Not everyone understands the importance of taking the right amount of water daily. Even less known, perhaps, is the importance that this element assumes within the normal functioning of our organism.
Today the Healthcare Solutions study by Dr. Licciardi will show you the importance of this precious element in our daily diet. Healthcare Solutions is going to provide a comprehensive note on the importance of water.
Table of Contents
How important is it to drink water?
To answer this question, just remember that our body is made up of about 60% water, a percentage that gradually decreases with age. Also, every function of our body needs water, and these two statements alone already make it clear how important it is to stay properly hydrated throughout the day.
How many liters of water to drink during the day?
The recommended amount of water to be taken daily is about 1.5 liters. In reality this statement is presented as a half-truth because it all depends on what we do, the season in which we find ourselves and the phase of life in which we find ourselves:
- If we are sports, our increase in water should be greater. Same thing in the case of heavy work that leads us to excessive sweating.
- For the same reason, during the summer season we tend to sweat more, consequently also in this case the consumption of water should increase.
- The children, the pregnant women and the elderly are those entities in which the hydration becomes important.
Coma tell if you’re drinking enough
One way to tell if you are drinking enough is by taking a urine test. If our urine has a clear or pale yellow color, then we are sufficiently hydrated. The darker color of the urine, on the other hand, is a clear signal that we need to increase the amount of water.
What to do to drink enough
Many people do not drink enough. The bad tendency not to drink is given both by not knowing, in fact, the benefits that water has on our body, and by the habit of not doing it. Sometimes, in fact, it is not enough to introduce less water to trigger the thirst.
The advice that the Healthcare Solutions study gives you are:
- always keep a bottle or glass with water on hand, and drink in small sips but often throughout the day
- when we leave the house always carry a bottle of water with us
- supplement liquids with unsweetened drinks, such as herbal teas and tea, especially in winter. In summer, however, not only does fruit come to our rescue to supplement the liquids, but you can also create fresh flavored waters with the help of lemon, mint, various fruits, etc.
Being able to drink more consistently is also a matter of habit. From personal experience I have found in some patients the difficulty of drinking during the day and, above all, in the morning. Gradually, by committing themselves to take water even when they were not thirsty, they were able to re – educate themselves on this side. Now the first thing they physiologically feel they have to do in the morning is just drink. Therefore, not only a condition has been triggered in which it is the body itself that requires water from us, but also our natural response to the stimulus is triggered.
By accustoming our body to being hydrated not only during the day but also immediately after sleeplessness, a series of processes are triggered that lead us to truly perceive the need to drink and, consequently, to satisfy it more easily.
But why is water good for you?
In spite of what one might think, water is essential for the proper functioning of our body. In every biochemical process there is a call and a demand for water. Adequate water balance involves:
- a good supply of mineral salts
- good thermoregulation of our body
- good transport of nutrients
- promotes the digestive process
- has a detoxifying value
The water we ingest is mainly distributed to the brain, then to the blood, muscles, skin, connective tissue and, finally, to the bones.
What is the water balance in the human body
Inside our organism there is a water balance given by the volume of water that enters and the volume of water that comes out. This balance is controlled by the hypothalamic thirst center. Water is expelled from our body through urine and sweating.
When the water expelled is greater than that which is ingested, the stimulus of thirst is triggered.
When you turn Stimulus of Thirst
The thirst mechanism is activated for two reasons:
- The first is due to the reduction in blood volume , in this case we speak of hypovolemic thirst , and is caused by a reduced intake of water compared to that normally required.
- The second is due to the intake of foods in which there is an excessive presence of salt , in this case we speak of osmotic thirst , and is caused by an imbalance between solutes that draws water out of the cells.
If the water balance is negative, it is called dehydration.
What is dehydration and what does it involve
Dehydration is constituted as an imbalance between fluids and minerals, and can cause a series of body malfunctions. Symptoms of poor hydration are gradual and inversely proportional to the volume of water ingested. Gradually, in fact, there will be poor thermoregulation, increased blood viscosity, fatigue, migraine, reduction of normal physical processes and, in the worst cases, even cardiac arrest.
In light of all this, it is clear how keeping properly hydrated is essential. So, next bottle and “cheers”.
If you need a personalized food plan to rediscover and re-embrace a healthy lifestyle and diet, contact Healthcare Solutions or book a visit with one of our online nutritionists.
