The importance of water!

15th January 2019 Lenka Pagan

You can eat as healthily as you want but if you are not drinking enough, or you are drinking bad-quality water, you are not headed for optimal health.

You can manage without food for about three weeks but without water you would not survive in 3 to 4 days. So, regular intake of fluids must be on top of your list! If you don’t drink enough fluids, you could experience some warning signs such as a headache, tiredness, dry skin, joint pain, constipation, feel constantly hungry and weight gain!

According to the National Health Service (NHS) if your body loses more fluids than you take in you can be dehydrated. If it isn’t treated it can get worse and become a serious problem.

Symptoms of dehydration in adults and children include:

feeling thirsty
dark yellow and strong-smelling urine
feeling dizzy or lightheaded
feeling tired
dry mouth, lips and eyes
urinating little, and fewer than 4 times a day

I know these symptoms very well because I had them all! I ended up in hospital twice within 6 months as I nearly lost my kidneys and even my life how seriously dehydrated I was when living in Florida over ten years ago. I have personally met people who were dehydrated and ended in hospital and unfortunately, I keep seeing people who don’t drink enough fluids every day and everywhere around me! This is quite a common issue!

So, why do we need water? Here are some benefits of water intake:

water carries nutrients and oxygen to our cells
flushes out waste products
regulates our body temperature
lubricates various parts of our body – our bowels, for example, to prevent constipation and keeps us going
helps with our metabolism
protects our organs and joints
keeps our skin healthy and rehydrated
helps our brain to function

Drink enough fluids during the day so that your urine is a pale clear colour. Also try adding some foods with high water content – such as fruits especially melons, vegetables especially cucumbers, soups, ice creams etc.

How much water do we need?

On average, we need around 1,5-2 litres (6-8 glasses) a day. It really depends on many factors. For example, how active are you? Have you exercised and sweated a lot? Are you in a tropical country or in the Northern countries with cold temperatures? Is your diet higher in processed foods or raw vegetables and fruits? Are you ill or do you take medication daily? Are you pregnant or breastfeeding?…

The best way to judge if you have drunk enough is to check the colour of your urine as it should be light straw coloured. If it is darker, you need to drink more. Note that some coloured foods such as beetroot and some medications can make the colour of your urine darker, even if you are well hydrated.

I hope you found this article helpful. In the next blog post, I will share with you the truth of tap water, bottled water and some handy tips.

Resources:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dehydration/

Fuel for Life by Bear Grylls

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