This will get me into hot water

  • Why I’m suspicious about this latest research, quite frankly
  • A good reason to get yourself into hot water
  • Better circulation, less constipation, improved digestions and even weight loss – read on to find out more…

Last week I waded into the Cola vs Fruit Juice story, with guns a-blazing.

In the Wild West, they used to call me The Juicy Kid.

Anyway, I disagreed with the way the media headlines were trying to make out that fruit juice was ‘just as unhealthy’ as fizzy pop.

Of course it’s unhealthy to drink too much of it…

And I’m not disputing that sugars from fruit juices get metabolised in the same way as ‘non-natural’ sugars.

But if you have one sweet drink a day, then fresh fruit juice is better, because of the extra nutritional benefit. Never mind the lack of additives that go into most fizzy pops.

The thing is… you know me… I cannot just stop there…

My mind keeps whirring!

(Ok, so the cogs are a bit rusty these days, but they still go around).

I can’t help but wonder who’s behind big news stories like this.

Ask yourself, in whose interest might it be to slam the sugar tax, to defend fizzy drinks and to attack freshly pressed juices?

Could there be any MASSIVE wealthy mega corporations behind studies like this?

And who funds most of these scientific studies and research projects?

If you are a little suspicious, like me, you might be interested in an article that came out a few years ago.

The health news bias you’re not told about

Alison Moodie in The Guardian said: “Before you read another health study, check who’s funding the research.”

She described how a New York University professor named Marion Nestle had been tracking studies funded by food and beverage companies, since 2015.

She found 156 out of 168 studies which showed results biased in favour of the funder.

“Is it really true that food companies deliberately set out to manipulate research in their favour?” asked Nestle.

Then she answered her own questions: “Yes it is, and the practice continues.”

Now, of course packaged fruit juice is an industry product too, so I’m not saying that it’s a virtuous entity free from industry bias either.

All processed and packaged foods are a money spinner for someone somewhere.

But let’s not pretend that there aren’t big, powerful companies spending a lot of money on research that will fight back against the current demonization of sugar… or at least throw the system into confusion.

So before you hit panic buttons and stop buying fruit juice it’s worth considering the hidden forces at work in the mainstream media.

And also try not to panic when newspapers start to attack things like coffee, chocolate, eggs, fat and other common victims of these kinds of articles.

They’ve all been in the doghouse at one point…
Then they’ve all been hailed as saviours at another point!

So the cycle of news keeps turning.

No wonder everyone’s confused, and that’s generally how big food corporations prefer it.
But look, I’m going to step away from this debate today, and give you a health tip about a remedy that’s:

  • FREE
  • Available in your home
  • Instant to create
  • Idiot-proof
  • One ingredient only
  • Without side-effects

Sounds great doesn’t it?

What could this health elixir possibly be…?

Well, you might be surprised by…

…The Power of Hot Water

Yes, sorry to disappoint, but that’s really what I’m going to write about.

The phrase ‘hot water’ in our culture tends to suggest trouble or danger.

But many people believe that drinking a big mug of warm or hot water each day has significant benefits for your health. These include:

  • Better digestion – warm water reduces the amount of energy your body needs to break down your food, so it’s more easily digested, then passed through the intestines.
  • Detoxification – your body temperature rises slightly when you drink hot water, causing you to sweat, helping flush away toxins.
  • Better circulation – hot water helps relax your muscles and expand your arteries, helping blood flow and also helping flush toxins, including fatty deposits, through your body.
  • Reduces constipation – usually the cause of constipation is dehydration, so water is essential, but in particular warm water, as it breaks down food faster, and is more soothing for the intestines than glugging cold water.
  • Aids weight loss – when you have a glass of warm water regularly, it keeps you feeling full, and by raising your body temperature increases your metabolic rate to burn more calories at rest. A study showed that drinking hot water helped people lose weight without having to follow a special diet or exercise program.
  • Eases menstrual cramps – hot water relaxes the muscles to reduce the pain, while also rehydrating you to help with headaches.
  • Soothes sore throats and dry mouth – hot water helps break up that gooey substance released by the mucous membranes, while inhaling steam can clean out your tubes. Drinking more water can also increase your saliva production.

If you have any of these problems try drinking a mug of hot water in the morning, and also a mug of hot water after a big meal, and see what happens.

Don’t drink it scalding hot and if you want something extra to add taste, try squeezing some lemon into it, give yourself a few added vitamins.

As Stella Metsovas, a clinical nutritionist, told the Medical Daily website in 2014:

“Physicians recommend drinking warm water in the morning, usually with a polyphenol-rich lemon immersion, or with a tea shown to decrease free radical activity in the body.”

It’s also common sense, but you should up your intake of water in the summer anyway.

Doubtless it’s going to be another hot one.

Saying that, the forecast is a little mixed this weekend (he says, eyeing his barbeque nervously).