This is part one of a two part article series. Part two is entitled Caffeine: Why It Will Dehydrate You. You can read it at theskinnyonjanuary.com.
When you hear about the dangers of caffeine, dehydration is almost never brought up. The usual suspects of dangers include addiction (it's the most addictive drug in the US), fatigue, and exhaustion. But, caffeine, on top of all it's other dangers, is also considered a diuretic.
A diuretic is "any drug that elevates the rate of bodily urine excretion." In layman's terms, it it increases your urine output. As a diuretic, caffeine basically rids your body of all excess water, making your cells crenate, or shrivel up. To give you an indication of how serious it is, professional bodybuilders get disqualified from competition for using diuretics, but not the majority of steroids.
People in this country don't drink enough water. A normal person will wake up and grab a Frappuccino on the way to work, drink diet soda during the day, an iced tea at lunch, more coffee in the afternoon to keep going, and never once touch a glass of water during the day. This person tends to be an on-the-go type of person, and it's obvious why.
We're all told to drink 8 cups of water a day minimum. If you live in a hotter climate, then 64 oz of water is not enough. In fact, you might want to double that. Water is essential to our well being. We are made up of about 70% water as it is, so nourishing that aspect of our body has to be a priority.
And if that means cutting out caffeinated drinks, your health deserves it.
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