Water is an Important Part of Health and Nutrition

Next to air, water is the most important thing that the human body takes in; it is the most important part of a person’s health nutrition. Water serves a number of important functions related to human health nutrition including:

1. Helping to maintain internal body temperature
2. Keeping mucous membranes (mouth, nose, eyes) moist
3. Lubricating body joints and keeping skin moist
4. Helping regulate digestion and remove waste
5. Creating liquid protection around internal organs
6. Assisting with health nutrition by dissolving water soluble nutrients and carrying them throughout the body

Water is so important to health nutrition in the human body that we are made up of nearly 70 percent water - our brains contain 95 percent water! While a person can survive up to a month without food, we can usually survive only three days without water.

The Problem of Dehydration

Many people simply do not get enough water with their health nutrition to keep themselves properly hydrated. Research has shown that just a 1 percent loss of water in the body can slow the metabolism, which makes it easier for us to gain weight. Furthermore, what many people do not realize is that only a 2 percent drop in water content within a body can bring on symptoms of dehydration. Look at it this way: if a person weighs 140 pounds, 105 pounds of that weight is water. If just 2 of those water pounds (30 ounces) are lost to sweating and urination without being replaced, that person could experience dizziness, fatigue, trouble focusing and difficulty remembering things. In other words, being short less than 4 glasses of water in your health nutrition can cause physical shortcomings within your body. 

Sadly, chronic mild dehydration is a common health nutrition issue in the developed world. In the United States alone it is estimated that as many as three quarters of Americans are partially dehydrated at any given time. In fact, researchers have found that by the time you actually experience feelings of thirst, mild dehydration has already set it.

Staying Hydrated is an Important Part of Health Nutrition

Studies have shown that consuming sufficient water can actually contribute to weight loss both in that water fills us up, but also in that it speeds our metabolism and makes the waste system work more efficiently. Furthermore, research tells us that adding plenty of water to our health nutrition is important because even mild chronic dehydration can contribute to kidney, bladder and colon cancer. The good news is, in the developed world where clean drinking water is readily available and relatively inexpensive staying hydrated is easy. Simply drinking 8 glasses of water each day keeps our bodies floating in water, as is necessary for our health nutrition. During periods of extreme heat exposure or exercise, more water is necessary to replenish that which is lost to sweating. Also, if you eat a diet high in salt and caffeine, more water can be necessary to help purge these excessive foods from your body.