WATER

“As cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country.”
Proverbs 25:25

Importance of Water

Water. It plays an important function in our bodies.

1. It acts as a solvent for the essential nutrients so that they can be used by the body.
2. Once it transports the nutrients along with oxygen from the blood to the cells, the return trip brings waste material and other substances from the cells back into the blood so they may be eliminated from the body.

Other important functions of water

1. Gives shape and form to cells.
2. Lubricates joints and other areas
3. Regulates the body temperature.
4. Cushions certain body organs.

How Much Water Do I Need?

It is good to drink a couple of glasses in the morning before breakfast to help your body wake up and clear out yesterday’s impurities. Many recommend you drink eight glasses of water a day, and more when it is hot. To see if you’re drinking enough, drink until your urine is a pale yellow color. Yet another way is to take your weight, divide it in half and drink that many ounces of water a day. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds you would need to drink 80 ounces or 10 glasses of water. That sounds like a lot, but you will experience fewer headaches, better regulated blood pressure, more energy, muscles will be less sore after exercise, less chance of kidney stones, less kidney and bladder infections, and a clearer mind! If that sounds good, why not have a glass of water, right?!

Ways Your Body Loses Water

Water is lost normally through our lungs, skin, urine, and intestines. For example, did you know that as you breathe, you lose two cups of water each day? Here is an outline that gives approximate amounts of water loss through body functions:

Skin ......................... 550cc. Lungs ...................... 440cc.
Urine ..................... 1550cc. Stool ....................... 150cc.
(240cc = 1 cup)

Ways Water Is Brought Into The Body

Outside of getting water through drinking water, some foods, especially fruits, contain large amounts of water. For an example, did you know that lettuce is 96% water, even more than fruit juice that is 90% water. Here is a selection of foods and the water content:
White sugar ................. 0.5% Nuts and dry cereals ................ 2-3%
Crackers ....................... 5% Gelatin ........................................ 13%
Butter ............................ 15% Dried fruits ................................ 25%
Bread ............................. 36% Cheese, cheddar ....................... 37%
Beef ............................... 47% Chicken ....................................... 63%
Bananas ........................ 75% Potatoes ...................................... 80%
Oranges, apples .......... 86% Milk .............................................. 87%

Drinking With Meals

It is good to avoid drinking with meals because of the dilution of enzymes, thus slowing down the digestion process. Although digestion is not necessary to process water, the body has an order that it deals with items taken into the stomach. Water, much easier to process, is taken care of first and then food is digested. If liquid is taken with meals, the actual digestion of food may take hours longer to process. Therefore, it is better to avoid drinking for half an hour before a meal and for a couple of hours after a meal.

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