Drinking Water

Water has no fats, proteins or carbohydrates. Water has no calories. Drinking water is important for human survival only second to the air we breathe.

Drinking water regulates body temperature, transports nutrients from our food through digestive system for absorption of nutrients and removes toxins as waste through urine and stool.

What causes thirst?

The saliva in the mouth decreases as the body uses up water, making our mouth dry resulting in thirst.

Do I drink enough water?

Look at the color of your Urine. The first urine in the morning should be concentrated and yellow as a result of normally functioning kidney and bladder. Subsequent urine should be odorless and colorless. If it is not colorless and odorless, you may not be drinking enough water. Some of the foods, vitamin supplements and medications do effect the color and smell of urine.

How much water should I drink?

It depends on age, gender, level of physical activity and weather. It also depends on the water in your food.
For healthy adult, as a guideline, divide your weight (in pounds) by 2, this gives you the number of ounces needed. For example, if you weigh 130 pounds, you will need 130/2 = 65 ounces per day. A cup contains 8 ounces of water. So an adult weighing 130 pounds need to drink 8 cups (64 ounces) of water per day. If you are exercising, on a diet, or the weather is hot, add another 25% to this number, making it 10 cups of water a day.

Can I just drink soda pop?

Two liters of soda pop will give you about 8 cups of fluid. However, the soda pop contains sodium. The sodium helps retain water. The purpose of drinking water is not to store it, but use it to flush out toxins.

Can a person drink too much water?

Too much water can dilute electrolytes in your blood specially the sodium. This can cause epileptic seizures and even death. Studies indicate that one can safely drink up to 40 cups of water per day.

Is cold water better to drink?

Normal body temperature is 98.6º F. Cooler water (45º F nominal) is easier to absorb and has a cooling effect. The body heats this water to equal that of normal body temperature, spending calories as well.

What is water retention?

Human body has a self preservation system. If you drink water less than needed amount, it is stored as a reserve and shows up as as swollen ankles, feet, legs etc. Water retention is may also be caused by sodium level in the body. More salt you intake, body retains more water to dilute the salt. The natural way to control water retention is to reduce salt intake and drink plenty of water. As you drink water, excess sodium is removed through kidneys and less need for the the body to retain water.

What about microorganisms in water?

World Health organization has established standards for drinking water for developing countries. In United States, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets the standards that must be met by Municipal water systems.
The waste and animal feces leach into water, contaminating it with harmful microorganisms. These microorganisms can cause Cholera, Dysentery, Hepatitis etc. Cryptosporidium, a parasite is commonly found in lakes, rivers and ponds. In rural India, Potassium Permanganate is used to kill these microorganisms. In United States as well as most of the municipalities across the globe use Chlorine. The easiest way to kill microorganism is to boil water.

Do I need water softeners?

Hard water is not harmful to your health. Water softeners are needed to do your laundry (for the soap to work properly) and prevent clogging of the pipes.

Do I need to use Household water purifiers and filters?

In United States most of the household filters perform two functions. A set of foam type material is used to filter out 'physical' particles. This follows a set of charcoal filters to absorb odors specially the Chlorine. In India, the household filters also incorporate ultra-violet light (Black light) to kill microorganisms. You can accomplish all these goals at home. Boil the water to kill microorganisms and get rid of Chlorine odor. You can use coffee filters to remove physical particles.

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