My fiance and I have been very fortunate to enjoy abundant travel opportunities this past year, and during these excursions, it came to my attention that I can be something of a “drill sergeant” when it comes to staying hydrated. I can’t help it. It alarms and disturbs me to watch someone go a whole day (or even a few hours) without taking a sip of water – something we can easily forget when we’re in a new place, outside of our regular routine.

It’s just that I know how I feel when I’m dehydrated: overly fatigued, head-achey, moody and shaky, with weird food cravings and brain fog that makes it nearly impossible to string two thoughts together. And that’s no way to enjoy a vacation.

It’s no mystery that proper hydration is essential for everything from immune and brain function to digestive health, hormone regulation, cellular ATP production (i.e. energy), nutrient absorption, and even body temperature regulation. And I know I’m not alone in my borderline-neurotic “drink more water” compulsion.

But what does it really mean to be properly hydrated? Our ancestors, after all, did not have constant access to potable water. They did not set timers to remind themselves to drink it. They certainly were not gulping two-plus liters of it per day (the modern bare-minimum recommendation for proper hydration).

How is it that we, as a society, are drinking more water than ever before, and yet we’re the most dehydrated that we’ve ever been?

The answer, it may surprise us to learn, is not in the water itself, but in our soil.

Chemically, there are 3 components to proper hydration: Hydrogen, Oxygen, and electrolytes. Pure water (H2O) is not an electrolyte, but in its most natural state (as we would have sourced our drinking water in the pre-industrialized world), fresh ground water picks up salts and minerals from the earth, which then function as electrolytes in our bodies.

Very simply put, electrolytes are elements that conduct an electrical current. And electricity is the very essence of our energy as human beings. It’s how our nerves transmit signals to our muscles, how the neurotransmitters in our brain and body communicate, how we think, how we animate, how we love. This why experts estimate that we can live up to 70 days without food, but only about 3 days without water. It’s not just the water that’s essential to our survival; it’s the electrical conductors it supplies that keep our hearts beating.

Chief among these electrolytes are minerals such as sodium (yes, adequate sodium is actually essential to our health), potassium, and magnesium. Once upon a time, these minerals would have been abundant in our earth and soils. But as a result of industrial farming practices such as tilling and monocropping, these minerals have been depleted over time. When the American Department of Agriculture examined the nutrient levels of crops from every corner of North America in 2002, they found that all nutrients had decreased by an average of 50% since the last study in 1963.

This, combined with the fact that many of us are consuming more processed food and treated or ultra-filtered water, has led to the startling estimate that as little as 10% of us are getting adequate electrolytes, which essentially means up to 90% of us are chronically dehydrated.

So what can we do to fix this?

On an individual level, and perhaps most importantly, we can make sure that the water we are drinking contains minerals. This means that, if we are drinking municipally-treated or filtered water, we should add in trace mineral drops (which you can easily purchase at your local health food store), or an electrolyte supplement (my favourite is LMNT). This is especially important if you are drinking distilled or reverse osmosis water, as these forms of purification remove all essential minerals, leaving nothing but pure H2O, which can actually deplete our bodies further of minerals when we drink it.

If you’re not a fan of supplements, or hesitant to invest in expensive powders and drops, you can also simply add a pinch of Pink Himalayan or Celtic Sea Salt to every litre of water that you consume. These types of salts, sourced from natural, third-party-tested harvesting sites, and left unprocessed, contain the proper ratios of essential minerals that we need to stay healthy.

You can also find my homemade “DYI Electrolyte Booster” recipe HERE.

Fun Fact: Salt in and of itself is not actually the culprit of high-blood pressure; It’s high amounts of sodium, consumed without other essential minerals such as magnesium and potassium to balance it out. The most common type of salt that we find in pre-packaged foods, in restaurant kitchens, and even in most household cabinets is refined white table salt, which has been chemically treated and stripped of essential minerals. This, combined with a diet high in inflammatory seed oils and sugars (also commonly found in ultra-processed and packaged foods) is a recipe for high blood pressure.

On the global/policy level, it’s important that we vote with our dollar whenever we can to have a positive influence on our food system. This means purchasing our produce from local farmers and sustainable producers, or even growing it ourselves. Look for food producers in your community who value regenerative farming practices. These are traditional farming techniques that protect soil health and produce more nutritious, mineral-rich food.

Mineral deficiency is something that affects nearly everyone. And without adequate minerals, our cells cannot produce the energy we need – and our bodies cannot conduct the electrical impulses – for us to live our most vibrant and prolific lives. But together, we can turn healthy mineral status back into the right it once was, rather than a privilege. We can affect change, and play a role in a more mineralized (and hydrated) world.

Hi there! Allow me to (re)introduce myself!

My name is Alexandra Lucier. I’m a Windsor-born writer, globe-trotter, yoga teacher, Registered Holistic Nutrition Practitioner (R.H.N.P), and certified Ayurvedic and Women’s Health Coach.

I’ve had the privilege of travelling the world, meeting beautiful people, exploring different cultures and sampling equally colourful flavours – from ceviche and tostones in Ecuador, to golden pine honey in Crete, Cacio e Pepe in Rome, tteok-bokki (spicy rice cakes) in South Korea, and even dubious chicken and rice in Ghana, Africa (with added fruit flies for extra protein!).

I’ve also worked under Red Seal Chefs in restaurant kitchens and had the opportunity to train alongside a variety of holistic health and nutrition practitioners during my years of professional experience in the wellness space.

As a practitioner, I’m fascinated by the intricate and nuanced ways that food interacts with both our physiology and our psychology, and I’m inspired by its power to nourish our bodies, our families, our relationships, and our communities. I recognize that every body is different, and I believe in an intuitive and inclusive way of eating in which all foods serve a purpose.

Through Well Fed, I hope to inspire you, not only through helpful, science-backed health and nutrition information and recipes, but also by applying the same curiosity that I had travelling through other countries to my own community of Windsor-Essex, and hopefully serving as a resource for quality, local food producers and suppliers, and also as a hub for fun and collaborative food and fitness events.

What does this mean for you?? Starting in June, I will be rolling out a new subscription-based program, delivered as bi-weekly e-blasts. As a subscriber, you will receive:

A new healthy recipe feature

3-day nutritionist-designed meal plan

Shopping list

Local ingredient sourcing recommendations

Health/nutrition-related blog post

Bonus feature on a rotating theme (yoga, Ayurveda, supplements, etc.)

For just $9.99 per month*, all of this will be delivered straight to your inbox, with new content every two weeks!

There will be NO auto-renewals, so you can cancel anytime! Simply Contact Me to sign up!

* First e-blast to go out June 1st; minimum 3-month subscription required.

I am still offering individualized consultations as well (see my Services & Pricing for details), and be sure to stay tuned for exciting upcoming events!

Thank you so much for being here and enjoy this beautiful Summer!!

January is a popular time to clean house – to organize your kitchen cupboards, purge your closets and crawlspace, and, for many, take stock of physical health goals and maybe even partake in a cleanse or detox to help counterbalance holiday indulging.

In Ayurvedic Medicine,”āma” is the term used to describe the build-up of toxins that can result from overindulgence of food or substances, or from the consumption of anything through any of the five senses that interferes with the flow of life force energy. Naturally, this includes chemical toxins such as those present in ultra-processed or congesting foods, alcohol, nicotine and other drugs; but it can also refer to heavy, undigested emotions, psychological distress, and negative thoughts and feelings, particularly in regards to the self.

The holidays can be an especially stressful time, one in which we’re primed for over-extension, both physically and emotionally. Besides attending more parties and eating and drinking more than we perhaps normally would, many of us are also sleeping less, stressing about holiday shopping or finances, and playing Tetris with our already hectic schedules. And all of this before the drama that commonly ensues when you force family members together (particularly those who wouldn’t normally spend time together) for a “special” dinner.

Anything we consume, be it through diet, media, relationships, etc. has the potential to increase “āma” – to manifest as the accumulation of toxicity in our system – if it is not utilized as energy or eliminated as waste. This includes stressors such as suppressed emotions, resentments, anger, traumatic experiences and disappointments.

Āma, whether it’s mental, emotional, or physical, begins its accumulation in the gastrointestinal tract, hence the axiom, “listen to your gut”. It’s the reason many of us experience stomach aches or disturbed appetite when we’re under stress, and also why Ayurveda puts such a strong emphasis on diet and digestion.

In more modern or Western healing models, this idea is exemplified by the Vagus Nerve, the longest of the cranial nerves which runs from the root of the brain stem to our digestive tract. Also known as the “Gut-Brain Axis”, the Vagus Nerve represents the main component of the parasympathetic nervous system, and governs crucial bodily functions like mood regulation, immune and heart health, nutrient assimilation, cellular repair, and much more. We also know that up to 95% of serotonin (the primary “feel-good” hormone that helps to fight depression and anxiety) is produced in the gut.

Since the central G.I. tract houses the doshic “home sites” in Ayurveda (the stomach, small intestine, and colon), when āma is left to linger there for a long time, it can spread to the deep tissues and plant the seeds for disease formation. By blocking nutrient and energy supply to vital channels, āma can eventually lead to the damage of healthy tissue and the poisoning of the entire system, including all three (physical, mental, and emotional) bodies.

In each dosha, the accumulation of āma may manifest in different ways. In Vata, for example, it may present as exhaustion or joint pain or stiffness, while in Kapha it can manifest as congestion or lack of appetite. Some general signs and symptoms for everyone, though, are feelings of weakness or heaviness, lethargy or even depression, indigestion or constipation.

So, as we begin detoxing our physical bodies this New Year, let’s not forget about our mental and emotional bodies, too. A digestive cleanse is a great time to clear out space in your home or environment as well as your body, or to evaluate and maybe even purge some toxic relationships.

Besides cleansing or eliminating mental and emotional āma through practices such as journalling or talk therapy, we can also “metabolize”, or “put to use” that accumulated energy. Just as we can put excess food to use by working out, so too can we make mental/emotional āma work to our advantage. By reflecting on the lessons and growth that challenging experiences may have brought us, or by channeling our thoughts and feelings into a new creative pursuit, or a meaningful project that serves others going through something similar, we can give our pain purpose.

And by channeling otherwise stagnant and destructive energy into something positive, we may finally begin to heal, clearing our path to flourish in the year to come.