Water is Vital

Water Is Vital - Consume It!

Facts about water in summary:

• Water is essential for the human body.
• The body cannot store water and must have fresh supplies every day to perform virtually every metabolic process.
• Babies and the elderly are vulnerable to lack of water or dehydration.
• If you regularly don't drink enough water there is some increased risk of kidney stones and, in women, urinary tract infections.
• Foods provide about one litre of fluid and the remainder must be obtained from drinks.
• It is recommended that you consume around 8 glasses of water a day to prevent dehydration.

The human body can last weeks without food, but only days without water!


The body is made up of 55–75 per cent water. Water forms the basis of blood, digestive juices, urine and perspiration and is contained in lean muscle, fat and bones.

As the body can’t store water, we need fresh supplies every day to make up for daily losses. The amount we need depends on our metabolism, the weather, the food we eat and our activity levels. 

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Water_a_vital_nutrient

The Department of Health in UK recommends that we should drink about 1.2 litres of fluid every day to stop us getting dehydrated. This works out to be about six 200ml or eight 150ml glasses, cups or mugs. In hotter climates, the body needs more water than this.
The total amount of water we lose each day and need to replace is in fact greater than this – about 2.5 litres – but we get 1 litre of the fluid we need from food and the body recovers 0.3 litres from chemical reactions in our cells. The rest needs to be taken from drinks.

What should we drink?

Try to choose healthier drinks as part of a healthy, balanced diet.  Water, milk and fruit juices are the healthiest. It is best to avoid alcoholic drinks!
Try to avoid sugary soft and fizzy drinks that can be high in added sugars. These can be high in calories and bad for teeth.
It’s fine to drink tea and coffee as part of a balanced diet. But it's important that tea, coffee or other drinks containing caffeine are not your only source of fluid.

Water

Water is the healthiest choice to satisfy your thirst at any time. It has no calories and contains no sugars that can damage teeth.
If you don't like the taste of plain water, try sparkling water or add a slice of lemon or lime. You could also add some squash or fruit juice for flavour.
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/water-drinks.aspx

Tip of the day:

Start your day with a glass of water! It is recommended to have a glass of water at least 1/2 an hour before your meal.