Nutrition - Wisdom In Water

It takes just two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen to create the unique essence of human life water. The health benefits of this colourless, tasteless, odourless liquid that is unique to Earth - and may, to a large extent, have been responsible for the very existence of life itself - have been repeated over and over again only to be disregarded by most of us. The power of this thirst quencher, skin purifier, stomach cleanser, weight controller and cornucopia of good health has often been underestimated.

Health benefits
Water was, in fact, an integral part of the treatment of several diseases and disorders by ancient Egyptians, Jews, Greeks, Persians and Hindus for several centuries. The Chinese used water as a remedy several centuries before Christ. The father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, successfully used a combination of hot and cold water for the management of several diseases like fever, ulcers and internal or external bleeding.

Upto 70 per cent of our total body weight comes from water. Inadequate intake of water could lead to major diseases that modern medicine can treat but fail to cure. Along with being a natural curative, a sip of water lowers body temperature, dilutes blood to the required consistency, promotes excretion of poisons from the skin in the form of evaporation, stimulates the normal functions of the kidneys and increases the movements of the intestines. Hot water works as a laxative and sedative and relieves pain, cramps and spasms. It also increases the metabolic rate and aids digestion.

Water acts as a solvent, coolant, lubricant and transport agent. The amount of body water varies with body fat. The percentage of water to body weight is greater in lean individuals. This is due to the nearly water free characteristics of fat tissue, which results in bodies with more fatty tissues containing proportionately less water than bodies with less fatty tissue.

Besides keeping body temperature stable, water carries nutrients, eliminates toxins and waste products, maintains blood volume and provides the medium in which chemical reactions occur in the cells.

The body has three sources of water: fluid intake, water content of food, and the fluid released during metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids.

Drink like a fish
Technical jargon apart, what exactly does this information mean to you? The human body loses a certain amount of water every day through exhalation, perspiration, urination etc. To maintain the balance of water in the body, you need to ensure sufficient intake of water in your diet. A minimum of 6-8 glasses of water is a major necessity for you if it's a clear, glowing skin, pure blood and clean internal system you're looking for. Naturally, water needs vary depending on climate and activity levels. Intense exercise in summer can lead to excess water loss causing a fall in blood pressure and a decrease in oxygen delivery to the brain. This can, in extreme cases, even cause death.

If those figure-hugging trousers don't fit you anymore and that short black dress is best worn on a closet hanger, don't run into a frenzied panic diet. Drink water. The body's sense of thirst comes from nerve centers deep in the brain. Sometimes this signal gets crossed with your sense of hunger. The more vigilant you are about regularly drinking water, the less likely you'll be to mistaken hunger for thirst and overeat.

The benefits of this wonder fluid are many. Drinking water is known to be by far the easiest way to watch weight and look healthy. If the saying "you are what you eat" holds true, so is "you are what you drink". If your internal system feels fine, your skin and body looks happy. So bottoms up on that colourless, tasteless magic with cheers and a toast to your good health.