Drink 8 glasses of water a day if you want to stay healthy. We have heard this repeatedly over the years. Is it true? it is true that we all need water. the bulk of your body is water…about 60% if you are a man, 55% ifyou are a woman. Muscles contain about 75% water, blood is 95% water, and even hard bone has 22% water. About 2/3 of the water is inside the cells and 1/3 is outside in the blood and other body fluids.
There are a number of myths regarding water possibly propagated by the producers of bottled water…
*There is no study that can support drinking 8 glasses of water per day. the studies have shown that when you drink additional water, your ability to filter toxins out of the blood actually goes down. you only need a certain amount of water in your body at a given time. Any additional water forced into your system will be filtered by the Kidneys. In fact, if you drink a large gulp of water quickly, you run the risk of creating an electrolyte imbalance.
*If you feel thirsty…you are dehydrated. This is inaccurate. Thirst is your body’s way of telling you that you need more water…it is not an indication of dehydration.
*Caffeine in coffee and tea can dehydrate you. More propaganda, probably associated with the bottle water companies to attempt to get you to purchase more water. One thing to note…all plants and animal tissues have plenty of water in them, so you are getting a significant amount of water whenever you eat. The exception is processed foods such as; breakfast cereals, potato chips, hot dogs, etc…
How much water do you need? This has to do with the color of your urine. If you do not have enough water, your kidneys will try to conserve water, so your urine will become concentrated. It will look dark and may have an odor. If you have too much water, your kidneys will secret it. It will appear colorless and could possibly be odorless.
One final word of caution…avoid plastic bottles. Plastic contains a very harmful chemical called bis-phenol A (BPA). Besides being a common component of many plastic products, it is used extensively in various food and beverage containers and in other plastic containers. A recent study in the Journal of American Medical Association (Sept 2008) has shown that the higher the level of BPA in the blood, the higher the risk of many health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, and liver problems.
There have been many myths regarding water and its intake for our bodies. Water is an important and necessary aspect of our lives. you can survive a number of months without food, but you can survive only days without water. You see the importance. More importantly, drink clean water, preferably from a fresh, filtered source or a glass bottle to minimize any extraneous toxins, such as BPA. Having this knowledge is Empowering for your health Do your due diligence….do your research to Empower Yourself and Your Health.
