Water - The Oft-Forgotten Hero
Water is a huge subject, as it is such a crucial part of life on Earth.
As such, I will focus on water as a nutritional component, to enable me to keep it short and sweet.
What function does water serve in the human body? Water serves many purposes in the body.
It acts as a solvent, dissolving many of the body's solutes (substances that dissolve in fluids).
It is an absolutely essential part of many of the metabolic processes in the human body.
Without water, these metabolic processes simply could not exist.
Also, excluding fat, water composes approximately 70% of the human body mass.
How much water should I drink, and how often? In the US, the reference daily intake for water is 3.
7 litres per day for human males older than 18, and 2.
7 litres for human females older than 18.
This includes not only drinking water, but water in foods and other beverages than water.
This means you should drink no less than 1 litre of water, beside your meals and other beverages, such as milk and juice - as opposed to the common misunderstanding that you should drink gallons and gallons outside of your meals.
If you exercise, you should keep your body stocked up on water by taking frequent sips from a water bottle or faucet.
Your body can only survive for a few days without water, and for the sake of your well-being you should drink at least every couple of hours.
A good indicator is that you urinate 4-5 times a day, and that your expelled urine is fairly clear, or light yellow, in color.
If it is dark, you may drink too little.
Do not regard this as a foolproof estimation tool, however, as there are other factors which affect the frequency of urination, and the color of your urine.
I don't like the taste of water, what can I do? You can drink carbonated water, maybe with flavors added.
This helps a lot of people boost their daily water intake, nut, as carbonated beverages aren't that great for your stomach and intestines, try to keep this to a minimum.
Carbonated water is a great way to add some flavor to your water if you drink it alongside your dinner or lunch, for instance.
Other than that, I recommend regular water.
Even if you don't like the taste, it should be neutral enough for you to be able to chug down half a glass of water every hour or so.
It's only a few sips, after all.
As such, I will focus on water as a nutritional component, to enable me to keep it short and sweet.
What function does water serve in the human body? Water serves many purposes in the body.
It acts as a solvent, dissolving many of the body's solutes (substances that dissolve in fluids).
It is an absolutely essential part of many of the metabolic processes in the human body.
Without water, these metabolic processes simply could not exist.
Also, excluding fat, water composes approximately 70% of the human body mass.
How much water should I drink, and how often? In the US, the reference daily intake for water is 3.
7 litres per day for human males older than 18, and 2.
7 litres for human females older than 18.
This includes not only drinking water, but water in foods and other beverages than water.
This means you should drink no less than 1 litre of water, beside your meals and other beverages, such as milk and juice - as opposed to the common misunderstanding that you should drink gallons and gallons outside of your meals.
If you exercise, you should keep your body stocked up on water by taking frequent sips from a water bottle or faucet.
Your body can only survive for a few days without water, and for the sake of your well-being you should drink at least every couple of hours.
A good indicator is that you urinate 4-5 times a day, and that your expelled urine is fairly clear, or light yellow, in color.
If it is dark, you may drink too little.
Do not regard this as a foolproof estimation tool, however, as there are other factors which affect the frequency of urination, and the color of your urine.
I don't like the taste of water, what can I do? You can drink carbonated water, maybe with flavors added.
This helps a lot of people boost their daily water intake, nut, as carbonated beverages aren't that great for your stomach and intestines, try to keep this to a minimum.
Carbonated water is a great way to add some flavor to your water if you drink it alongside your dinner or lunch, for instance.
Other than that, I recommend regular water.
Even if you don't like the taste, it should be neutral enough for you to be able to chug down half a glass of water every hour or so.
It's only a few sips, after all.
Source...