What Is Dehydration & What Can Cause It?

Dehydration is loss of water from the body. There are varying degrees, but even small amounts of dehydration can cause significant problems to our bodies and brains because water is so important.

Prime suspects for causing dehydration are:

• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Heat exposure
• Kidney diseases
• Vigorous physical activity
• Drugs or medications such as diuretics (which leech the body of water often used to combat water retention)

In addition to these more severe causes there are some everyday foods and drinks which are diuretic. Examples of diuretic drinks and foods are:

• some teas especially dandelion, fennel, green tea and others
• coffee
• soft drinks
• alcohol
• asparagus
• watercress
• beets
• garlic
• fennel

The more you consume of these types of foods or drinks, the more you will need to balance up your water intake.

You don’t have to stop eating or drinking them altogether.

Tip To Combat Natural Diuretics
Have a glass of water for every cup of coffee or tea you drink.
Not only will you stay hydrated this way, but you may find that
you don't drink so much tea or coffee!

The opposite of dehydration is too much water - the question is can you have too much water?

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