Our body is made up of 60 percent of water. That is more than half of what our total body is made out of. Which signals all of us to pay close attention to our daily water intake. There are a lot of factors to be mindful of when it comes to dealing with drinkable water. What are the different types of water? Which water is safe for drinking? How does water benefit a person? And how much water a day does a person need?
You need to be aware of those questions because they will help you make wise decisions when it comes to your health. Lucky for you, all those questions will be answered here in this article.
Why is Water so Important?
As mentioned, our body is composed of 60 percent of water. Therefore, most of our bodily functions rely on the availability of water in the body. Water is that certain health problems might happen if we have too much or less of it. That is why it is but essential to know the role of water in your body.
Functions of Water in the Body
Keeps the Body Hydrated
Our body loses a lot of water through breathing, digestion, and sweating. Especially when experiencing a busy day that requires you to do a lot of physical work, a great amount of water is reduced. That is why it is important to refill your body's water tank to keep your body hydrated and stay moist.
Promotes Easy Waste Removal
Water is essential when it comes to the digestion process. It is similar to the function of our salivary glands. Upon the food entering the mouth, enzymes found in saliva help break down the food. The same goes with water, and it helps significantly when it comes to proper digestion. It aids your regular bowel movement by softening the end product of a digested food.
Aside from the technical functions of water on the body, it also significantly affects health. It may even help improve the psychological and emotional state of a person.
Benefits of Water on a Person's Health
Maximizes Physical Performances
Ensuring a hydrated body means providing your body with more energy to function effectively. Even as little as 2% reduced from your total water level can cause specific health problems, such as increased fatigue, body temperature control disorder, motivation level decreases, and physical and mental stress.
So, it is best recommended that after an intense workout or any physically challenging activities, to drink few glasses of water.
Improve Brain Function
Hydration for the brain is essential. If not given the required amount of water levels, your brain will be able to function irregularly and improperly. Since the brain is the message sender for all functions of our entire body, it is best to pay extra attention to our brain's needs.
Studies have shown that one to two percent of water loss in women's brains can impair the brain's brain's functions. Particularly affecting their mood and concentration on any aspect of the matter. Common effects that result from this type of situation are over-fatigue and headaches.
Another study about men has shown that even just 1.5% of water loss in the brain can affect their daily functionalities.
Prevent and Treat Headaches
Science has proven that a body with less water can cause headaches or even severe migraines. As well, water itself can help in curing those brain-related problems.
Helps Prevent Kidney Stones
The kidneys function as the filtering machine of our body. They aid in extracting waste from the blood, urine, and other body fluids. Thus, making them as important as any organ in the body (although all organs are essential).
Drinking the required amount of water a day can help prevent clumps and crystals that result in Kidney Stones. The water's primary function in the kidney is diluting the concentration of minerals.
Effective for Losing Weight
Studies have shown that people who drink two glasses of water before meals are likely to lose more weight than those who do not. This is because the water creates a heavy impact on the stomach. This is because you are to lessen your calorie intake, which will gradually result in weight loss.
There are a lot of sources to get yourself some water to drink. However, there are various kinds of water, and not every kind is safe and drinkable. How do you know when water is safe? Where should you get water?
Different Types of Water
There are many choices to choose from on which source you will provide yourself with water. It will be a significant advantage for you to be aware of the different kinds of water for drinking. There may be a lot of water selection, but not all are guaranteed safe for drinking.
Tap Water
In all circumstances, tap water is never advised for drinking. Out of all the kinds of water, this is the most unsafe. Do not be fooled by how it is convenient and easy to access. Furthermore, tap water can carry different kinds of contaminants that might cause several serious health problems.
Before going further, let us first familiarize the different kinds of contaminants.
- Arsenic. This contaminant is mostly found in tap water and can cause cancer. This is considered a carcinogen and highly poisonous.
- Aluminum. Drinking water that carries aluminum particles can increase the chances of acquiring Alzheimer's Disease. As well as other health problems such as gastrointestinal, skin and liver diseases.
- Fluoride. This particular contaminant has been commercially introduced to cure cavities and strengthen the teeth. Fluoride increases the risk of having holes.
- Other contaminants found in water, but rare, are Prescription or OTC Drugs and Disinfection Byproducts.
Bottled Water
As of now, you might be thinking that bottled water is safe for drinking. Since some of them carry labels that say purified and filtrated water, that has been a common misunderstanding for a long time now because bottled water makes up 40% of tap water. Thus, the possibility that it may still contain certain contaminants even before it went through the process.
Furthermore, the plastic bottle is never a recommended practice to store in your water. Plastic bottles are composed of a chemical called Bisphenol A (BPA) that has been proven to cause numerous health problems.
Distilled Water
The term "distilled" can be misleading and deceiving because it does not guarantee safe and drinkable water. The process of distillation even intensifies the effect of the contaminants being present in the water.
Distilled water can be relatively safe for drinking but only for detoxification. But, if you plan to make it your go-to nourishing drink, it is best to exclude this from your choices.
Alkaline Water
Alkaline in water has been widely practiced and used in many countries for the past years. But is it safe as it promises to be? It may benefit the health in some ways, but the risk of having health problems is still present.
The thing about Alkaline Water is that it has to be consumed with boundaries. One advantage of drinking Alkaline water is that it detoxifies your body. However, detoxification is only limited to be done in a week or two. Drinking too much will reduce your stomach acid because of over-detoxification, which will result in ulcers or GERD.
Vitamin or Flavored Waters
The growth of Vitamin or Flavored Waters has been relatively high over the past few years. It is believed to be a great and "healthy" replacement for sodas and powdered juices. Unfortunately, all these are part of the company's marketing strategy to increase sales and profit.
Creating Vitamin or Flavored waters involves many harmful elements that cause great risks to health. These waters contain large amounts of fructose corn syrup, additives, preservatives, caffeine, and more elements that can be incredibly harmful to health.
Coconut Water
Coconuts are found to be a great source to provide yourself with some fresh and pure water. Furthermore, coconuts are rich in minerals and nutrients that can help boost your immune system.
Filtrated and Purified Water
The safest water to drink is the one that had undergone the process of both filtration and purification. If water has only gone through either one of the processes, it would not be as healthy as possible if processed using the two methods.
Water Filtration is the process of removing the impurities of water and bacteria. Although certain viruses and pathogens might still be present, they are too microscopic to be eliminated through filtering. This is where the Water Purification process comes in because purification kills 99.9% of the remaining contaminants that were not removed during the first process. Therefore, you are guaranteed much more safe and drinkable water.
One of the best ways to provide yourself with filtrated and purified water is to use the Go Berkey Kit. The Go Berkey Kit can give you the peace of mind and ease that you need.
Now that you know the different kinds of contaminants commonly present in waters and the different types of waters, only one question remains. How much water does a person need?
How Much Water Should you Drink?
There is no ideal numerical figure to tell you how much water you should drink per day. Several factors can complicate finding out the exact amount of water to drink. Such as the frequency and intensity of your daily routine or physical activities, genes, climate, and weather, country, and current health status.
When we were young, we were already taught to have an average of eight glasses of water per day. However, 80% of this belief can aid you in staying hydrated and healthy. Yet, this may not work for everyone because of the different factors contributing to the whole situation.
There is a universal standardized guide for men and women to follow that only serves as a reminder of keeping track of their water intake.
- Men are required to intake an average of 13 cups of water a day
- Women are required to intake an average of 9 cups of water a day
But, this guide may already vary if you engage yourself in strenuous activities or sweat a lot naturally. As well as, even though if you have reached the recommended number of cups a day but you still feel thirsty, do not hesitate to drink more water.
One thing to keep in mind is that you need to increase your water intake if you sweat more than the average. Keep in mind that as simple as breathing and talking already reduces the water levels of a person. In the case of older adults, the ability to identify thirstiness is already quite tricky. That is why it is advised to drink even just a glass of water regulator to increase your water intake rly.
Although all of effectively tell you whether you have enough water or not. This is the color of your urine. To know that you have a sufficient amount of water, the color of your urine should be light yellow or lighter than that. If otherwise, then you need to increase the number of glasses you drink per day.
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