water

Water In Your Diet – How It Enhances Your Life?

Water is an important non-nutrient yet essential component of daily diet. Every cell, tissue and organ needs water for an array of bodily functions and processes viz. carrying nutrients and oxygen, regulating body temperature through perspiration and removal of waste products (urine, stool). The medium for various enzymatic and chemical reactions in the body is water only. It’s the major component of saliva and the fluids surrounding the joints (lubricant). Water helps reduce fluid retention and keeps the mucous membranes of our body moist.  It also helps fluid retention and maintains normal functioning of bowel. The hydration level of our body is maintained by kidneys. Kidneys are taken into account as keys of a healthy body. If the bodily toxins start off accumulating, this mechanism gets imbalanced resulting in serious and painful health challenges. That’s why Doctor’s advice to drink plenty of water as it reduces the risk of developing kidney problems.

Water makes up more than two-thirds of the weight of the human body. Drinking water helps maintaining the balance of various body fluids. The adequate water intake is considered to be 30 ml/kg body weight of a person with normally functioning kidneys and heart. Daily food-item preparations we eat and liquids/ beverages we gulp i.e. plain water, tea, coffee, milk, curds, buttermilk, soups &/or stews, juices (vegetable &/or fruit) and aerated cold drinks (soda) add on the total water intake. Furthermore, during the process of carbohydrates, protein & fat (solid food eaten) metabolism, water is produced within the body. As a consequence, directly or else in a roundabout way, water has an effect on all facets of life. One should drink sufficient water depending on:

  • Age
  • Gender
  • Environment: Cold dry weather, Higher altitudes, Hot or humid weather.
  • Level of activity: physical activity or sport.
    • Exercise intensity and
    • Duration of exercise

Always pay attention to bodily buzzers. A well hydrated body will pass odorless, clear & pale yellow urine, vice versa strong smell & dark yellow colored urine is indicative of dehydration. At some time or other when body does not get enough water, the homeostatic mechanism turns out to be imbalanced. As a result, humans may feel sluggish and tired all the time and can also lead to ailments viz. digestive problems and high blood pressure.

Nutri care tips to prevent kidney related ailments:

  • Drink plenty of water every day
  • Don’t resist the tendency to urinate
  • Subsequent to every washroom visit, drink a glass of water to reload fluids
  • Keep vitals under control:
    • Glucose (check for Diabetes)
    • Blood pressure (check for hypertension)
    • Cholesterol (check for heart disease)
  • Stop table salt straight away
  • Maintain regularity at meals
  • Eat more fruits & vegetables like: melons (both water & musk), grapes, oranges, papaya, lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes etc.
  • Drink non-fat milk
  • Keep a water bottle handy
  • Exercise regularly. Drink enough fluids before, during, and after an exercise routine to compensate the fluid loss due to sweating
  • Limit the consumption of diuretics like coffee, tea, colas, etc. Try decaffeinated tea, coffee or green tea

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