ARE YOU HYDRATED? How to Get the Right Amount of Water in Your Diet
MINTY CARROT TOP PESTO
Pesto may sound like a fancy ingredient on restaurant menus, but you can make it at home in minutes! This vegan recipe is a great way to use spare carrots tops, and it tastes delicious as a pasta sauce (thinned with water) or a cracker spread.
This month, we’ve been tackling the subject of self-improvement and incremental change. While we touched on diet and physical activity in this month’s cover article, there’s another change that can do your body good — drinking more water. The truth is, most people don’t get enough water throughout the day. But when they hear how much water they should be drinking, they ask, “How am I supposed to drink that much water?” HOWMUCHWATER ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? As a general rule, to stay hydrated, you should be drinking half your body weight — in fluid ounces — of water every day. In other words, if you weigh about 170 pounds, you would need to drink about 85 fluid ounces a day. That’s a little over half a gallon of water. Or, to put into cups, about 9 cups. It sounds like a lot, but when you stagger your intake over the course of a day, it becomes much more doable. Let’s get back to the idea of incremental change. If you don’t typically drink much water, you don’t need to start guzzling 85 fluid ounces tomorrow to hit the ideal amount per day, as recommended by health care professionals. Start small and work your way up. Another thing to remember is that you can get hydration from other sources, too, like milk, tea, juice, smoothies, and other beverages. No, you shouldn’t drink a bunch of juice or soda every day in place of water — the sugar content in these beverages brings with it health concerns all their own — but you don’t need to quit cold turkey, either. Sugar aside, these drinks are still sources of water, and as you work on incorporating more pure water into your day, you can continue to rely on alternatives for hydration as part of your overall total. Simply phase them out over time and replace them with just water, one step at a time. HOW CAN YOU MAKE IT EASIER TO STAY HYDRATED? Keep a reusable water bottle nearby at all times. When you keep water nearby, you’re more likely to drink it. Take your bottle with you to work, in the car, on the nightstand, in your workout bag — everywhere. Make it your constant companion, and before you know it, you’ll be getting the perfect amount of water every day without even thinking about it!
Ingredients
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2 tbsp red wine vinegar Salt and pepper to taste
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1 large bunch carrot tops 1 clove garlic, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup fresh mint 4 chives, chopped
Directions
1. To blanch the carrot tops, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl of ice water. Remove the stems from the carrot tops and add the greens to the water. Boil for 3 minutes, then drain the water and dunk the tops in ice water. When they’re cool, wring out the extra liquid. 2. Use a food processor to blend the carrot tops and all other ingredients except olive oil. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil at a time to the food processor and blend until the pesto is smooth. Taste and serve!
Inspired by YupItsVegan.com
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity.” –Amelia Earhart
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