nutrition
The World is a Bowl of Water
Facts and myths
Introduction
We are flooded daily with ads claiming a product or a diet will bring us balance in life and long-term happiness! Some are true, some are partially correct, and some are blatantly false but all carry a great deal of persuasion. Many of these diet ads are hawking a product, but even those that are not selling anything, nevertheless require a great amount of investment in either time, attention, or other trade-offs. Let’s take a closer look, however, at one of these products that require no purchases and no substantial changes in your daily routine: drinking water.
Keep Reading“Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it” (Lao Tzu)
Did you know…
- That more than 60% of our body is made up of water. The percentage of water goes even higher if we’re talking about the Human Brain: 70%! In any case, we are nowhere close to the percentage of water the cucumber and the jellyfish boast: 95%!
- In average an American residence uses more than 100,000 gallons of water per year (inside and outside the house): it would take 7 years and six months to match the amount of water flowing over Niagara Falls in 1 second!
- If all the water in the world were fit into a one gallon jug, the fresh water would represent only a table spoon…
Of course, before we look at the benefits (and believe it or not drawbacks) of drinking water, let’s first decide just exactly we are talking about. Today the simple H2O compound has been elevated to a new variety of store shelves heights. There’s mineral water, spring water, alkaline water and distilled water – most of these can be found in plain and in various flavored varieties and either flat or sparkling. Each of these varieties claim a different health benefit. The magnesium in mineral water is claimed to fight depression. The purity of distilled water supposedly detoxes the body. The fizziness of carbonated water aides with constipation. (We don’t want to know the details.) Finally, alkaline water is purported to speed antioxidants throughout the body, hence warding off the ravages of ageing. (If only Ponce DeLeon knew about this!)
No matter which water you choose to consume, most researchers agree that benefits are numerous. Regular water consumption (or liquids such as caffeine-free teas, coffee, etc.) can improve circulation, promote regularity, flush out toxins, help maintain a healthy weight and keep you privy to work gossip while standing by the office cooler. Less discussed are the negative effects of drinking too much water, such as frequent urination. (A rather obvious side-effect if you ask us.) Another possible effect of overhydration can be the debilitating headaches caused by water saturated brain cells swelling to the point where your now engorged brain is being crushed by the size constraints of your skull. (Eeew!)
When all is said and done, any kind of water, even lowly tap water (assuming you don’t live in Flint, Michigan) is healthy when consumed in normal amounts of between 6 to 8 glasses a day. So grab a salubrious glass of H2O and toast to your health. SALUD!