Feel the wonderful benefits of hydration

It’s great to see that drinking water is now fashionable.

Why do we need water? On average, our bodies are 60% water and we need to keep it that way. Water is so important for chemical and fluid distribution and to maintain our bodily functions.  Things can go horribly wrong without it.

water hydration with citrus and mint

What causes dehydration?

Dehydration can occur if we’ve been in the sun for too long, our body temperature goes over 38 degrees, if we take diuretics such as alcohol, medication or caffeine. We are only able to extract half of the liquid as water if we drink alcohol or tea and coffee, due to the diuretic effect.  Signs of dehydration include thirst, dark yellow pee, tiredness, dry mouth, lips and eyes and peeing less than 4 times a day.

In ‘Your Body’s Many Cries for Water’, Dr. Batmanghelidj claims that hydration can help with a number of medical conditions. He also states that “you’re not sick, you’re thirsty”. How intriguing?  https://amzn.to/2zYCpJf

We naturally lose water through normal bodily functions, sweat, waste and breath. This can add up to 2.5 litres a day, depending upon your age, gender, weight and activity levels.

As soon as our cells shrink by only 1 or 2%, a signal is sent to trigger a thirst response.  This is why you are already dehydrated if you feel thirsty.

How do you know if you are dehydrated?

A simple test is to pinch the skin on the back of your hand and if the skin flattens quickly, within seconds, you’re hydrated if the skin takes time to return you’re dehydrated and it’s time to drink some water. The skin may also take a little longer to return as we age and our collagen changes.

Food contains water too, so we don’t always need to drink 2 litres to replace the water lost.  However, the European Food Safety Authority recommend that women drink 2 litres and men drink 2.5 litres of water a day.

Bottle or tap?

Pros and cons:

Tap Bottle
Cost per litre 0.1p  Approx. 0.40p
Plastic bottle No Yes
Origin Known Sometimes uncertain and safety is questionable
Additives Such as chlorine and fluoride – can be filtered No

Become a connoisseur of H2O

Water taste can vary in different areas of the country. In this video 3 people taste test tap water and identify their favourites.  https://bbc.in/2zXAd4T

Whichever you choose tap, bottle, filtered or straight, sip throughout the day.  Start to feel the wonderful benefits of hydration.