DRINKING WATER - ITS IMPORTANCE
Drinking Water -
its Health Benefits.
Our Sources
of Water
Our Concerns FAQ's Contaminants
in Our Water
Bottled
Water
Plastic Bottle
Recycliing
Filters -
Carbon
Reverse
Osmosis
Distillation
Other Types of
Treatments
Water Borne
Diseases
Water
Desalination
Recycling
Water
Corrosion of Our
Water Systems
Most of you should realize that it's important to drink water.
Equally important is the quality of the water we drink.
How Important is our Drinking Water?
After air, water is the most important element we can put into our bodies. Water is the base for chemical reactions, aids in temperature control, aids in digestion, boosts our metabolism, helps to clear the body of toxins, and is a lubricant. Without water, our life processes would stop in a few days
.

Water makes up approximately 60% of our total weight. The average adult contains 40-50 quarts (10-13 gallons) of water! Blood is 83% water, muscles 75%, brain 75%, heart 75%, bones 22%, lungs 86%, kidneys 83%, and eyes 95%. (Water is so vital that a loss of even 20% of the total volume of water in your body can result in death.)
About two-thirds of the water volume of the body is actually in the cells of the body, with the other one-third outside the cells, namely in the circulation and the fluid that circulates around the cells themselves. Virtually every activity that takes place within the body uses water. These extra-cellular fluids carry the electric charges that enable the cells to communicate with each other. They transport food (nutrients), deliver oxygen, and remove the bad stuff (waste products and toxins). They regulate temperature and prevent sticking. On a larger scale this extra-cellular fluid acts as a lubricant and even a cushion for joints and bones. It acts as a shock absorber for organs and glands. It quenches free radicals by binding to them and is crucial to the body's overall capacity to repair, restore, and heal.

Water has been proven to reduce your blood pressure, lower your cholesterol, decrease pain, prevent anxiety, help to handle stress, regain your youthful skin, regain the sexual powers of your earlier years, increase your mental power and alertness, prevent heart disease and gives you the energy of your youth.

Hydration vs. Dehydration
Although Americans drink many liquids, a significant proportion of those fluids are actually dehydrating. We consume 7.9 servings of hydrating beverages each day, but we also drink 4.9 servings of dehydrating beverages, resulting in a net gain of only three hydrating beverages per day. The hydrating and dehydrating drinks cancel each other out. Tap water, bottled water, juice, milk, and carbonated soda without caffeine are all hydrating beverages. Coffee, tea, carbonated soda with caffeine, beer, wine, and other alcoholic drinks are diuretics, meaning they increase the discharge of fluids.

Significant numbers of Americans know little about dehydration. Twenty percent are unaware that coffee and beer are dehydrating. The popularity of bottled water is undermined by the 5 daily servings of diuretic caffeine and alcohol. Once we sum up the total of hydrating and dehydrating beverages, Americans come up dry.

Caffeinated soft drinks are a major offender. Carbonated soft drinks account for more than 27 percent of beverage consumption in the U.S. The average adult American drinks 54.5 gallons of soft drinks per year. In 1997, Americans spent over $54 billion buying soft drinks. For every 16-ounce bottle of water consumed, Americans drank the equivalent of 64 ounces of soda. Carbonated drinks are also the single biggest source of refined sugars in the American diet. It is not much more than liquid candy and 24% of the sodas sold are artificially sweetened.

What is dehydration? Most people think dehydration is something you get from heat exhaustion. This is when your output of water exceeds your intake. This and dry mouth are the extreme cases. Hidden dehydration is when there is not an adequate amount of water reaching the cells. This mild dehydration can lead to dizziness, lethargy, headache, muscle cramps, loss of appetite, depression and mental fuzziness. We lose water every day through urine, skin (perspiration), feces, and lungs (moist gases). But we also increase our excretion of water by drinking alcohol, beer, coffee, tea, caffeinated cola drinks, and taking some drugs. All are diuretics. Americans drink an average of two cans of soft drinks and two cups of coffee daily. Throw in a few beers in the evening and we are begging for the symptoms of hidden dehydration.

What and When to Drink. Do other liquids count as water? Fresh squeezed fruit and vegetable juices are the best alternative to water. Bottled juices are next best. Keep in mind that bottled fruit juices such as apple and orange juice contain large amounts of sugar and that excess sugar causes problems. Non-caffeinated, herbal teas are also an excellent source of water (peppermint, chamomile, licorice, etc). Milks and non-dairy milks such as soy, oat, and rice milks also contribute to your total water intake. Fresh fruits and vegetables also provide water. Diuretic beverages such as alcohol, coffee and caffeinated teas, and soft drinks, do not count. They have the opposite effect of drawing water out of the body.

If we assume the average person needs to imbibe four half liters of water daily (about 2 quarts), then here is one possible way to break it up. Drink one half liter in the morning before breakfast. This is a great flush of your intestines and helps prepare the stomach for food and avoids constipation. Next take another half liter before lunch, another before dinner, and finally another by bedtime. Always drink before meals (15-20 minutes before) or 1-3 hours after meals. Too much water during a meal dilutes your digestive enzymes. Too much water on a full stomach flushes the stomach contents before digestion is complete. If water is not conveniently available between meals, eat fresh fruit. Don't wait until you are thirsty to have a drink. By the time your body signals for more water, you are already behind in your water needs. Drink extra on airplanes where the atmosphere is as dry as a desert. Water also reportedly reduces the severity of jet lag.

Keep water handy. Insulated quart size cups and belt packs with water bottle holders are available in sports stores. Avoid drinking ice water. Your body has to produce more heat to neutralize those icy temperatures. Ice cold temperatures shock the stomach during which time it cannot secret enzymes. Cold water is fine; it is cooling, especially to an overheated body, but ice water, because of its extreme temperature, is undesirable.


We have put together a very informative website concerning the water that comes out of our taps and we hope you take the time to read through it at your leisure and not take your drinking water for granted.