Everybody knows the well known phase, You Are What You Eat. But what about the liquids we consume? How much does this affect who we are and how we behave? Water is undoubtedly our greatest fuel. Reports have suggested a person can last weeks without food yet without water for just three to four days, we would not survive.
Water makes up about sixty percent of the human body and is essential for every system in our bodies. Our brains are made up of eighty five percent water, so even if we lose just one to two percent of body water, then this vital organ immediately suffers. This can have detrimental effects on our behaviour and well-being.
Dehydration naturally occurs when the body is lacking the fluids it requires. This causes blood to become thicker making the body work much harder to cause it to circulate, draining us of energy, making us tired, suffer with headaches and dizziness and even arthritis later in life. Once these symptoms occur, we have already become dehydrated.
To ensure this doesn’t occur, it is important to constantly replenish the body with water, to strip nasty toxins from our vital organs and help to carry nutrients to our cells, preventing us from becoming dehydrated.
Purified water, free of contaminants, helps our gut to work more efficiently, preventing constipation, irritable bowel syndrome and other related diseases. Unknown to many, water also hydrates our skin and can combat skin disorders such as eczema, dry skin, wrinkles and spots and can even help maintain our weight. Many people confuse feeling thirsty with feeling hungry. Drinking more water will reduce appetite and make us feel more alert.
It is essential however that the water we drink has been purified, to ensure harmful microorganisms have been removed, such as bacteria, algae, viruses, fungi, calcium, lead, copper and minerals to name but a few. Without modern purification methods, drinking contaminated water can lead to illness and even death.
This is sadly a reality for many around the world who don’t have access to these modern methods of water purification. Statistics from the 2007 World Health Organization report suggests an incredible 1.1 billion people throughout the world do not have access to an improved supply of purified drinking water and eighty eight percent of the four billion annual cases of diarrheal disease are attributed to drinking unsafe water and inadequate sanitation and hygiene.
Even in communities where the water has been purified, there are still further measures we can take in our own homes for treating water and preventing illness, such as filters, chlorination and solar disinfection. Experts suggest we drink two litres or eight pints of purified water each day to maintain a healthy body and a healthy mind.
We are more and more often being encouraged to replace chocolates with muesli bars and fruit and fast food burgers with healthy sandwiches or salads. So while we consciously make these replacements in our diet, it’s also worthwhile considering swapping full fat fizzy drinks for a healthy glass of purified water.
The benefits speak for themselves. We certainly are what we drink.
Dominic Donaldson is an expert in water purification technologies and the health benefits of consuming water.
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