Drinking water comes with a lot of benefits to our body.
Back in school, we all learned that our body consists of 60% of water and our blood of 90% water.
By replacing our daily water intake with juices, squash, soda, tea and coffee and the likes, we deprive our body of it necessary amount of water. In fact many beverages we enjoy drain the water out of our bodies and can lead to dehydration.
''How much water do I need to drink?'' Yes, there is a general answer supported by health professionals which are for adults about 4 pints/day. As we mentioned our bodies consist of 60% water, here, at Wholistc Health we recommend carefully calculating the water intake by weight.
Here is the formula:
For children, you calculate weight x 30ml
For adults, you calculate weight x 50ml
So, for example, Mary's weight is 60kg she should drink 3 litres of water.
I know it sounds like a lot of water but if you say for example 12 glasses of 250ml are 3 litres - which roughly turns out to be a glass of water every hour in a day between waking up and going to sleep, then it sounds much easier.
In this way, you can ensure you are drinking the right amount of water every single day and thus improve your health and overall wellbeing.
Benefits of drinking water
Not only does water flush out all the bacteria and toxins in our bodies but it also helps us with cravings and weight management. You can even cut down your Caffeine intake, just by drinking the right amount of water.
1. Flushing out bacteria and toxins
Our body is a great organism in which every part work together. It is common knowledge that toxins and bacteria are existing in our bodies - In fact, they can be helpful at times, but when they are not needed or when they are at an unbalanced level, it is important to help flush all excess out. An easy way to do this is with the help of water, by simply drinking sufficient amount of water. In some cases, we might even recommend hydrotherapy to help the body to detoxify.
By drinking an ample amount of water our oxygen intake will improve, so as the way we sweat and digest food. Our body will also be less acidic and more alkaline, which in turn also helps to improve our overall health.
2. Weight management and cravings
Water helps in various ways to manage weight in a healthy way. Not only is it removing waste from the body as mentioned in the paragraph above but it also helps to balance appetite, to burn fat and increases the way we burn our calories.
Example:
Often, when we feel that our stomach is empty we grab something to eat, believing we are hungry when in fact all we need is some water. That's why we recommend having a glass of water first.
We also recommend eating at regular times as this will regulate our digestion and appetite.
Water is also needed when we exercise to burn fat and calories. Without water, our metabolism is not able to work properly. Drinking water before, during and after exercising will improve our metabolism and also help our muscles, connective tissue and joints to move efficiently.
Fresh water will help increase our calorie burning process as our body uses more energy to warm up the water to body temperature - which helps us to burn 2-3 times more calories than with warm water.
3. Cutting down caffeine intake, simply by drinking more water
Caffeine is for most of us a daily go-to! Just to wake up, go to work and function throughout the day.
What we don't consider while making or drinking caffeinated drinks is what it does to our body, besides keeping us awake - in fact many, if not all of these drinks are harmful to our body and bring it out of balance.
'' So, what can I do to cut down or avoid the need to take caffeine?''
Well, we recommend starting your day with one or two glasses of water. If you like, you can add some salt or lemon which will give your body an extra boost.
Whenever you feel like you need caffeine to get through the day, try some water first, wait for a few minutes and see how you feel.
Another key factor for fatigue and the need for caffeine is not having enough sleep and fresh air. Make sure you have a good quality sleep at night of about 7-8 hours if possible ventilate the room throughout the night as this can also improve your sleep quality.
During the day we recommend when feeling tired to walk in fresh air for a few minutes as the combination of fresh air and movements rejuvenate the mind and the physical body.
4. Other interesting facts of what water is doing in our body
Drinking water helps the joints to be lubricated. The cartilage found between our joints, and the disks of the spine contain about 80% of water, if the body is dehydrated for a long period of time then this can lead to chronic pain in the joints and spine.
Drinking water builds a balanced and a healthy amount of saliva and mucus to keep the mouth and nose moist. It also helps to keep the mouth clean, reduce tooth decay and help with fresh breath.
Water is essential for healthy brain function - this is also the reason for the difficulty to focus and impairment in our reasoning when we are dehydrated. We cannot focus or reason as well dehydrated as when we are well hydrated.
Drinking water helps to balance the hormone production
It regulates the body temperature
The right amount of water can prevent kidney damage, heart failure and maintain a healthy blood pressure level
Water can be used for anti-ageing as a balanced amount of water keeps the skin young and healthy and can prevent the skin from wrinkles
Water improves our energy level
Drinking water keeps our digestive system healthy and balanced
Tips on how to improve water intake easily
A good way to start the day is with some water - one or two glasses of water can help with a rejuvenated start of the day.
Adding fresh and natural flavours like lemon, salt, cucumber or peppermint leaves can help you drink more water throughout the day.
Having fixed mealtimes can reduce snacking in between meal and help with a better intake of water. We recommend drinking a glass of water, every time you crave for snacks or caffeinated drinks and to wait for a few minutes after water intakes - this trick helps to cut down caffeine and extra calories.
Another great tip is to have a transparent bottle always at hand as seeing the water helps to remind you of drinking it on a regular basis. You may also set up a reminder to drink every hour during the day.
Why we recommend filtered water instead of bottled or tap water
By now you have learned a lot about how and why water is so important for our body, but we want to also point out the importance of the quality of water.
The cleaner and more balanced the water is - the better for our health. If you have a TDS meter or a water PH meter you can easily make sure your water is well balanced.
If you do not have a TDS meter or a water PH meter you can get those on Amazon.
TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) which represent the total amount of dissolves substances in the water is measured in parts per million. We recommended having less than 50 TDS in your drinking water. The PH for the best drinkable water is 7.
The PH and TDS of water contained in many water bottles can change the value after being bottled. Therefore we can not always rely on what's written on the labels.
It is also important to note the fact that bottled water is in many cases plasticized and softeners are used as part of the composition of the bottle which in turn can be very harmful to our body. Therefore we recommend glass bottles for water consumption, whether you buy it or filters it yourself.
The reason why we do not recommend tap water is quite simple as although tap water is being filtered, particles e.g. mercury, lead, copper, chromium, cadmium and aluminium can be found within tap water. Even chlorine and pharmaceuticals, as well as hormones, can be found in tap water. As you can imagine, even in small quantity these particles can influence our health enormously over time and therefore we recommend to invest in a water filter that will filter the particles found in your water.
To be clear, not all tap water is the same and depending on your location the water might be better or worse.
You can get your water checked by professionals, or order a TDS and PH meter. These meters will not show you what is in the water but the quality by how many particles (TDS) and how acidic or alkaline (PH) the water is.
Drinking water should be below 50 TDS and around 7 PH - it is better for water to be slightly more alkaline, rather than acidic.
These are some basics and we are organizing some seminars, in which we will dive in deeper. To register for a seminar, please click here.
Also feel free to contact us if you have questions or want some recommendations regarding water, health or you need a recommendation for a good water filter.
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