Drinking Water

The more water you drink... the more you allow your body to purify itself.

Now, the questions are:

1. How much water should we drink?

Studies show that on average, on a typical day without exercise or hot weather, we lose about 8-10 cups of water through perspiration, breathing, urination and bowel movements.

There is no such thing as a standard required quantity of drinking water. All we have to do is at least drink the average quantity we loose. Water requirement depends on age, weight, geographical location (dry or wet climate), activities, etc.

Studies have shown that as we age, our senses lose their perceptive capabilities. Thus, we gradually lose our ability to realize that we are thirsty, and we become more and more dehydrated the older we get. So don't wait until you feel thirsty to dring water.

Elderly Need To Drink More Water. Hypertension, circulation disorders, kidney stones, arthritis, indigestion and constipation are all common disorders found in elderly people that can be directly, or indirectly, caused in inadequate water intake. Over the age of 65 thirst diminishes and a person is not likely to drink without consciously thinking about it. Source: healthguidance.org

Women need extra fluids in pregnancy. Pregnant and breastfeeding women need additional fluids to stay hydrated. According to the Institute of Medicine - who recommend that, on average, women consume 2.2 litres and men 3.0 litres - this is recommended to be 2.4 litres (approx. 9 cups) for pregnant women and 3 litres (approx. 12.5 cups) for breastfeeding women since an especially large amount of fluid is lost during nursing. Source: wikipedia.org

Children need more water than adults because of their large consumption of energy, so they should always have unlimited access to water - a loss of 2% of body fluids causes a 20% reduction in child performance in both physical and mental activities.

The American Academy of Pediatrics actually states that "until your baby starts eating solid foods, he'll get all the water he needs from breast milk or formula." - Source: pediatrics.about.com

Signs of Dehydration

According to Dr. F. Batmanghelidj MD the "dry-mouth" is not necessarily a sign that you need to drink water. There are many other important ways in which our body tells us that we are in need of water:

General perceptive "feelings Fatigue Anxiety Irritability Depression Cravings Cramps Headache

Signs of persistent dehydration Asthma and Allergies Join and back pain Migraine / headaches Hypertension Constipation, colitis Type II diabetes

More drastic emergency indicators of local dehydration Heartburn Anginal pain Fibromyalgia and Rheumatoid joint pains Autoimmune Diseases Lupus Psoriasis Morning sickness during pregnancy

Dehydration Treatment

Dr. F. Batmanghelidj MD reveals: the "health-care system" fraud that has thrived on treating dehydration, its manifestation and adaptive process with chemicals and procedures has devastated our society. It has caused unnecessary human suffering, on top of burdening people with ever escalating "sick-care" costs.

Enlightened researchers and writers are now trying to intervene and inform the public about the chronic dehydration being the primary cause of most of their health problems.

Drinking Water vs. other beverages?

Soda, diet soda, coffee, tea, or alcohol do not replace water,  especially if the beverage is a diuretic. They get more water out of the body than there is water in the in the cup of beverage or the can of soda.

If you don't like the taste  of plain water, try putting lemon, lime or an orange slice in your glass.

 "  The consumption of soft drinks, like land-mine terrain, is riddled with hazards. We as practitioners and advocates of a healthy life-style recognize that consuming even as little as one or two sodas per day  is undeniably connected to a myriad of pathologies." says Judith Valentine, PhD. - Read more on the Child  Development page.

Is drinking too much water a problem?

Drinking water in excess (over-hydration) can unbalance the electrolytes in the body over the safe limits. We have to make sure we eat enough fruits and vegetables containing the necessary supply of minerals and also eat salt.

*Endurance athletes like long distance runners, cyclists, cross country skiers, etc., are given for instance, electrolyte beverages under medical supervision.

How do we know if we drink enough water?

As I'm coming from a family of medical practitioners, I remember been told that always the color of the urine has to be pale yellow and if it turns more orange, this is a sign of dehydration. I hope that this will be a helpful tip for you too.

Drinking Water versus other beverages:

Replacing water with soda, diet soda, coffee, tea, or alcohol won't work as well - especially if the beverage produces a diuretic effect. (alcohol actually, produces dehydration). If you don't like the taste of plain water, try putting lemon, lime or an orange slice in your glass.

" The consumption of soft drinks, like land-mine terrain, is riddled with hazards. We as practitioners and advocates of a healthy life-style recognize that consuming even as little as one or two sodas per day is undeniably connected to a myriad of pathologies." says Judith Valentine, PhD. - Read more on the Child Health page.

2. What is the best drinking water?

Let's see first what are our drinking water resources:

Drinking Tap water

Tap water quality varies from country to country or from region to region. It can come from the surface (lakes), or underground (wells). Previously treated, it still may contain harmful substances.

Clean, healthful drinking water is essential to your well-being. If you are concerned about the quality of your drinking water, have it tested.

Whether your water source is from public distribution, underground or surface you should test it before buying any kind of water filter. Your local health department or water utility may be able to suggest a company who can do the testing in your area. Using a drinking Water Test Kit may be a quick, convenient, and affordable solution.

Drinking mineral water

Mineral water is water that contains no less than 250 parts per million (ppm) of total dissolved, naturally occurring (not added) solids, or minerals. Mineral water can be labeled "low mineral content" (less than 500 ppm) or "high mineral content" (more than 1,500 ppm) minerals.

Water containing high levels of Calcium and Magnesium is called hard water. Drinking hard water is not necessarily detrimental for your health if the hardness level is not too high. Read more about hard water

Drinking Alkaline water

In order to balance the acidity produced by stress, fear, depression, pollution, poor nutrition, etc., we have to keep our body slightly alkaline ... but you don't need to force yourself to drink hard water, for this. As shown on the Nutrition page, there are a lot of vegetables and minerals which can be added to your diet maintain the body Ph balance

If you really want to drink alkaline water, you can ad a pinch of baking soda or sea salt in your glass - but alkaline water doesn't taste so good, therefore it will not satisfy your thirst...

- An alternative to this is to add some freshly squeezed lemon juice to the water you drink (The lemon juice appears to be acid, but inside our body it becomes alkaline, like all citrus fruit). In addition it tastes good and it is refreshing - cheers! :)

** Warning: people often think that they can supply their needs of minerals from drinking water. Water in nature was never pure even if is not artificially polluted; it always contains dissolved minerals depending on the surrounding environment. Studies have shown that only 1% of the quantity of minerals we take from the water can be assimilated by our body. When drinking high mineralized water, naturally, our body will try to eliminate the excess it cannot assimilate and this can harm our kidneys.

Highly mineralized water is not suitable for daily drinking, but in small quantities it can be used for healing purposes... Drinking of mineral waters though, can successfully heal specific ailments, in health resorts and only as a 10- 12 day cure, with medical prescription and supervision.

Drinking spring water

Spring water is water obtained from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the surface; or it may be collected through a hole drilled into the spring. It's fresh, carrying the ground energy. If spring water is the type that can be labeled "low mineral content" (less than 500 ppm), it's optimal for our body.

Our drinking water quality should to be as close as possible to spring water. Tap water if not polluted can be suitable for drinking.

Drinking bottled water

By far this is the most expensive of all options. You may use bottled water for drinking or making tea, but could you afford to use if for all your cooking and food preparation needs?

What exactly are consumers getting for their money?

Is the bottled water industry's carefully marketed image of absolute purity and pristine sources an accurate reflection of where bottled water comes from, and is the water really so immaculately pure compared with tap water?

Government and industry estimates indicate that about 25 percent to 30 percent of the bottled water sold in the United States comes from a city's or town's tap water -- sometimes further treated, sometimes not.. read more

So, test your water source and choose the right water filter:

Home water filters offer better than bottled water quality at a fraction of the cost & far more convenience, it's the smart choice! ... Read more about the #1 rated home water filter in America...

Learn more about Water Filters