Electrolytes are minerals in your body that have an electric charge. They are in your blood, urine and body fluids. Maintaining the right balance of electrolytes helps your body’s blood chemistry, muscle action and other processes. Sodium, calcium, potassium, chlorine, phosphate and magnesium are all electrolytes.
Since dehydration can cause the salt content in the body to increase it’s critical for those with high blood pressure to maintain a healthy hydration.
Definition
Dehydration occurs when you lose more fluid than you take in, and your body doesn’t have enough water and other fluids to carry out its normal functions. If you don’t replace lost fluids, you may get dehydrated.
Common causes of dehydration include intense diarrhea, vomiting, fever or excessive sweating. Not drinking enough water during hot weather or exercise also may cause dehydration. Anyone may become dehydrated, but young children, older adults and people with chronic illnesses are most at risk.
You can usually reverse mild to moderate dehydration by drinking more fluids, but severe dehydration needs immediate medical treatment. The safest approach is prevention of dehydration. Monitor your fluid loss during hot weather, illness or exercise, and drink enough liquids to replace what you lose.
Symptoms
Mild to moderate dehydration is likely to cause:
- Dry, sticky mouth
- Sleepiness or tiredness — children are likely to be less active than usual
- Thirst
- Decreased urine output — no wet diapers for three hours for infants and eight hours or more without urination for older children and teens
- Few or no tears when crying
- Dry skin
- Headache
- Constipation
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
Severe dehydration, a medical emergency, can cause:
- Extreme thirst
- Extreme fussiness or sleepiness in infants and children; irritability and confusion in adults
- Very dry mouth, skin and mucous membranes
- Lack of sweating
- Little or no urination — any urine that is produced will be dark yellow or amber
- Sunken eyes
- Shriveled and dry skin that lacks elasticity and doesn’t “bounce back” when pinched into a fold
- In infants, sunken fontanels — the soft spots on the top of a baby’s head
- Low blood pressure
- Rapid heartbeat
- Rapid breathing
- No tears when crying
- Fever
- In the most serious cases, delirium or unconsciousness
Preventing dehydration is the best approach. Yet one should know and recognize the signs of dehydration just as quickly.
The recipe below is high in essential vitamins and minerals to help hydrate and boost an active body. Using a local honey can also help with allergies. The boosts were chosen to add essential vitamins and minerals our body naturally uses during exercise and an active life style. The fiber is 3 brans – oat, wheat and rice making it a far better choice than psyllium in digestion health.
My DreamCicle Frappuccino
Yield: 2 large glasses
- 1/2 cup milk – soy, low fat, ice cream, almond – Get Creative
- 1 cup orange juice
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 small banana, sliced
- 1 cup ice
- whip cream to top
- 1 scoop each
Directions:
Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 15 mins
- In a blender, combine everything but the ice, and whip cream and blend.
- Add ice and blend until smooth (sometimes you will need a bit more ice).
- Top off the whip cream with.
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