Living in Arizona
The human body is
made of about 70% water. Water is disbursed throughout our cells depending upon
the type of cell. Muscle cells are about 75% water, and fat cells are only
about 15% or less water. The more muscular a person is the more water makes up
the percentage of body weight.
Water is one of the
most important requirements for the human body to survive – for that matter
most all life depends on water. It’s important to understand just how important
water is. Water plays a primary role in just about every process in the body,
from regulating blood pressure, controlling body temperature, producing
digestive juices that aid in the digestive process, to keeping the body fluid
and mobile – just to name a few. Without water our bodies would be dust!
So if the body is
mostly made of water, how do you know if you are truly dehydrated? Dehydration
is expressed as the loss of a certain percentage of a person’s body weight. If
the body has a fluid loss greater than 1% of the body weight, the chances are
the body is dehydrated. The body is constantly losing water as we take water
in. For instance, the blood is about 90% water, this is the first place we lose
water. If the body loses more than 12% of its weight from water, it could be
fatal, as the cells begin to lose their water content rapidly causing the body
processes to slow down and eventually shut down permanently. Water is your only
true source of hydration – and you need a lot of it!
It can be a challenge
to stay properly hydrated as our bodies are constantly losing water. We
obviously lose most of our body’s water through our daily trips to the
bathroom, sweating through exercise, or the normal loss of water through
natural body perspiration. Also, we wait till we are thirsty before we make the
effort to hydrate, by then the body is already moderately dehydrated, making it
more difficult to replenish the fluids to a healthy point of hydration. If you
are beyond thirsty, feelings light headed, fatigued, and have a headache, all
signs point to dehydration.
You don’t need to
live in a hot climate to be concerned about dehydration. Anyone can become
dehydrated easily, especially the average person who eats the Standard American
Diet (SAD). Not only is water the main source, but how the water is consumed,
and then distributed through the body is also imperative in keeping the body
properly hydrated. In other words, water is not necessarily the only thing that
hydrates the body – at least not on its own. In fact, on a cellular level
hydration is a balance of minerals, electrolytes and essential fatty acids to
utilize the water in the body to properly hydrate the bloodstream, body tissues
and cells. Electrolytes and trace minerals are vital to maintaining cellular
balance. The minerals help to transport water into the cells, and activate
enzymes – which are the basis of every process within the human body. These
enzymes assist with digestions, hormone secretion, and for proper brain
function. The essential fatty acids form the basis for cellular membranes.
These membranes help the cells to properly absorb, hold and settle the water
and other necessary nutrients that they are supposed to have.
Think of it this way,
when you drink water, just like with any beverage or food, the water is
absorbed from the digestive tract into the bloodstream by a small blood vessels
called capillaries. About 95 percent of all water content of food and beverage
digested ends up in the blood. The water than enters the fluid that surrounds
the cells. The water then needs to get inside the cells to maintain optimal
health. Basically, the body’s energy and strength is based on its ability to
get water into and out of the cells. So obviously, if you are not eating a
healthful diet or living a lifestyle that is not conducive of good health, more
than likely your cells are not being properly hydrated which will result in the
body breaking down.
Based on these facts,
it’s important to incorporate a diet high in nutrient rich, fresh, live and
organic, high-water content fruits, veggies, and dark leafy greens, raw nuts
and seeds. Some foods are higher in water content such as watermelon,
cucumbers, apples, carrots, lettuce, and so forth. In addition to eating good
foods, it’s important to drink large quantities of fresh water throughout the
day.
If you consume a diet
high in animal proteins, then you will require a great deal more water to help
break it down, assimilate, and then remove the waste from the body. Most
processed foods such as crackers, chips, and similar snacks are all devoid of
any moisture. When consumed they act as a sponge and soak up water as they pass
through the digestion. These foods can all dehydrate you rather than hydrate
you properly.
Just because a
beverage such as coffee is liquid doesn’t mean it will hydrate you – far from
it! In fact coffee is high in toxins which must be diluted with large
quantities of water in order to be flushed from the body. Unless the beverage
is from a high water-content live food without any processing, it’s not going
to hydrate you – it’s going to dehydrate you because of the water requirement
needed to digest and flush the food item from your system.
For that matter,
although salt is needed in the body, there is no need to add salt to anything.
If you eat a diet high in dark, leafy greens, and veggies, you will get all the
natural sodium you need. Any additional salt requires more water to help with
the digestion and elimination process of the body.
Obviously by
considerably reducing the amount of processed food like products, and
decreasing the amount of animal protein consumed daily; and increasing the
amount of fresh, organic produce, along with drinking plenty of water
throughout the day, the body will have a much greater opportunity to stay
properly hydrated and increase longevity and vitality. Add exercise, rest,
relaxation, and sunlight – keeps the body in balance and happy.
There is so much more
to learn about the effect of hydration and dehydration on the body, and how
important water is to our survival that I encourage you to further research and
read on the subject. I highly recommend that you read the following two books, The
Water Secret (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2010), written by Howard Murad,
M.D., and The Water Prescription (Healing Arts Press, 2006), written by
Christopher Vasey, ND, a Swiss naturopath. Both books focus on the belief of
slowing the aging process down by focusing on properly hydrating the body
through diet and lifestyle ultimately results in reducing and eliminating
deadly disease, increasing energy and vitality, for overall good health and
well-being.
Sources for article:
8 Common Myths About Dehydration, written by Megan, selected from Experience Life
Water and Hydration, written by Paige Holm, R.D.
The Water Secret (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2010), written by Howard
Murad, M.D.
