How Important Is Water?

For ages the mantra has been that eight glasses of water a day is the minimum you should drink. Just rececently a spate of articles came out concluding that that this is a myth. I am very suspicious of new information. I need some convincing before I accept it. After reading some material and listening to some interviews I came to the conclusion that the so called new research was a storm in a teacup. They were basically saying that the body needed the liquid but you could get this liquid in other forms like fruit juice. Thats all well and good but they conveniently failed to mention that those other forms came with extra calories.

Water definately is important as the body is more than 75% water. The scientists will tell you that water plays no part in weight loss but I beg to differ. A friend of mine decided to increase her water intake to eight glasses a day as a first step in a weight loss plan. She lost 4 llbs in that first week and the only thing she had done differently was to increase her water intake. Drinking water between meals is also a good strategy to help you curb your appetite. It is also adviseable not to drink water during your meal as this can dilute the digestive enzymes and slows down your metabolism. Drink water about 15 to 30 minutes before you start eating and wait the same amount of time afterwards

The body depends on water to operate your cell processes and organ functions. You need it for digestion, for eliminating toxins through both liquid and solid waste functions and it is also needed for cooling down the body through sweat. Though this is not a scientific fact I believe that water also improves your skin. As I have said before I am in my early fifties but my skin is radiant and I have yet to locate any noticealbe sign of age related wrinkling. I put this down to, in part, my consumption of the elixir of life - water.

Do you get tired around mid afternoon? Try drinking more water because sometimes the fatigue is due to dehydration.

As you age your sense of identifying thirst decreases so it is especially important to consciously make the effort to drink more water.

You can also augment your water intake by adding fresh fruit and vegetables to your diet. Lettuce and watermelons are 98% water, celery is 94%, fresh tomatoes 93% and carrots are 88% water. Water diminishes of course through cooking so it is best to load your plate with fresh and raw vegetables and fruit. Don't pig out on fruit juice however as these tend to be high sugar and high calorie; even the freshly extracted variety. It is also difficult to measure the quantity of fruit that was used in the juice so the rule of thumb is that if you cant juice your own go for the whole fruit instead. That has the additional benefit of adding more fiber to your diet.

If you are exercising or the weather is hot then you might need to increase your water intake

Is There Such a Thing as Too Much Water?

My Recommendations

Drink water before, during and after exercising and if your work entails consistent physical activity take a water break at least every thirty minutes.

Tea and coffee dont count towards your water intake as they act as diuretics and cause you to pee more. Green tea however is a great energy booster and studies have shown that when drunk in sufficient quantities (4-6 teacups a day) it can increaseyour metabolism rate.

Its not necessary to buy bottled water if you are aware that your tap water is of high quality.

Water is the best fluid you can get as there are no additives or preservatives and it is calorie free!

Finally the best indicator of your need for water is of course your own thirst. If you are thirsty drink water. There is no substitute as refreshing as water.

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