The Importance of Drinking Water

Water, Your Life Force

Why not add fresh fruit to water

The importance of drinking water. In this unusually hot weather we can easily become dehydrated so please make sure you are increasing your daily intake of water. This, of course, applies especially to children and the elderly.

Your body is made up of over 60% water and we can’t live without it.

Within a normal 24 hour day we can:

• Lose 1.5 litres of water in our urine
• 750ml through our skin
• 400ml through our breath
• 15ml in our faeces

This would also be in normal weather conditions, at the moment we are in a heatwave so sweating much more.

Watermelon contains water

There is, of course, water in our food which we can benefit from and even so, we do need to make sure we are drinking plenty of water to avoid dehydration.

If you don’t have enough water you can:

• Become constipated
• Suffer from headaches, fatigue, dizziness and confusion
• Increase urinary tract infections and kidney stones
• Have dry skin, mouth or lips
• Feel overheated
• Have joint problems
• We can feel hungry, so don’t mistake hunger for thirst

The whole of our body needs water so that includes our digestive system, joints, our lungs (supporting asthma and allergies) and kidneys. The kidneys in particular benefit from water because it helps to remove the toxins we generate which are eliminated via the kidneys.

Even though we do need water to help eliminate the toxins from our body, we don’t want to go mad and overwork our kidneys. Too much water can lead to overhydration so be sensible.

We can, of course, drink other liquids that hydrate (other than alcohol), however,  they can have other effects on the body, such as robbing the body of minerals and affecting blood sugar balance.

Why not add lemon and lime

Tap or Mineral Water, Still or Sparkling?

Natural mineral water, filtered, pure water is best because it contains valuable minerals such as calcium. I always prefer still water myself. Sometimes fizzy drinks can contain phosphorus which can hinder calcium absorption; this also applies to caffeinated drinks.

How much water should I drink a day?

Drink about 1.5 litres of water a day. When it is hot or you are exercising you do need more because you are sweating more so you can increase the quantity to 2 litres a day. This can include herbal tea, diluted juice and caffeine-free drinks.

Don’t Forget Water for Your Animals

We do need to make sure our animals are drinking plenty of water. They can also become very sick if they do not have sufficient so always ensure their water source is plenty and accessible.

Much love

Toni xxx

References:

For more information on hydration/dehydration and the importance of water:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dehydration/symptoms-causes/syc-20354086

https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/nutritional/dehydration

The Optimum Nutrition Bible, Patrick Holford

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