Water is good, water is life. But misinformation and trends sometimes kill the real goodness of water. Hydration is not something to be messed with. Most of our bodily systems depend on it. How do you know you’re doing right when it comes to water intake for you and your kids?
Here are the facts from doctors.
1. Water is recommended by doctors because it has no additives: no sugar, no alcohol, no additives. We can drink a lot of it without side-effects. But our hydration comes from other drinks and food, too. You can overhydrate. Too much water after a meal will only make it difficult for your digestive system. You dilute your stomach acids.
2. Water contributes to the maintenance of physical, cognitive and thermoregulation functions. It gives you energy, it keeps you on your toes and it reduces stress. Active children, older people and athletes have more need for hydration. But too much water can dilute essential electrolytes. Thirst during and after strenuous exercise is normal. That’s why athletic and sports drinks have sodium, potassium and other electrolytes.
3. The recommended 2-2.5 liters of daily water intake (from food and drink) is to balance your body’s water input and output.
WATER INPUT 2.5L
Water we drink: 1.5L
Water in food: 0.7L
Metabolic water: 0.3L
WATER OUTPUT:
Sweat: 0.45L
Breathing: 0.35L
Faeces: 0.2L
Urine: 1.5L
4. And humans are 50-75% water, depending on age. Adults are 60% water. All the life-essential organs and cells are in large part made of water, and need water to function.
Brain 73%
Heart 73%
Lungs 83%
Muscles 79%
Kidneys 79%
Liver 71%
Skin 64%
Bone 31%
Blood 93%
Body fat 10%
5. Symptoms of dehydration often masquerade as illnesses connected to the above organs. That’s where ‘water healing’ comes from, when in fact, those ‘cured’ simply hydrated themselves. Acidic waste that doesn’t get carried away and out of the body because of lack of water is interpreted as pain.
Chronic joint pain
Headaches/migraines
Gastric ulcers
Brain fog
Fatigue/malaise
Allergies/asthma
6. Yes, allergies and asthma are connected to poor hydration. When the body is dehydrated, the water-deprived histamine becomes more sensitive, making allergic response higher and the immunity lower. Asthma patients are no strangers to difficulty breathing triggered by dehydration.
7. Coffee isn’t a strong enough diuretic to deprive you of water. It’s a source of water! Caffeinated drinks and cola count toward your water intake.
8. Sweating during intense sports, workouts and extended play means losing sodium and potassium. You lose 7x more sodium than potassium, explaining the saltiness of sweat, and making sodium the electrolyte you need to replenish for yourself or your kids. Have some drinks and burgers or peanut butter sandwiches!
9. Water prevents tooth decay in children and adults by washing away acid before it can erode the enamel of your teeth. Milk, juice, chocolate drinks, coffee– drink water to rinse, and to cleanse, helping your kidneys clear sodium, urea and waste products from the body, and lowering the risk of developing kidney and urinary tract diseases.
10. Water helps with weight loss as a natural appetite-suppressant. Feeling hunger pangs? It could only be thirst. Drink. If you drink cold water, the body works double to turn it into body temperature, making you burn more calories.