We all know that we need to eat food to live but there are a surprisingly high proportion of people that would rank water as second in importance to food. Water really is our most important nutrient! Isn’t it about time we acknowledged its benefits?
Benefits of drinking water:
- If dehydrated it can boost physical and mental importance
- Helps keep your skin and nails healthy
- May boost the metabolism
- Drinking water can offset hunger
- As it’s calorie free it can help you stay in shape
- Hydration helps to promote better breath
- Removes waste products from the body
- Can help to improve digestion
- The fluoride in tap water protects teeth against tooth decay
The brain is about 85% water, lose just 1-2% body water and this organ will be the first to suffer. Initial signs of dehydration will affect your mental performance and cognitive abilities. You may not even realise that you are dehydrated as symptoms are often confused with hunger or tiredness.
Symptoms of Dehydration
- Flushed Face
- Severe Thirst
- Water Retention
- Impaired Concentration
- Impaired Physical Performance
- Slow Metabolic Rate
- Weakness
- Dizziness
- Dark Yellow Urine
Rehydrate with Water!
Even when you feel perfectly healthy drink plenty of water, and even more in hotter weather or during exercise. Don’t worry if you aren’t drinking bottled water, tap water is just as good and no significant benefits have been associated with the bottled varieties. However bottled water can be more convenient if you’re exercising or traveling.
Aiming to drink at least 6-8 glasses of water per day will help to keep you rehydrated. Water from foods such as melon also contributes to quenching thirst and will count towards your daily fluid intake. Spread your water intake over the whole day and you will have no problem reaching your daily target.
Groups that are at a particular risk include:
- Babies and children that are not old enough to tell you they are thirsty
- Sunbathers
- Athletes
- People who are ill, feverish and vomiting
- Diabetics
- People with an eating disorders
- Airplane travellers (airplane air dehydrates more quickly than outside air)
Make water part of your lifestyle, we should aim to drink 6-8 glasses everyday, equivalent to 2 litres
This may seem like a lot – but when you think of it as eight glasses, spread across a whole day, it’s simply a glass with each meal, three throughout the day, and two more in the evening. To work your 2 litres a day into your lifestyle, it helps to always keep a bottle of water handy; in your car, in your bag, by your bed – and even in your locker, for when you need to override that 3pm energy slump. It's far better to sip water continuously throughout the day than gulping down several glasses once you're already gasping. A bottle on your desk will remind you to keep topped up and help you keep track of your daily target. Drinking water every day, is one of the simplest (yet one of the best) things that you can do for your body. By drinking enough, you can hydrate yourself from the inside-out – and beauty and health experts around the world agree.
