Water Needs: True and False
One of the only ways you will ever have clear skin
and eyes for your big day is to keep your insides clean and fresh
so that you can radiate on the outside. Follow our advice and
you will look fabulous on your wedding day - and even shed a few
pounds in the process.
As a nation we are certainly sold on the idea that
water is good for you - last year Britons drank 1.4 billion litres
of still and sparkling mineral water - a 300 per cent increase
on a decade ago. There's no doubt that maintaining our fluid levels
is very important. Fluid cushions our joints, keeps our eyes and
mouth moist, helps us swallow, allows us to absorb nutrients,
helps get rid of waste and helps regulate our temperature.
Here we assess some common beliefs to see if
they hold true.
Adults need to drink at
least 1.5 litres of water a day.
Experts agree that around 1.5-2 litres of liquid a day is enough
for most people (with more needed in hotter weather, if you exercise
a lot, or do physically demanding work). But the key point here
is the word liquid. Fruit juice, soup, squash and milk all count
towards the total, just remember for weight loss water has no
calories but other liquid does.
The 2 litres a day rule
is based on medical reasoning: Adults lose around 3 litres
of fluid a day, but that doesn't mean you need to drink three
litres as solid food alone gives us around a litre of liquid,
and another 300-500mls of water are produced as a by-product of
digestion, leaving us with just the 1.5-2 litres of liquids experts
recommend.
If you drink coffee, tea
or alcohol, you need to drink even more water.
Caffeine in tea, coffee and coke has a mild diuretic [urine increasing]
effect, but there is a net gain of fluid when you drink a cup,
so you do not need to drink extra water to compensate. Unless
tea, coffee and coke are your only fluids, in which case you should
swap a few cups for plain water. Remember no more than 4 cups
of tea or coffee each day.
Alcohol, on the other
hand, does dehydrate you; although usually it takes more
than one glass to cause noticeable dehydration, but you should
increase your water intake redress the balance.
Drinking more water helps flush out
toxins, giving you better skin, hair and nails.
False. Healthy kidneys are particularly efficient at removing
toxins, drinking more water than you actually need won't remove
any more toxins, it will just mean more trips to the loo. But
you do need to be healthy to have healthy kidneys, which means
some water intake.
Mineral water is better
for you than tap water
False. Mineral water contains small amounts of minerals, but not
enough to make a significant contribution to your diet. Tap water
is no less 'pure' and no worse for you than bottled mineral water.
It's impossible to drink
too much water.
False. Drinking a lot of water over a short time can upset the
body's sodium balance, and cause a potentially fatal condition
called hyponatremia, or water intoxication. Symptoms include nausea,
bloating, and lapses in consciousness and seizures due to swelling
of the brain.
Long distance runners are particularly at risk because
they often consume a lot of water and lose a lot of salt through
sweat. Worse, exercise releases an anti-diuretic hormone, so urine
output is reduced, limiting the body's ability to correct the
imbalance. Drugs such as ibuprofen can also make the problem worse
because they reduce urine output, too.
You only need to drink
when you're thirsty.
By the time you feel thirsty, you're already dehydrated, usually
this isn't a problem, because we drink and replace the lost fluid.
But in older people the thirst response can be blunted, leading
to more serious dehydration. Although the kidneys can function
if people drink less than one litre a day, there are huge advantages
to drinking a higher level of fluid. A high fluid intake can reduce
the risk of kidney stones, bladder cancer and urinary infections.
Older people with incontinence
problems should restrict their fluid intake.
False. This is a dangerous misconception. Dehydration is a common
problem for elderly people, especially if they have senile dementia
and live on their own. But it is very important for them to get
enough liquid, especially if they are on diuretic drugs. Dehydration
can lead to chronic constipation and, in more severe cases, confusion
and co-ordination problems that can be mistaken as general signs
of ageing.
People worried about having to make frequent trips
to the bathroom at night should make sure they drink enough liquid
during the day, then restrict their intake in the evening before
they go to bed.
You can tell by your urine
whether you're drinking enough liquids
True. The colour of your urine is probably the easiest way to
monitor whether you're getting enough liquids. Basically it should
be clear and copious, if you find your urine is dark in colour
and you're only passing small volumes, you need to drink more.
Article kindly provided by
those nice people at www.slimfit.uk2k.com.
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