Drinks

Water

The body consists of approx 60% water, it is important to replenish water throughout the day. During flare-ups with symptoms of diarrhea it is even more important to stay hydrated. Choose the best quality water possible as water pollution is a serious problem.

How much water should you be drinking in a day? This is individualized and will vary with your body size, activity level, and diet. Someone who is bigger built, physically active and eats a lot of animal products will need to consume much more than someone who is petit, sedentary and on a plant based diet. It is generally recommended that 6-8 cups a day should be consumed.

When should you be drinking water? It is hard to find time to drink water for some people. Most will have a drink with their main meal. The best times to drink are between meals optimally 30min before and 1h after eating. This will allow the digestive juices to be the most effective in breaking down food.

Is hot water better than cold water? In Asian culture it is rare that someone drinks a glass of ice water. But in North America, water is served with ice by default. The body’s temperature is around 37°C so the ideal temperature of water to consume is slightly above room temperature. This means there is the least amount of energy expended in absorbing the water.

Adding ginger, lemon, manuka honey to water can provide nutrients to the water. Ginger is known for relieving digestive issues such as loss of appetite, nausea. Lemon is acidic in taste and full of minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, etc which leave the body in an alkaline state once absorbed in the blood stream. Lemon should be avoided during flare-up. Manuka honey has healing and anti-Inflammatory property and makes a good sweetening alternative.

Dandelion Root Tea: Anti-inflammatory tea that to get the digestive juices flowing. The mildly bitter taste helps your body's natural detoxification process. It's anti-inflammatory properties are from presence of taraxasterols. It is rich in minerals such as calcium, potassium, and iron.

Roasted Dandelion Tea is often used as a coffee substitute due to its sweet and slightly bitter taste.

Almond Milk with Turmeric Cinnamon and Molasses: Great to have before bed. Cinnamon helps balance blood sugar while molasses is a rich source of iron.

St John's Wort Tea: Great mood boosting tea.

Triphala Tea: A staple of ayurvedic medicine that consists of three fruits: Amla, Haritaki, Bibhitaki.

• Amla: Indian gooseberry high in Vitamin C
• Haritaki: Anti-Inflammatory
• Bibhitaki: Detoxifying properties

Triphala powder is added to hot water and is usually taken in the morning on an empty stomach.