Most of us are in the habit of starting the morning with an orange juice or stopping at Starbucks for a coffee on our way to work. However, one beverage that we should make part of our daily drinking ritual is water. It is an important part of your health regimen and care should be taken to ensure that you are drinking adequate amounts of the right water on a daily basis.
Why do I need to drink water?
Water’s main function is to maintain a stable environment inside and around your cells. Water helps you get sufficient nutrition and helps in elimination of waste in cells.
How drinkable is municipal water?
Many municipal water supplies are contaminated by a variety of chemicals. Drinking unfiltered water out-of-the-tap is not advisable.
What type of water should I drink?
You can consider installing a whole-house filtration system to reduce your exposure to toxins, heavy metals or chlorine. Alternatively, you can install a filtration system under your sink and use individual carbon filters on your shower heads.
How much water do we need?
One of he leading authorities on water and its affect on the human body is Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, M.D. In his book, Your Body’s Many Cries for Water, he suggests the following formula for a normal hydration level:
Your body weight in pounds ÷ 2 = Daily intake of water in ounces
Sodas, fruit juice and coffee contain water. Is that good enough?
Coke (or any other soda), tea and coffee are not proper water replacements. In fact, coffee, tea and sodas are diuretics that draw more water out of your system than they put in. Consumed in large amounts they are also responsible for drawing calcium from your body.
Juices are high in sugar and calories and so they should be used in moderation.
How do I get started?
If your water intake is much less than the recommended amount you calculated above you should increase you water intake gradually over a period of two to three weeks so that your body has time to adjust to the re-hydration process.
Does it matter when I drink water?
Yes. Here is what is recommend:
- Drink two eight-ounce glasses of water first thing in the morning and before eating or drinking your coffee, milk, juice or tea. This will replace what you lost at night and start your day hydrated.
- Drink one eight-ounce glass of water 15 to 20 minutes before each meal or snack. This will assist your digestion.
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