Hydrate Yes! But Don’t Overdo It!
It’s true. We Americans have a drinking problem. Typically we do not drink enough water, but on the other end of the spectrum we must be careful to not over consume water. Over consumption of water causes the kidneys to work overtime to urinate. In the process of urination, we deplete our electrolytes and can become deficient in potassium, magnesium, sodium, etc). These need to be in a delicate balance. Generally speaking, avoid drinking more than 4 cups of water per hour. This will permit your kidneys to expunge any excess water - helping you retain your electrolytes.
True Story: A family member of ours was recently diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, (POTS), which is a nervous system disorder affecting up to 3 million people in the United States. This causes brain fog, chest pain, headaches, poor sleep, inability to exercise. One remedy which helped was to increase electrolyte and water intake. Electrolytes ARE important, and not just when you are hiking or exercising.
7. Trace Mineral Drops - Easy way to add substance to your already depleted water from the City or coming out of your RO system. Trace minerals include not only electrolytes but also typically contain lithium and boron. We’re deficient in trace minerals because the soil is deficient, due to decades of agricultural farming. Even though we’re all eating organic produce, chances are its missing the essential minerals. Check out this informative video here from Trace Minerals (no plug, we have no affiliation), it explains a lot.
Quick Summary Here:
Water does not have to be this inert thing that just helps the meal go down. We can hack it so that as often as we are consuming water throughout the day, we’re nourishing our bodies with toxin-free, non-acidic, electrolyte rich, packed with essential minerals and amino acids, that is temperature friendly to the body!
Such an ‘easy to implement’ change-up, imagine the benefit not only to us but to the very young and the very old in our families who depend on us to lead the way while oftentimes not being the easiest of customers… They’ll never see this health hack coming :)
Wishing You the Very Best of Health,
Ed Sexton
CEO - Mother Nature Organics