Happy Friday everyone! Today I am starting a new post series called Food Fact Friday. Each Friday I will be sharing a bit of information on a nutrient, food, toxin, food group, spices, or anything else food related! I will try to keep these post brief yet informative but sometimes I get pretty wordy!! And you are always welcome to ask me any questions that might arise for you.
We are going to get this party started with the body’s most important nutrient, water!! Why water?? Because it makes up 55-60% of our body mass. While we can go up to 8 weeks without food, we can only go a few days without water!
Water has numerous roles in the body, including the following:
- Improves oxygen delivery to cells
- Carries nutrients throughout the body
- Enables cellular hydration
- Cushions bones and joints
- Absorbs shocks to joints and organs
- Prevents tissues from sticking together
- Lubricates joints
- Removes wastes and toxins
- Moistens oxygen for easier breathing
- Regulates body temperature
- Allows cells to talk to each other with ease
- Maintains electrical properties of the cells
- Supports & improves the natural healing process
That’s a pretty long list! The body has a lot to do and staying hydrated is important to make sure these things happen. I don’t know about you, but I want my cells to be able to communicate so I can walk and talk and do any other body function! 🙂
How much water should you be drinking daily?
The body can produce 8% of the water it needs on a daily basis, the rest must come form the food we eat and beverages we drink. But not all beverages are hydrating! Diuretics are beverages that are dehydrating to the body because they increase the production of urine. In other words, it causes the body to expel more water than the beverage contains. Diuretics are coffee, caffeinated teas, some herbal teas, soda, alcohol, and packages fruit juice. If you are consuming these drinks, it is important to offset your intake by drink extra water and electrolytes.
Electrolytes are minerals that become capable of conducting electricity when dissolved in water….our body communicates with electricity! Proper water absorption is dependent on electrolytes.
Here is a simple formula you can use to know how much water you need daily
Body weight/2 + (ounces of diuretics x 1.5) = daily ounces of water needed
150/2 + (16 x 1.5) = 99 ounces of water
As you can see a person weighing 150 pounds that drinks 16 ounces of coffee needs to consume 99 ounces of water to stay fully hydrated. But keep in mind, more is not better in this case. If you drink more than a gallon of water daily, it will actually dehydrate you! So no more than 128 ounces daily!!
A simple trick to insure that you are getting adequate electrolytes is to add a pinch of sea salt to 1 glass of water each day. You just need a pinch! If it tastes salty to you, then you added to much. I like to start my day with a glass of warm water with the juice from half a lemon and a pinch of salt. I have to drink my lemon water before I can have my cup of coffee!! A little reward system that works for me!
Are you consuming the proper amount of what for your body? If not, what step will you take to increase your amount?
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