2.08 Hydration

Water

The human body is 2/3 water. The blood is 90% water. It is an essential nutrient involved in every function of the body! Drinking enough fresh, clean water every day will keep your body working at the highest level.

11 Functions

There are 11 functions of water in the body:

1. Helps kidneys flush out waste
2. Regulates body temperature
3. Cushions brain, spinal cord, organs and tissues
4. Keeps joint and eyeballs lubricated
5. Dissolves and moves nutrients and oxygen though your body
6. Aids in preventing constipation
7. Forms saliva and mucus
8. Boosts skin health and beauty
9. Moistens airways
10. Boosts performance and endurance during exercise or sports
11. Aids in weight loss

Sources of Water

Hundreds or thousands of years ago, drinking water was obtained from springs, flowing rivers, or streams. Today, there are many options for choosing our drinking water... and many complications. The explosion of the industrial age has left us with many problems with our water supply. We must be cautious about the source and content of the water we drink.

Tap

Tap water from your home is the cheapest supply. Fill up a bottle every day and carry it with you. Most water in the United States is safe and clean enough to drink right from the tap or faucet.

Bottled

Bottled water is easy, available, and cheap. People like to serve bottled water so they don't need to deal with cups and ice. Bottled water also has a cap, so it is easy to carry in backpacks or the car.

The bottled water industry is carefully regulated so you can be sure the water is clean and pure. However, it is more expensive than water from home. There are some who are concerned about chemicals seeping into the water from the plastic bottles. The impact on the environment from producing and disposing of the bottles has many environmental groups concerned. The bottles are filling up landfills and do not easily decay.

Sports Drinks

Many sports drinks include essential vitamins and minerals that help you rehydrate after exercise. Some are loaded with carbs or protein that help you perform better or recover faster. They also give you a change from plain water.

The down side of sports drinks include the increased acidity on the teeth that may contribute to tooth decay, along with the increase of sugar consumption. Sugar-free drinks have their own set of issues with the sugar substitutes. Many also include caffeine and other untested additives that claim to boost energy, muscle recovery, or sports performance. Also, some are concerned that teens are using sports drinks as a substitute for eating properly and missing out on a lot of needed nutrition.

Sodas

There are no good sides to sodas and other soft drinks. They do taste good if you are used to or addicted to them! Having one every now and then will not hurt you, but a constant, daily diet of soda, flavored water products, and juice will keep you from consuming the nutrients you need for optimal health. Sodas are addictive. Many people cannot start their day without one or even have four a day!

Sodas do contain water, but they also contain high amounts of sugar in various forms. One 12-ounce soda has about 4 tablespoons of sugar. The high levels of sugar compounds can lead to weight gain, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and dental caries tooth decay .

Coffee and Tea

Like every other water-based drink, coffee and tea have their own pros and cons. If you drink coffee black, it is a good source of water. If you fill it up with sugar and/or chemical-based, flavored creamers, then you have outweighed the good with the bad.

The same goes for tea. A little sugar is not so bad. Tea that's as sweet as pancake syrup, not so good!

As with everything else in life, moderation is the key.

Food Sources

There are many food sources of water. If you eat a healthy, unprocessed, varied diet, you get about 20% of the needed water from your food already. You can get more if you purposely choose water-rich foods. A benefit to getting water from food is that the rest of the food will slow the absorption of water to make it last longer.

Some good watery choices include:

• Cucumbers: Use them instead of chips for dips. They are 95% water.
• Carrots: Also loaded with beta carotene and other anti-oxidants
• Zucchini: Grill it, roast it, do not load it with cheese!
• Spinach: Contains tons of nutrients and water
• Celery: A great snack that also adds fiber!
• Soup: You can add as much nutrition as you want by switching ingredients.
• Tomatoes: They just make everything better!
• Watermelon: Who doesn't love watermelon?

How Much is Enough?

The current recommendation is to drink ½ your body weight in ounces of water every day. Stop and think about that:

• If you weigh 120 pounds, half of 120 is 60. You would need 60 ounces of water per day.
• If you weigh 200 pounds, half of that is 100. You would need to drink 100 ounces of water per day.

The old "8 glasses of water per day" is no longer scientifically acceptable, now that we can tailor fluid intake with body weight.

Deficiencies and Overdoses

Dehydration

Dehydration is a very serious condition. If you lose 15-20% of your body weight through loss of water, you could die. Dehydration of as little as a 2% loss of body weight can result in impaired physiological and performance responses.

A common cause of dehydration is illness, specifically if vomiting and/or diarrhea are involved. This is common in babies and children. Also, very hot dry conditions and overexertion are other common causes.

A good strategy when feeling poorly is to try hydrating as a first response!

How to Tell if You are Dehydrated

• Mild dehydration: headache, fatigue, loss of focus, change in mood, thirst
• In babies and children: symptoms include dry tongue, no wet diapers in 3 hours, weak pulse, fast breathing, eyes and cheeks may look sunken
• In older kids and adults: symptoms include dry or sticky mouth, little or discolored urine, dizziness, confusion and/or irritability

Overdosing on Water

You may be surprised to hear that drinking too much water can be fatal! Too much water too fast overworks your kidneys and leads to a condition known as hyponatremia, or water intoxication. The body's cells become swollen to the point of bursting; if this happens in the brain, death can be the result.

This is a very rare problem. It is usually the result of hazing or some type of dare or competition. You would have to drink gallons of water quickly for this to happen because your kidneys are only able to filter about ½ quart of fluid an hour.

Getting Used to Water

Some people find it hard to drink enough water during the day. Here are a few tips and tricky to get used to drinking water!

Keep it Handy

• Get into the habit of sipping on water all through the day.
• Keep bottled water in your car if you are unconcerned about the miniscule amounts of chemical seepage from the bottle. Do not keep a stainless-steel bottle in your car, as it heats up over the course of the day!
• Fill a BPA-free bottle every morning to take with you. Try to drink enough that you need to fill it up at least 3 times during school.
• Keep a bottle in your back pack.
• Set the alarm on your phone for every 20 minutes until it becomes a habit.

But I Hate Water! It is so Boring!

You need to drink some water, but it does not all have to be plain water.

• Squirt some lemon or lime juice in it.
• Infuse it with fruit so the flavors of the fruit add a little taste to the water. They make special pitchers for this that you can get for about $10. Some popular recipes for infused water include cucumber and mint, watermelon and basil, or blueberry and cantaloupe.
• Other fluids count toward your daily intake goals. Coffee, tea, juices, and sports drinks also contain water. Be aware of the sugar content of other drinks though because the sugar amounts could offset the benefits of the fluid.