Ever notice how lifeless a house plant looks when you forget to water it? Just a little water and it seem to perk back up. Water nutrition is just as essential for our bodies because it is in every cell, tissue, and organ in your body. That is why getting enough water nutrition every day is important for your health. Water is a combination of hydrogen and oxygen. It is the basis for the fluids of the body. Water makes up more than two-thirds of the weight of the human body i.e. the body is made up of 55–75 percent water. Water forms the basis of blood, digestive juices, urine and perspiration and is contained in lean muscle, fat and bones.
Here are some facts about water nutrition:-
- Water is the main constituent of the body and forms 50-60% of body weight and around 75% of volume. The exact amount varies with age and sex and also depends on body fat content.
- Water contains no fats, no proteins, no carbohydrates and therefore no calories.
- Lukewarm Water is the perfect complement for a nutritionally balanced meal.
- Even in the absence of any visible perspiration, approximately half of water loss occurs through the operation of our lungs and skin.
- Water is one of the six basic nutrients. It is widely seen as the most important nutrient because the body requires it constantly and all the important chemical reactions – such as the production of energy – take place in water.
- Simply breathing in and out uses more than a pint of water a day. Without water, you would only expect to live for around one week.
- Drinking water helps keep the body flushed of waste products.
- Strange as it sounds, drinking more water actually helps to reduce water retention.
- We each use around 150 litres of water a day, but national surveys show us that we currently drink as little as one litre – that’s around half the amount we need.
- We lose lots of water when we suffer from diarrhoea, sickness or infections that cause fever. It is vital to drink more water at these times.
- It is generally recommended that adults should drink around two litres of water daily and considerably more when they perform exercise and/or the weather is hot. 6-8 good-sized glasses of water a day should give you this amount.
- Being well hydrated helps medicines to work more effectively and helps combat the diuretic effect of some medicines.
- Water is the drink of choice for protecting your teeth and gums.
Water Nutrition - Recommended Daily Intake
Approximately six to eight glasses (at least 150ml each) of a variety of fluids can be consumed each day. More than eight glasses may be needed for physically active people, children, and people living in hot or humid environments, and breastfeeding women (who need an extra 750–1,000ml per day). Less water may be needed for sedentary people, older people, people in a cold environment or people who eat a lot of high water content foods.