The fountain of youth (in a bottle)

I'm guilty as charged. I love iced tea. Most iced teas found in restaurants are liquid candy though - full of sugar and unwanted calories. What more if you're a soda, artificial juice, or frapuccino (with whipped cream) lover? I don't even wanna start counting. Starting tomorrow, I will put myself under a "water diet" experiment. I won't drink anything sugary (including unsweetened tea) for the next two weeks, and when my time is up, I'll share what significant changes I will have encountered.

We've been told to drink our 8 glasses a day but we tend to neglect that very basic reminder. If we come to think of it, it's actually easier to do than we think. Invest in a water bottle you can bring wherever and you'll mindlessly be chugging all the H2O that your body needs. Why drink water anyway? Based on a little online research, here are the top four health benefits of drinking water:

1. Drinking water aids in fat loss. If you're trying to lose weight, you can't not drink water. It helps flush out toxins and other by-products of fat breakdown. Ever heard of kidney stones? They're the formations of waste products that aren't flushed out of the body. According to this website (www.thedietchannel.com), "When there isn’t enough water to dilute the body’s waste products, kidney stones may form. When the kidneys aren’t working to their full potential, the liver must step in and help. Once this happens the liver can’t optimally perform its other important functions. As a result, burning fat has to wait."

2. Combat ailments by drinking more water. We usually complain of headaches, back muscle pain, and fatigue. Little did we know that dehydration could be the number one cause. Any time you feel any of these, go ahead, drink glassfuls and instantly feel the pain subside.

3. Drinking water decreases hunger. "Experts say that hunger pangs are often misinterpreted cravings for water." So next time you begin a meal or are feeling any afternoon or post-dinner cravings, down a glass of water instead. For zero calories, it's worth a shot.

4. This is where we find the fountain - drinking water makes you look younger. No more buying expensive creams that don't really work. Head for the fridge, grab a bottle of water and drink it. This is the easiest, most basic way to help hydrate your skin and have it looking plump and radiant. Note: don't be afraid of perspiring so much. This is your skin's way of keeping you cool and flushing out toxins that may be trapped inside your body.
*Some information have been lifted from The Diet Channel website.

Fiji Artesian water - said to be a healthy pick

I've been hearing a buzz about Fiji Artesian water and how it is the healthy choice. As stated in their website: "Fiji water is far from pollution. Far from acid rain. Far from industrial waste. There's no question about it: Fiji is far away. But when it comes to drinking water, "remote" happens to be very, very good. Look at it this way. FIJI Water is drawn from an artesian aquifer, located at the very edge of a primitive rainforest, hundreds of miles away from the nearest continent. That very distance is part of what makes us so much more pure and so much healthier than other bottled waters."

Is it worth shelling out money for? Probably not for your entire household supply. But like rain, a little pricier bottled water never hurt anybody (or your wallet, for that matter).