Water Secrets, Tips, & Recipes

In doing research for my next book, Sex, Love & Dharma, I’ve uncovered some pretty amazing stuff about water  and how to use it to scrape away ama (a Sanskrit word for toxic mucoid plaque), change body composition (burn fat), and kindle your agni (a Sanskrit word for digestive fire and metabolism)- and most of it is backed by hard science. Here is an excerpt from chapter four:

“Let’s summarize what we know, and add a few water tips and recipes to kindle agni- your digestive juices- and replenish energy levels. Drinking water is more than replacing sweat and fluids- it is vital to digestion and energy. But most of us do not know how to use is to optimize nutrient assimilation and instead suffer from fatigue, bloating, and other symptoms of improper digestion. Don’t you hate a gassy stomach, or a tired, ineffectual brain? The solution is not only drinking half your ideal body weight in ounces of water per day (which you should) but also when, and how you do that. Here are the secrets:

1. Drink 8-16 oz. of room temperature or warmer water first thing in the morning after scraping your tongue and cleaning your mouth. To supercharge your agni, try copper water. Buy a pure copper cup (available at Indian groceries). Fill with pure water and leave overnight. Next morning drink this copper-infused water for an incredible digestive boost. Within 30-60 minutes you should feel your digestive juices flowing. The atomic copper particles transferred from the copper cup act as scraping agents that sweep away āma and tonify the liver, gall bladder and intestines. Copper water is warming to the body so reduce its intake in the summer. Instead, try silver or gold water (recipe in the next chapter).

2. Drink room temperature water 15-30 minutes before meals. This is a crucial step to better digestion. By buffering the bicarbonate layer in the stomach more HCL is produced to break down food. Your stomach doesn’t have teeth: it has hydrochloric acid to digest what you give it. Give it more. (for more details on this read John Douillard’s excellent blog here: www.lifespa.com)

Here is an amazing recipe to try before meals. Make your own flax drink by boiling two to four tablespoons of raw flax seeds in a quart of plain water. Bring to a boil and let it cool. You can drink this smooth and viscous water 15 to 30 minutes before eating. It will buffer your stomach and digestive tract while providing the added benefits of flax and its omega acids. Flax water is a tonic for the entire digestive system and its benefits extend far beyond. The best part is, virtually nobody knows this recipe- be the first to see its benefits!

3. Do not drink water with or after meals. The ph of your stomach acid is about two (very acidic). Water’s PH is over seven, not good for helping you digest that turkey dinner. If you must drink with meals, sip hot water, tea, or wine- just enough to get your food down. If you’ve done steps one and two above, you should not feel thirsty during meals. Wine works well with meals but should be used in moderation.

3. For super hydration, sip hot water all day. This is a great trick to try during cold fall and winter months to cure chronic dehydration and sluggish digestion. Take a sip from a hot thermos every 15 minutes- you can even set your watch to it to stay on schedule. After three days of this, you will not only feel hydrated, but your lymph and digestive juices will be stimulated to flush out toxins and assimilate food on a whole new level. Remember, water is crucial for digestion and energy- try this and you’ll see why.

4. Drink water by itself. Coffee is not water. Neither is wine, tea or milk. Yes, these are liquids, but most actually make you thirstier rather than relieving thirst. Your liver has to process alcohol and other toxins, and if it’s already overloaded by stress and poor diet habits, you are simply adding to its troubles. Gatorade, Vitamin Water and other sugared drinks are no help either and actually make you fat. Did you know that to benefit from Gatorade a typical person needs to exercise continuously for more than two hours? And do you know that the people who routinely run dozens of miles per day, the Tarahumara of Mexico, only do so drinking… you guessed it, water? By drinking pure water the right way you will turn your body into the fat burning, toxin excreting machine it was designed to be.

If you are active or chronically dehydrated, try making your own sports drink with this recipe: to a quart of water add fresh lime juice, a pinch of rock salt, and maple syrup to taste.  Adjust the ingredients as you see fit. This electrolyte balancing drink is way better for you than any sports beverage on the market, and is easy to make at home. Rock salt, or better yet, black salt, is available from Indian or Asian food markets.

5. Do not over drink. Water, like anything else, needs to be digested. A good rule of thumb is: “Chew your water, drink your food.” This means chew every bite of food at least 32 times (once for every tooth) or until it is thoroughly mixed with mucus and ‘liquid’ enough to swallow. Some advise to masticate as many times as your age in years. Thus, for a 52 year old, fifty two chews for every bite. The point is that your food should be thoroughly broken down and emulsified before you swallow it.

Do the same with water. Swish every sip in your mouth before swallowing it down instead of just guzzling. That water will have a better chance of actually getting to and being utilized by your deep tissues before being excreted.

By getting enough water you will feel less need to drink alcohol and iced soda drinks, which in turn will help your liver and metabolism function better. We often turn to these crutches to ease digestion. Because of their constituents, wine or cola may help the stomach digest greasy heavy foods. But their detriments often outweigh the benefits.* When your own inner furnace is fully stoked you will never need to depend on anything else to get the most zest out of food, sex, or life itself!

BONUS: Try silver & gold water. In the next chapter I will teach you how to make this special water by boiling pure silver or gold (not letting it touch the sides of the pot) and letting it cool. Silver is cooling and ideal for summer. Gold is a rejuvenative for the heart, brain, joints, muscles and sex organs and promotes strength and vitality. Want more? Turn to the next chapter. See you there!

* Dr. Claudia Welch suggests no more than one serving of alcohol per week for women and men who want to optimize digestion and detox, and relieve symptoms of PMS, stress, and adrenal fatigue. ”

If you have questions or want more, leave me a message.

Simon