If my best friend showed up and offered to help me spring clean, would I let her?  Definitely not!  I’d probably die of embarrassment, if I had to face some of the “seedier” areas of my winter closets, even with a friend. 

Probably how you’d feel if I asked to help you spring clean your eating!  So I’m not going to do that!  I know there are tons of reasons you wouldn’t want to publicize your menu or list the contents of your cupboard to me or anyone else!

While spring is almost over, it's never too late for a fresh start.  Wouldn’t we all love to go into summer energized?   That really does begin with what we put in our mouth.

So let’s put uneasiness aside and ponder several questions for a healthier spring and summer.

Has your coffee consumption got you down? 

That question sounds counterintuitive since coffee offers a “pick-me-up” and is nearly practiced as a religion.  So I know I am treading on thin ice.  Since I am a confessed caffeine imbiber from hot tea, I must add it in here, as well.  

Has your tea consumption got you down?  How?

Could it be Dehydration? 

It is more difficult to consume an appropriate amount of fluid, if I have to sip it slowly due to an extreme temperature of the beverage. Let’s face it, coffee and hot tea are “sipping” beverages.    

Clean Spring Tip No#. 1: 

Make the first drink of the day a nice, big glass of refrigerated  water or even tap water, no ice.   (Remember, an extreme temperature slows down consumption!).

In addition, caffeine itself, if consumed in large enough amounts, can actually push your kidneys to excrete more fluid than you consume.Now THAT’s counterintuitive to hydration!And, by the way,“not consuming enough water” slowly dehydrates you and makes you very, very…very, ….tired…..especially as the temperature outside heats up, causing perspiration.  If you feel tired in the heat of upcoming days, think hydration.

Clean Spring Tip No#. 2: 

Make every other beverage a big glass of water.

Have your yummy beverage “adds” gotten you down?

If you are struggling with weight or health symptoms that don’t seem to have answers, have you taken a look at the ingredient label of your beverage “adds”?

Often, these yummy adds are chalked full of inflammatory-chemical additives, as well as added carb and inflammatory fats!  These can spell trouble to a weight loss program or your attempts to resolve mysterious health issues that keep you from feeling at the top of your game.

Spring tip No# 3:

If your weight loss program can afford a yummy add, make it natural, a food that appears in nature.

Has Your Sugar Beverage Consumption gotten you down?

Who doesn’t love the taste of something sweet?  We can so easily get hooked.  The problem is, when we drink our sweets, a rapid rise in blood sugar causes a rapid insulin response that, in turn, removes sugar (glucose) from our blood.  These extreme swings in blood sugar can create emotional highs and lows for some people, increase insulin resistance (a metabolic factor underlying many illnesses), and lock down our body fat, preventing us from burning our own fat as fuel.

In other words, if we want to create a perfect storm for our health, make a steady stream of sugar sweetened beverages our beverage choice.

Spring tip No# 4:

Consider eliminating sugar sweetened beverages, or at least limiting them.

We can fool ourselves and think a calorie free beverage is an improvement.  The truth is that studies show that consumption of artificially sweetened beverages do not help weight loss and may actually be associated with weight gain.  In addition, a quick look at the ingredient label will tell you the ingredients are not “natural”! 

Remember, anything not natural, is chemical.  If it is chemical, are you sure you want to use it in your clean spring diet?

Spring tip No# 5:  

Cut out artificially sweetened beverages.  Try iced fruit infused water, carbonated water, or simple ice water or tea.

How much is enough water?

 Just think 50%.  How much do you weigh?  Reduce your weight by 50% and change the label from pounds to ounces.  This is the minimum amount most people need for water (Unless your provider has restricted your fluids).   You will actually receive some water from foods you eat, but remember there is nothing like a tall glass of crystal clear water.

 Care to chat about this?  Stop by for a cup of coffee.  After we have had our water, of course!

Mary Lou Block is a Registered Dietician at Gothenburg Health. To learn more please reach out to Mary Lou: mblock@gothenburghealth.org or (308)-537-3661.