why water !
Water has many uses in our lives. It is a basic nutrient essential for life itself. You can live for days and maybe weeks without food, but in as little as one-day life can cease without water. Water is a major component of our body. Our body weight consists of between 50 to 75% water. Intracellular water makes up the majority of the content with the remainder being found in the lymph, blood and around cells, and various excretions and secretions.
The proper functioning of organs requires water. It assists absorption, excretion, and circulation and aids digestion. It is a medium for all chemical changes within the body and functions as a solvent for the body's constituents. It assists the carrying of nutrients in the blood and takes waste products from the cells. It is utilised in building and repairing the body, assists with the body's temperature regulation and finally lubricates the body's moving parts.
Water is found in varying quantities in food, anywhere from 10 to 98% water. It is an end product of oxidation and is also formed in some of the body's metabolic processes.
You must have a balanced fluid intake and output. Salt requirements and fluid requirements are intimately linked, and in conditions of extreme heat or excessive sweating an increased intake is required.
Water is absorbed in the small intestine and colon with digested food. A daily intake is necessary as water is not stored in the body and somewhere between six to eight pint glasses of water is the ideal water intake. Water is normally lost from the body by urination and in the faces, in expired air and from the skin.
Water is essential for:
transporting oxygen from the blood to cells
stabilises body temp.
lubricates joints and organs.
helps the kidneys to function normally.
removes waste products
Our water needs are roughly estimated at:
1ml per kcal burned i.e. 2.5 litres for a 2500-kcal energy output; bearing in mind that most foods contain substantial amounts of water. Software packages for dietary analysis will usually calculate your dietary intake. This can be calculated manually by recording the water that is in everything you consume, and you may be surprised at the percentage of water in some foods.
Fluid needs increase according to the type, intensity, and duration of exercise and environmental conditions e.g. hot day.