Living in Cape Town, water became a major focus in our lives a few years back due to the serve draught we have been experiencing. We were all in a position where we didn’t know how long we would still have running water for and were on very strict water restrictions. At it’s worst we were restricted to just 50L per person / day
Although I had already become more conscious of the quality of water I was drinking and had starting drinking Newlands Spring water some months before the restrictions set in, this certainly made me more conscious of water in general and really did highlight for me how very important water is, on so many levels.
So I have pretty much only been consuming spring water for the last 4 years or so, using it not only for drinking, also for cooking, soaking beans etc, basically anytime water is needed that will eventually enter my body.
Now with Covid-19 and the lockdown we’ve been under for the past eight weeks I have run out of spring water and not allowed to fetch more. I have had to revert to tap water and realised that I just wasn’t drinking as much water as normal and was feeling a difference.
I must be honest that just the smell of the chlorine in tap water put me off, so I now have a bit of a water thing going on here at the moment and have resorted to first boiling and then leaving open for 24 hours to at least let some of the chemicals evaporate out of the water before I drink it.
The quality of the water we consume is very important and I’ll go back to that later, for now let’s look at why consuming enough water is so important.
As I’m sure you know, water is one of the two things we just can’t live without, (oxygen being the other) this is because water makes up 72% of our body:
Your brain is 75% water. Bones are 22% water.
Muscles are 75% water. Your blood is 92% water.
Every cell, organ and all tissues within the body require water to function optimally, water helps to regulate temperature and maintains all body functions.
Drinking enough water is so important as this improves circulation and has a positive impact on overall health. Our hydration levels affect our strength, power and endurance and may activate our metabolism which will improve energy levels.
Not only does water help carry nutrients and oxygen throughout the body, it is also required for the absorption of nutrients and converting our food into energy the body can use.
Water is one of the main components of saliva, which also contains electrolytes, mucus and enzymes, and forms part of the essential first step in breaking down our food for digestion as well as keeping the mouth healthy.
Water also helps lessen the burden the on the kidneys and liver by flushing out waste products and keeps stools soft and easy to pass.
Water protects and cushions vital organs and joints, while hydrating the skin and may also promote collagen production.
Poor hydration can negatively affect focus, alertness and short term memory, while severe dehydration can cause swelling in the brain, kidney failure and seizures.
So yes drinking enough water is very important and I know I can tell when I haven’t, not only do I feel really thirsty, I lose focus and clarity of thought and can become very lethargic and just feel pup. For me there’s nothing quite like a nice long drink of refreshing water, especially if I haven’t been having enough. You can almost feel it moving through your body and things just waking up again. It can be so revitalising and energising.
So how much water should you be drinking?
The average for men is 3L and women 2L per day.
It is important to remember though that we do get water from the foods we eat so depending on diet we get around 20% of daily water needs from our food.
Getting into healthy habits like drinking a big glass of water (add lemon or apple cider vinegar for a further boost) first thing in the morning, regularly replacing any water that has been released from the body through urination or exercising and always carrying fresh water when we’re out can help to ensure that we do not get dehydrated.
As I mentioned earlier one of the most important things to consider when looking at our water consumption is actually the quality of the water we drink, because no, not all water is equal and all water that enters our body should be supportive to good health. It is important that the water we drink is clean and stable, meaning that it still has all the minerals as found in nature and has not had any toxic elements added.
Tap water is believed by most to be good for drinking however it is heavily treated and normally contains chlorine and can also contain ammonia, heavy metals, hormones, antibiotics and even raw sewerage at times, all of which are detrimental to our health.
Buying bottled water is not really the answer either, besides the added cost and carbon footprint bottled water causes, we often don’t know where the water actually comes from. Bottled water can be marked as spring / natural / prepared (Tap water that’s been through a process) etc, and the bottles used are often made from plastic containing BPA.
Filtering tap water is one of the best ways to get good quality water, provided you have a good quality filtration system that can filter out all foreign particles, kill germs while not damaging the molecular structure of the water.
Water naturally contains beneficial minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc and selenium. If these are removed by the filtering process it changes the molecular structure of the water causing it to become unstable which can cause free radical damage and a state of inflammation within the body.
If like me you prefer to get your water from a natural sauce and are lucky enough to have access to fresh water make sure you have containers that are suitable for water storage, containers made from food grade plastics which are BPA free are best.
I just love the fresh clean taste of water and apart from my herbal teas plain water is mostly what I drink.
I know a lot of people are used to the stronger flavours of cool drinks and other beverages, and may find plain water boring. If this is the case try adding some fresh mint, cucumber or strawberries etc to your water to flavour it up a bit.
Would love to know what works for you. Why not share your favourite combination in the comments below.
Although I had already become more conscious of the quality of water I was drinking and had starting drinking Newlands Spring water some months before the restrictions set in, this certainly made me more conscious of water in general and really did highlight for me how very important water is, on so many levels.
So I have pretty much only been consuming spring water for the last 4 years or so, using it not only for drinking, also for cooking, soaking beans etc, basically anytime water is needed that will eventually enter my body.
Now with Covid-19 and the lockdown we’ve been under for the past eight weeks I have run out of spring water and not allowed to fetch more. I have had to revert to tap water and realised that I just wasn’t drinking as much water as normal and was feeling a difference.
I must be honest that just the smell of the chlorine in tap water put me off, so I now have a bit of a water thing going on here at the moment and have resorted to first boiling and then leaving open for 24 hours to at least let some of the chemicals evaporate out of the water before I drink it.
The quality of the water we consume is very important and I’ll go back to that later, for now let’s look at why consuming enough water is so important.
As I’m sure you know, water is one of the two things we just can’t live without, (oxygen being the other) this is because water makes up 72% of our body:
Your brain is 75% water. Bones are 22% water.
Muscles are 75% water. Your blood is 92% water.
Every cell, organ and all tissues within the body require water to function optimally, water helps to regulate temperature and maintains all body functions.
Drinking enough water is so important as this improves circulation and has a positive impact on overall health. Our hydration levels affect our strength, power and endurance and may activate our metabolism which will improve energy levels.
Not only does water help carry nutrients and oxygen throughout the body, it is also required for the absorption of nutrients and converting our food into energy the body can use.
Water is one of the main components of saliva, which also contains electrolytes, mucus and enzymes, and forms part of the essential first step in breaking down our food for digestion as well as keeping the mouth healthy.
Water also helps lessen the burden the on the kidneys and liver by flushing out waste products and keeps stools soft and easy to pass.
Water protects and cushions vital organs and joints, while hydrating the skin and may also promote collagen production.
Poor hydration can negatively affect focus, alertness and short term memory, while severe dehydration can cause swelling in the brain, kidney failure and seizures.
So yes drinking enough water is very important and I know I can tell when I haven’t, not only do I feel really thirsty, I lose focus and clarity of thought and can become very lethargic and just feel pup. For me there’s nothing quite like a nice long drink of refreshing water, especially if I haven’t been having enough. You can almost feel it moving through your body and things just waking up again. It can be so revitalising and energising.
So how much water should you be drinking?
The average for men is 3L and women 2L per day.
It is important to remember though that we do get water from the foods we eat so depending on diet we get around 20% of daily water needs from our food.
Getting into healthy habits like drinking a big glass of water (add lemon or apple cider vinegar for a further boost) first thing in the morning, regularly replacing any water that has been released from the body through urination or exercising and always carrying fresh water when we’re out can help to ensure that we do not get dehydrated.
As I mentioned earlier one of the most important things to consider when looking at our water consumption is actually the quality of the water we drink, because no, not all water is equal and all water that enters our body should be supportive to good health. It is important that the water we drink is clean and stable, meaning that it still has all the minerals as found in nature and has not had any toxic elements added.
Tap water is believed by most to be good for drinking however it is heavily treated and normally contains chlorine and can also contain ammonia, heavy metals, hormones, antibiotics and even raw sewerage at times, all of which are detrimental to our health.
Buying bottled water is not really the answer either, besides the added cost and carbon footprint bottled water causes, we often don’t know where the water actually comes from. Bottled water can be marked as spring / natural / prepared (Tap water that’s been through a process) etc, and the bottles used are often made from plastic containing BPA.
Filtering tap water is one of the best ways to get good quality water, provided you have a good quality filtration system that can filter out all foreign particles, kill germs while not damaging the molecular structure of the water.
Water naturally contains beneficial minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc and selenium. If these are removed by the filtering process it changes the molecular structure of the water causing it to become unstable which can cause free radical damage and a state of inflammation within the body.
If like me you prefer to get your water from a natural sauce and are lucky enough to have access to fresh water make sure you have containers that are suitable for water storage, containers made from food grade plastics which are BPA free are best.
I just love the fresh clean taste of water and apart from my herbal teas plain water is mostly what I drink.
I know a lot of people are used to the stronger flavours of cool drinks and other beverages, and may find plain water boring. If this is the case try adding some fresh mint, cucumber or strawberries etc to your water to flavour it up a bit.
Would love to know what works for you. Why not share your favourite combination in the comments below.