Water has been called “the most essential nutrient.”
The benefits of drinking plenty of water:
- helps us look better by keeping our weight in check
- revitalizes dull dry skin and lubricates all of our joints
- regulates our body temperature,
- assists the kidneys in eliminating harmful salts and wastes
- carries nutrients and oxygen to all the cells in the body.
- essential for maintaining good health.
Approximately two thirds of a person’s body weight is water. Blood is 63% water, The Brain is 75% water, Muscles are 75% water, Lungs are 80% water, The Heart is 75% water, Liver is 85% water Kidneys 63% and Bones are 22% water.
The average adult requires about 8 to 12 cups of water per 24 hours for digestion, perspiration, breathing and elimination of body waste.
One third of our basic water intake comes from the fruits and vegetables.
A deficit of at least eight cups of water a day must be added to ensure the health and wellness of our body and avoid dehydration.
In addition:
Any strenuous physical exercise demands even more water intake. (A single exercise session can deplete our body’s water by 3 to 5 litres.)
Please note that the following do NOT count towards water intake:
Drinks containing nutrients, such as milk, fruit juices, sugar sweetened drinks, salty tomato based juices etc. takes water from the body to process the nutrients.
Tea, coffee, cola drinks and alcoholic beverages are diuretics that promote urination, causing even greater water loss than the liquid consumed.