Our bodies are approximately 70% water; our brain is almost 85% water. It is the primary component of all the bodily fluids; blood, lymph, digestive juices, urine, tears, and sweat. Water is involved in almost every bodily function; circulation, digestion, absorption, and elimination of wastes to name a few. Water, like the radiator on your car, regulates body temperature and cools inflammation. Water carries the electrolytes, mineral salts, which help convey electrical currents in the body; the major minerals that make up these salts are sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and chloride. Water requirements vary greatly from person to person. The climate in which we live, our activity level, and our diet all influence our need for water. Water loss from the body is approximately 60% in urine, 20% by evaporation through the skin, 15% is lost through respiration (water vapors we breath out), and 5% in our stool.
Water is fundamental to all life on Earth. Without clean water we cannot experience optimum health. The average person requires about three quarts of water per day, including food and beverages. A diet high in fruits and vegetables provides more total fluids through food than a diet high in fat, meat, and dairy products. Caffeinated beverages, such as coffee, tea, chocolate, or colas, and alcoholic beverages are diuretics and drain fluids from the body by increasing fluid losses through the kidneys. Eating salty foods or processed foods such as chips, snack foods, soy sauce, etc. will draw water out of the body. Many medications have a diuretic action on the body. A sign of dehydration is a dark colored urine, headache, dizziness, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, irritability, cloudy thinking, colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, obesity, asthma, allergies, skin rashes, kidney pain, and fatigue. Also gallstones and kidney stones may occur from dehydration.
The amount of water we need is based upon a number of factors – our size; our activity level, which influences the amount of fluid we lose through sweat; the climate or temperature (higher environmental temperatures increase our fluid losses); and our diet. Special circumstances in which increased amounts of water may be needed include fever, diarrhea, kidney disease, or any situation where excessive fluid losses occur through normal body elimination processes.
Water should be consumed throughout the day. Start with one or two glasses of water first thing in the morning; this will cleanse your system and lubricate the colon to facilitate and easy bowel movement. Take a glass or two approximately one hour before meals. Do not drink fluids with or immediately after a meal because the fluids will dilute the digestive juices which will reduce food digestion and nutrient assimilation.
The average person should drink approximately two quarts of water daily or approximately eight to ten – eight ounce glasses of water daily. Add one more glass of water for every cup of coffee, coke, or caffeinated drink you consume.
