There are a lot of differing opinions on water. Everyone is different and has different needs.
It is recommended to get 8-10 glasses of water a day. Sometimes more and seldom less. If you are on a raw food diet, you will need less water than someone who does not eat hydrating foods. If you work out in the sun all day long, you will certainly need more water than someone who works in an office. Common sense should reign.
Why do we need so much water?
Our body is 75% Water!
Our brain is 85% Water!
We can’t function properly without water. So here are some tips on water and hydration.
If you are thirsty, it probably means you have waited too long and you are dehydrated. So, drink before you are thirsty.
Your urine is a great indicator of whether you are needing more water, clear is good, cloudy means you need more water. Knowing how much water you need is pretty easy. It is selecting the type of water to drink that gets a little tricky.
Soda, coffee, tea, Kool-Aid are NOT water. By adding something to the water we are taking away the hydrating quality, so don’t count that can of soda pop as one of your eight glasses of waters, it may actually increase your need for water.
Tap water
Comes out of the faucets and has been treated, processed and disinfected. It is purified with chlorine and has added fluoride.
Distilled water
Vaporized and collected, all of the minerals are taken out of distilled water.
Bottled water
Not as clean as they advertise. Plastic bottles are poison, especially when hot. Most lack minerals.
Reverse osmosis
Forced through filters that remove larger particles, pollutants and minerals. Most water is alkaline, reverse osmosis is not.
Deionized water
Ionized impurities and minerals removed, bacteria or pathogens remain.
Spring water (preferable)
Clean, natural and pure, it has minerals, magnesium, potassium and sodium.
It would be very difficult to obtain all of our minerals from water. We just can’t drink that much in a day. We should rely primarily on foods for these nutrients.
“Almost all-municipal water in is of high quality and very drinkable. The best source of specific information about the water quality in your area is your local water supplier. Water suppliers are required to send their customer an annual water quality report. Contact your water supplier to get a copy, or see if your report is posted on line. “ Dr. Batmanghelidj of The Water Cure.
Although bottled water is very handy, there is a lot of concern about BPAs in the bottles, especially in bottles that have been in the heat. I think of all the bottles I drank from after carrying them in my car on 105 degree days!
While there is debate on what is and isn’t the best water to drink, it is undeniable that water is a necessity of life and we should be drinking plenty of it.
[…] Drink plenty of clean, filtered water. Because many cities put fluoride and chlorine in the municipal water, it’s best to filter out these chemicals. As a general rule, drink at least half of your body weight in ounces. If you work out and sweat, you will need to drink more water to replace what you are losing through sweat. Sweating is a natural detoxification method. You can use an infrared sauna to induce sweating to detoxify. Just remember to replace the water you are losing. Our bodies are 75% water! […]