Why is Water Important to Life?
Water is one of our basic and important needs to live and survive but not all of us know what good it brings to our body. There are so many fluids that mankind have created but nothing beats plain old water that can give us what our body naturally needs.
Yes, water is not food; it doesn’t have any calories to fall in that category and that’s why there’s no person known so far that is allergic to water (when ingested).
Let’s dig in deeper on how this humble compound can do to our health.
1. Water Flushes Out Toxins
We often heard this from doctors or fitness experts that we need to consume at least 8 glasses of water a day. Water helps flush out toxins that we get from our surroundings and the food we eat. This helps in preventing the formation of kidney stones and urinary tract infection.
2. Relieves headache, migraine, and fatigue
Our brain and heart are composed of 73% water that’s why when we’re dehydrated, our head starts to hurt and develop a migraine. Dehydration also makes us feel weak or fatigue so drink enough water to rehydrate; this will also boost your energy. Take note that not all headaches are due to dehydration so it’s better to consult your doctor.
3. Helps relieve constipation and regulates our bowel movement
There are many drinks that we consume that sometimes we forget about drinking water. We often pair these fluids to our meal, especially when eating in fast food restaurants. Though it’s satisfying, it’s also putting our health at risk. So make sure to drink more water, more than sodas, instant fruit juices, milk, etc. to help treat constipation and infrequent bowel movements.
4. Helps with weight loss
As we mentioned above, water has no calories so it doesn’t bring more fat to your body. Instead, it helps remove fat by-products and trick your mind that you’re full. If you intake enough water before every meal, it even helps increase your metabolism.
5. It helps lubricate our joints
Cartilage in our joints and spine disk contains 80% water. Dehydration can cause dryness of these cartilages that may lead to joint pain and damages.
6. Helps deliver oxygen throughout our body
Blood is 90% water and keeping it in that right percentage makes it more efficient in delivering oxygen to our entire body. That’s why when you’re dehydrated you feel oxygen deprived as well.
7. Helps regulate body temperature
If we’re not dehydrated, it means that our body can produce enough sweat when it’s hot. Sweat can help us cool down and dehydration will prevent this. So always keep in mind to drink enough water, especially during warmer climates. Our body can also store heat and during hot weather, this can be problematic but it can easily be countered by rehydrating with water.
8. Helps with Asthma
Do you know that our airways restrict when we are dehydrated? This is to minimize the water that we’re losing. This is alarming to someone with asthma or allergies. Drinking enough water prevents this from happening.
9. Gives moisture to skin
People who drink less water often have dry skin. This is because their skin is compensating for the water that we’re losing and not replacing in order for other parts of our body to continue their functions. Not drinking enough water prevents sweat that helps moisturize our skin and fights wrinkling.
10. It helps with saliva formation
How important is our saliva? Digestion starts in our mouth when chewing our food and if you have less saliva; chewing and swallowing food will be very difficult. This may also result in not maximizing the nutrients that we’re getting from our food. When we drink water, we can assure that we have enough saliva; this also helps with tooth decay as saliva prevents our teeth from drying out.
We hope this list helps in giving us an idea of how important water is in our lives. Let’s make it a habit to include water in our diet.
This article is not intended to replace any medical advice and doctors’ recommendation.
References:
Eschool Today: http://eschooltoday.com/science/nutrients-in-food/the-role-of-water-in-nutrition.html
Mind Body Green: https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4287/10-Reasons-Why-You-Should-Drink-More-Water.html
Elemental Bottles: https://www.elementalbottles.com/blogs/news/14-overlooked-benefits-of-drinking-water