Staying hydrated

[Hanalei]

I am pretty much chornically dehydrated. I generally don't like drinking water (or any liquid, for that matter) a whole lot. I've been trying to drink at least a full liter a day (I was aiming for 2 or more, but that's not been working very well), but we've recently started having issues with our well, so the only water I have is bottled, which isn't very cheap here. How else can I stay hydrated without having to drink so much water? There's very little fruit in season here (oranges aren't quite in season yet, and grapes and berries and melons are long gone.) We're high raw, so we eat a lot of veggies, though lately it's been a lot more grains and cooked stuff than I like because of the lack of stuff in season and the cold weather. What else can I do to stay properly hydrated? I have a ringworm-like dermatitus (I can't remember the name of it) which is apparently caused by dry skin. The only time it went away was while we were on vacation in Florida, and it was humid and we were in the water all the time, so I was probably drinking more. So I NEED to be more hydrated. Help!

[MysticTree]

Bathing. You absorb a lot by lying in a bath. Avoiding dehydrated foods will reduce the need for fluids. Juicing fruits such as apples and carrots is not overly expensive and it's delish. Sprouted seeds such as alfalfa quite moist and growing your own is cheap. Avoid salt, if you don't already and you will need less fluid. I like my water really, really cold and whilst there are differing views as to whether cold is worse than warm or warm worse than cold or whether cold is just different from warm it is definitely the case that both are better than dehydrated. I find that it's the first pint of the day which is important. If I get down a pint first thing then I carry on drinking throughout the day. If I don't then I can get to the afternoon before realising that I haven't drunk anything - I don't feel thirsty when this happens but unless I rectify it pronto I know I am going to get a headache from hell.

[Hanalei]

The only dehydrated stuff I eat, pretty much, is granola bars and sometimes potato chips (not great, I know) at night if I can't find anything else that sounds good for a snack. I don't eat a lot of salt. I usually take showers - apparently that doesn't hydrate... The problem for me right now is that I don't really have access to several pints of water a day. We're gong on water bottles, which only come in sets of 24, and if I could drink 2 pints in a day, that's 4 water bottles per day per person. Even without the price of that, I feel bad using that much plastic. I'd like to get our water tested to see if it's safe to drink, becuase the past few days, it's had a very metallic taste.

[lafsalot]

Try adding chia to your diet for super hydration and electrolyte balance - not only nutrient rich, but holds up to 10 (or more) times their weight in water.

[MysticTree]

Good idea but obviously make sure you let it soak a while first. The main thing is that if you have few to none watery fruits available and no other supply of water then you will have to get more bottled water into you.

[Hanalei]

I eat some chia seeds, but probably not as much as I should... If you have to soak them in water for them to be hydrating, wouldn't it be the same effect as just drinking the water?

[MysticTree]

They are very dehydrating unless soaked and yes you get the same/similar effect as drinking water. You can't escape that drinking water or eating water-rich things is at the heart of it.

[walnutty]

The best way to stay hydrated is to eat raw fruits and veggies! They are mostly made of water!

[Hanalei]

Yes, but I don't really have any raw fruits and veggies right now. About the only things in season here are spinach, romaine, lemons, carrots, celery, and apples.

[MysticTree]

juice those listed fruits and veg - then drink juice. You came here asking for help and have put barriers up at every suggestion. I'm not posting to this thread again.

[walnutty]

juice those listed fruits and veg - then drink juice. You came here asking for help and have put barriers up at every suggestion. I'm not posting to this thread again.

I agree with MT, juice and drink!

[walnutty]

The problem for me right now is that I don't really have access to several pints of water a day. We're gong on water bottles, which only come in sets of 24, and if I could drink 2 pints in a day, that's 4 water bottles per day per person.

Any chance you could collect rain water and then boil it?

[Supa]

The problem with drinking rainwater is it forms around particulate matter in the air that includes mold spores, pollen, pollution, and other nasty stuff. Boiling, while killing spores and what not, will not remove the pollution contaminants. To make rainwater potable water you need to preferably double distill it, or barring that, filter using something like reverse osmosis and then boil it. The later is still probably not as clean as one one would prefer to drink as man made filters are inferior to the process nature uses to clean water.

Nature filters rainwater through the soil food web which binds and neutralizes pollutants and eats the organic matter. If you want to help this process you can create rain gardens. This is done by keeping natural ground contours that act as water collection areas populated with thriving native plants that slow water and give it a chance to be absorbed by the soil into the local underground aquifer rather then running down a storm sewer or into a stream, and then into a river and off to a distant ocean. This practice is especially import in areas that depend on wells, like islands or land cut off from fresh water supplies. In some water sheds you can even get a grant to help with the costs of creating them.

[Hanalei]

That depends - would snow work the same way as rain? I mean, is it as clean as the rain? If so, then yes, I could do that if I can collect enough.

MysticTree - I am not "putting up barriers." I am telling you about my situation. I can juice the few fruits and veggies we have. If we had lots of fresh fruits and veggies and access to clean water at the moment I wouldn't be asking for help. I do like the rain water idea, however, assuming that boiling it cleans any dirt and such out of it. I'm in the country, so it shouldn't have too much pollution in it. I'm sorry if I came across as shooting down all of your ideas, but I simply cannot do most of your ideas at this point in time. I just really don't have much right now. I appreciate your taking the time to answer my question, but I don't have much to work with.

[Supa]

That depends - would snow work the same way as rain? I mean, is it as clean as the rain? If so, then yes, I could do that if I can collect enough.

Snow has the same issues as rain. That you are in the country is better as far as combustible particulates but you still have mold, bug parts, etc. If you are set to try this then collect it in sterile containers which are kept cool, boil it then let it cool again, then use something like a Life Straw to filter the water while drinking it. Its cheap at $25 and can filter 1000 liters. Everyone should possesses one of these devices and pack it when you travel as it just might save your life someday. You said you have celery, carrots, and apples in season all of which are high in moisture content. Use the celery to balance the calories from the apples and carrots. Don't juice them, just eat them. The fiber from them will fill you up and make you less likely to crave the carbs of the drier salty snacks that work against your hydration.