I'll drink to that
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
It is said that 50% – 70% of the human body is composed of water, where muscle tissue holds more water than fat tissue.
Water is needed for many bodily functions including, to:
-Digest food and dissolve nutrients
- Send electrical messages between cells e.g. to move muscles
- Move waste out of the body
- Provide a place where metabolic reactions can occur
- Regulate body temperature
- Lubricate moving parts like knees and elbows
Thirst is the first signal our body gives us that we are dehydrated, caused by the loss of water from the cells in our gums, tongue and cheeks. Usually by the time we feel thirsty it’s too late, and our body is already dehydrated.
The second signal is reduced urination. Urine becomes very concentrated, and shows a dark, yellow colour. Here, the brain recognizes that the blood needs more water and secretes a hormone, ADH, that helps the body conserve the water.
Water is lost through everyday activities/ processes such as through perspiration, breathing and via body waste. It can also be lost:
- During an illness
- Through exercising
- Working in a hot environment
- In an environment with forced heat
- If you are on a high protein diet
- By consuming diuretics, compounds such as coffee and alcohol that cause body to lose water
Therefore it is important to replace water lost during these activities.
In addition to drinking water foods such as fruit and vegetables also contain water, some up to 95%. Juice and soups contain water, but also contain high sugar and salt content respectively.
There is a variety of water available – Still, Sparkling, Mineral. However, lately lots of other types have popped up on the market like flavored and vitamin water… Really?
As can be seen on the labels of these gourmet waters, most of these types of waters carry a high sugar content. Might as well down pop or suck on sugar tablets. How about popping a multivitamin every morning and getting ‘flavour’ from food?
Of course there are the artificial sweeteners that are marketed. Ingest all the sweet you want with no calorie consequence. Hmmm… last time I checked there are very few things in this life that go without some sort of aftermath. It seems odd that artificially sweeting natural water is acceptable marketing.
Aspartame has been around for a minute and we only now understand that is has been shown to penetrate the blood brain barrier, meaning it can enter the brain and create toxins that can literally damage the brain. Okay…
Dieters have now turned to the newer product Splenda, but we have yet to understand the long terms effect of ingesting it. There are some things we do know though; We know that it is a chemical substance and not a naturally occurring sugar product. That alone should raise at least a polka-dotted flag. It is now suggested that ingesting natural sugar is better than ingesting artificial sweeteners. Splenda Info
In terms of something as simple as quenching thirst, is all this ambiguity regarding a sweetener really worth it?
It is estimated that between 1 ml and 1.5 ml of water is needed for every calorie consumed. That roughly calculates to:
6 – 9 cups of water for 1,500 calorie diet
10 – 15 cups of water for a 2,000 calorie diet
12 – 18 cups of water for a 3,000 calorie diet
That’s a lot of sugar/ chemicals to be having daily, don’t you think?
How about going back to basics and drinking plain ole’ water as a calorie free way to quench your thirst?
K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid)
Sometimes simple is better. I’ll drink to that!
Supernova
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