Nutrition: Water

Everyone knows that water is important, but do you know why? About two thirds of our bodies is made up of water. This percentage varies by age and gender, with babies being made up of about 78% water. As a result, proper functioning of the body is dependent on keeping a high percentage of the body consisting of water.

If your body is not properly hydrated, there are some serious consequences. One function of water is is to expel toxins and wastes out of the body. If hydration becomes an issue, this toxins may build up leading to such things as kidney failure and constipation. Another function of water is to transport nutrients throughout the body. A lack of proper water intake may lead to headaches, dizziness, and fatigue.

What is proper water intake? From a CNN article, "The Institute of Medicine advises that men consume roughly 3.0 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day and women consume 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day."

That's a lot of water. My goal is to drink a gallon of water a day. The more water you drink, the better. One general way to see if you are dehydrated is to check the color of your urine. The lighter the color, the better. It is very difficult to drink too much water because most people will end up expelling it through urine. However, drinking too much water may have a side effect of appearing drunk.

I also drink distilled water. Distilling water removes all the chemicals added by the water company, like flouride. The worry most people have with drinking distilled water is that the distilling process removes the mineral in the water; however, humans get very little of their minerals from water. Adding a teaspoon of salt per 5 gallons of water will add minerals, electrolytes, to your distilled water.