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Water
The most overlooked power food is not a food at all - it's water. Eighty percent of our body is water. We can live much longer without food than without water. When we're properly hydrated, our blood flows efficiently, our muscles contract efficiently, and our body temperature is regulated efficiently.
Water fills you up. Water actually helps you lose weight because it helps stimulate the excretion of excess sodium and fluids. But most of us think about water incorrectly. Those of us who tend to put on water weight and are easily bloated mistakenly think that if we drink less water, we'll be okay. The opposite is true. The more you drink the better your hydrated, and the better your body functions.
Tap water costs nothing (or pennies). But we often don't drink enough. That means at least eight 225ml glasses a day. Not fizzy drinks, not coffee, not tea, not sport drinks, but plain water. If you're working out more or live in a hot climate, this amount might not be enough. Drink all day, before, during, and after exercise. Nothing else can quench your thirst and hydrate your body so effectively.
If you're trying to wean yourself off low-calorie fizzy drinks - which I strongly suggest doing not just because they're a waste of money and unsatisfying in terms of taste, but because, as I've said, the phosphorus in them can interfere with the absorption of the calcium you need so badly every day - try drinking plain sparkling water with a splash of cranberry or orange juice. Squeeze in a bit of lemon or lime. Or just add lemon or lime to a cool glass of plain water. Try brewing a huge pot of peppermint tea, which is great for your digestion; drink a cup of it hot; and then chill the rest. You'll have calorie-free, sugar-free, caffeine-free, tea whenever you want. There are so many delectable flavors of tea available now that it's quite a struggle not to pique your taste buds when you're in the mood for something hot or cold.
Caffeine
Most of us can't get through the day without caffeine, which makes it just about the most widely used stimulant in the world. Caffeine keeps you up, alert, and going. It's also addictive, which means withdrawal from it is usually - with headaches, fatigue, drowsiness, and depression as possible symptoms. Caffeine increase heart rate, works as antidepressant, and large doses makes you more nervous, and unable to sleep. Too much of it also reduce bone mass, which increase the risk of osteoporosis as well as hip and other fractures.
You'll find caffeine in coffee, tea, chocolate, and all low-calorie fizzy drinks. There are no official recognized limits, some people need only a cup to get out of bed in the morning, others seem to be able to down a pot with no problems. The average amount drunk per day is about 200 milligrams, which is about 285 ml of strong coffee, or several cups of tea. How caffeine affects you depends on how much you actually drink, how used to it you are, your size and metabolism.
If you're a coffee addict and are trying to cut back, go slowly. Gradually reduce the amount you drink, and you'll soon find that a cup in the morning and perhaps one in the afternoon are all you need. I also recommend switching to tea, which has one-third the caffeine of coffee; coffee addicts often need the "idea" of something hot rather than the coffee itself.