We are often advised to drink lots of water to prevent kidney damage, for weight loss, and to increase the level of concentration.
However, now experts warn that drinking 8 glasses of water a day is not good for health and can be dangerous. (more…)
Many people believe that drinking while eating can interfere with digestion and lead to obesity. The fact is not always the case, because eating which is interspersed with drinking water can actually help you lose weight.
As long as it is not added with syrup or sugar, water (H2O) is a compound free of calories. Even taken together with food, water will not provide extra calories so it will not cause obesity. (more…)
Drinking three or more cups of tea each day is as healthy as drinking enough water. In addition, there are other additional benefits from tea consumption, which help prevent heart disease and cancer.
Extra benefits of tea comes from flavonoids, antioxidants found in many plants, including tea leaves. Various studies indicate flavonoids are effective for preventing cell damage. (more…)
Water is important for the body. If the water needs are met the body will rarely get sick. But an expert say that there are some habits which is considered as a “must be obeyed” in drinking water when in fact it is not necessarily true.
Kidney specialist, Dr Stanley Goldfarb from the University of Pennsylvania who has published research journal of the American Society of Nephrology was quoted as saying Thursday (4/3/2010) says there are false assumptions that circulate in the community about drinking water.
He saw there are five myths about drinking water that are so trusted by the people, namely:
1. Drink 8 glasses each day
Dr. Goldfarb claimed to not know where the standard advice about drinking 8 glasses of water a day. “Nobody really knows,” said Dr. Stanley Goldfarb.
According him, the drinking needs of each person is different, it could be enough for someone but not enough or over for others. The owner of the body is the one who exactly knows how much water his body needs.
2. Drink lots of water can help clean up toxic
Kidneys filter toxins from the bloodstream. Then the toxins goes out through urine. The question is, whether drinking more water can improve renal function? “No,” said Goldfarb. In fact, drinking large amounts of water will likely reduce the ability of the kidneys in filtering. Not much, but surely.
3. Drink a lot equals to healthy skin
Our bodies consist of 60 percent water. So, for people who weight 200 pounds, 120 pounds of it is water. Adding a few glasses of water each day has limited effect. “This is a small part of what is in the body,” said Goldfarb. So it is unlikely this can benefit the body.
A study published in 2007 about the benefits of water to a beauty show that 500 ml of water increases capillary blood flow in the skin. But it is not clear whether these changes are clinically significant.
4. Drink plenty of water to lose weight
“Water is a great strategy for people who want to diet because it contains no calories,” says Madeline Fernstrom of the University of Pittsburgh. So keep your mouth busy even without food and also get a sense of satisfaction. But according to Frenstrom, water is not magic. Other options for zero-calorie diet is to reduce the soda.
5. Easy to dehydrate during exercise
Dehydration will be felt when one loses 2 percent of your weight. In hot and dry places water needs will increase. Marathon runners, bikers and pedestrians need to recognize the signs of dehydration.
American College of Sports Medicine recommends that athletes drink 16 ounces of fluid several hours before starting exercise. But for people to walk in the park, do not need a bottle of water. Goldfarb also suggest, drink only when you are thirsty.
Professor Hiromi Shinya MD, an expert on enzymes who is also a professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, U.S. stressed the importance of scheduling an ideal drinking water.
Like the plants, he said there was a good period for drinking because of excessive watering the plants would make plants become rotten and withered. So that there is an appropriate time period for the body to drink water.
The ideal way to meet the need of water for the body are:
1-3 glasses of waking in the morning
2-3 cups, 1 hour before lunch
2-3 cups, 1 hour before dinner.
Each person needs different drink but make it a habit to drink water 6-8 glasses per day (1.5-2 liters) for adults. If the weather is very hot as the person would need to drink more. Conversely people who have weak digestive systems may experience diarrhea if you drink too much.
Once again the number of water a person needs varies depending on the size of the person’s body and what is considered appropriate for the body.
Many health care professionals says that water is an essential nutrient for weight loss.
Water is up to 60% of our body weight, lack of water alters the metabolism of our body. This happens because the body does not have the ability to store additional water. The main functions of water in the body are: transports nutrients, removes toxins from the body, hydrates the skin, helps maintain body temperature and wet ears, mouth and nose. Dehydration can have serious consequences such as weakness, delirium and death.
On the other hand when the water content in the body is very high it can result in headaches, muscle weakness, poor appetite and poor memory.
But, why water is an essential nutrient for weight loss?
Because water can help you lose weight by making you feel full, helps curb food cravings and quenches your thirst. Also, water flushes toxins from your system, increases metabolism and assists your body in keeping your cells hydrated. People who drink more water tend to stay full longer and are less likely to eat.
More reasons? If you are normally a soda or juice drinker, and you replace them with water, drinking water can help you lose weight, partially because you are replacing some calories. There are a lot of processes that go on in your body that requires it. If you do not drink enough water your body does not function at an optimal level, which makes weight loss difficult.
Even more reason? Lack of water gives you headaches and constipation. If you do not drink enough water every day, your body may be storing water and fat that you do not need. If you become dehydrated your body is more likely to store fat. Because water naturally helps to suppresses your appetite, and will help you lose weight and burn fat.
The Water Resource Center in the University of Minnesota states that you need water for your body to burn fat. Without water, your kidneys cannot do their job properly and your liver must pitch in to help. While it is helping the kidneys, your liver cannot burn as much fat, so some of the fat that would normally be used as fuel gets stored in your body instead. The water is stored between the cells and shows up as extra weight. Drinking more water lets the liver get back to its own job of turning fat into fuel. When your body gets enough water, the stored water is released, so the more water you drink, the less you will eat.
Then, what is the necessary dosage? Experts recommend that during the day take 2 to 3 liters of water. But sweat when you exercise increases the need of water. For what is recommended before exercises take 1 to 2 glasses and during exercising drink only when thirsty and to drink as much as you sweat. The way to know whether you drank too much during a long training routine is if your weight afterward is more than it was before your exercise.
A glass of water before eating will help you feel full and eat less. Drink at least 8, eight-ounce glasses of water every day. If you are overweight, drink an additional glass for every twenty-five pounds of excess weight.
