antihero
08-21-2005, 03:40 AM
Importance of Water
The importance of water is overlooked far too often. Water can be
considered the body's most neglected nutrient, because majority of the
people in the United States do not get enough water on a daily basis.
More importantly, many people are dehydrated, and don't even know it.
Symptoms of Dehydration
--Fatigue
--Moodiness
--"Drained" feeling
--Thirst *feeling thirsty means that you are already dehydrated. some
peoples thrist muscles are so weak that it isnt even apparent to them
when they are thirsty.*
When You Feel the Effects
1% loss --> increase in core temperature during exercise
3-5% loss --> strains the cardiovascular system and further impairs the body's ability to dissipate heat
7+% --> likely to collapse
*45-75% of a persons bodyweight is water
*75% of a muscle is water
Daily Requirements
The average person in a normally humid invironment (without heavy
exercise) loses the following amounts of water: Approx. 2 cups from
normal perspiration, another 2 cups from breathing, and 6 cups from the
intestines and kidneys. That equals 10 cups, which is roughly equal to
2.5 quarts of water per day.
Satisfying Daily Requirements
It is reccommended that the average person consumes about 6-8 glasses
of water per day. That means WATER, not juice or milk or coffee or tea.
Only pure water counts towards your 6-8 cups. The body can distinguish
between pure water and a solution, like Gatorade. Pure water is quickly
absorbed and put to
good use. A solution sits in the digestive system and is slowly
assimilated as the solute (the substance dissolved in the solvent, the
solvent usually being water) are broken down and digested. The process
of digesting the solute often requires more water than what is actually
gained from the solvent. This is on top of whatever diuretic
(dehydrating) effect from any caffeine in the drink. It's still OK to
drink juice or
milk, but do not count it towards your total water intake.
When To Drink
The absolute worst thing to do is to drink a very large amount of water
all at once. The body will respond to a sudden sharp increase in water
by releasing diuretic hormones to excrete as much of the excess water
as possible, further dehydrating you. This can actually be deadly.
Hypernatremia is the condition of drinking an extremely large amount of
water in a short amount of time. The amounts of water needed to induce
hypernatremia is beyond what most people can tolerate, but large spikes
of water in the body are still undesirable. Sip water throughout the
day. The other big mistake you can make is to drink lots of water with
your meals. This dilutes stomach acid at the time when you need it
most, and keeps your food from digesting properly. Optimally, give
yourself 15 minutes before and 30-60 minutes after the meal before you
start drinking water normally. Milk is an acceptable liquid to drink
with meals because the casein (a slow digesting protein) in milk will
form a semi-solid in the stomach, allowing for slower more efficient
digestion than water will.
The importance of water is overlooked far too often. Water can be
considered the body's most neglected nutrient, because majority of the
people in the United States do not get enough water on a daily basis.
More importantly, many people are dehydrated, and don't even know it.
Symptoms of Dehydration
--Fatigue
--Moodiness
--"Drained" feeling
--Thirst *feeling thirsty means that you are already dehydrated. some
peoples thrist muscles are so weak that it isnt even apparent to them
when they are thirsty.*
When You Feel the Effects
1% loss --> increase in core temperature during exercise
3-5% loss --> strains the cardiovascular system and further impairs the body's ability to dissipate heat
7+% --> likely to collapse
*45-75% of a persons bodyweight is water
*75% of a muscle is water
Daily Requirements
The average person in a normally humid invironment (without heavy
exercise) loses the following amounts of water: Approx. 2 cups from
normal perspiration, another 2 cups from breathing, and 6 cups from the
intestines and kidneys. That equals 10 cups, which is roughly equal to
2.5 quarts of water per day.
Satisfying Daily Requirements
It is reccommended that the average person consumes about 6-8 glasses
of water per day. That means WATER, not juice or milk or coffee or tea.
Only pure water counts towards your 6-8 cups. The body can distinguish
between pure water and a solution, like Gatorade. Pure water is quickly
absorbed and put to
good use. A solution sits in the digestive system and is slowly
assimilated as the solute (the substance dissolved in the solvent, the
solvent usually being water) are broken down and digested. The process
of digesting the solute often requires more water than what is actually
gained from the solvent. This is on top of whatever diuretic
(dehydrating) effect from any caffeine in the drink. It's still OK to
drink juice or
milk, but do not count it towards your total water intake.
When To Drink
The absolute worst thing to do is to drink a very large amount of water
all at once. The body will respond to a sudden sharp increase in water
by releasing diuretic hormones to excrete as much of the excess water
as possible, further dehydrating you. This can actually be deadly.
Hypernatremia is the condition of drinking an extremely large amount of
water in a short amount of time. The amounts of water needed to induce
hypernatremia is beyond what most people can tolerate, but large spikes
of water in the body are still undesirable. Sip water throughout the
day. The other big mistake you can make is to drink lots of water with
your meals. This dilutes stomach acid at the time when you need it
most, and keeps your food from digesting properly. Optimally, give
yourself 15 minutes before and 30-60 minutes after the meal before you
start drinking water normally. Milk is an acceptable liquid to drink
with meals because the casein (a slow digesting protein) in milk will
form a semi-solid in the stomach, allowing for slower more efficient
digestion than water will.