We all know that drinking water is important, but do you ever consider how much you should really be drinking, what is in our water & why you should use a water filter, what temperature water is best to drink, how to drink water, etc.?
1. Understand your individual water requirements:
The average person should drink about 2 L of water per day.
But it can vary from person to person and it depends on the following factors:
- Climate/temperature
- Activity levels (sweat)
- Diet (water content foods like veggies and fruits)
- Physiological state: fevers, diarrhea, kidney disease, etc.
- Body size
2. What’s in our water?
- Microorganisms (bacteria, e coli, viruses, parasites)
- Disinfectants (chlorine)
- Disinfectant by products (chloramines, thrihalomethanes)
- Inorganic chemicals (heavy metals, lead, arsenic)
- Organic chemicals (spluents, pesticides, plastics)
- Radio-nucleotides (radium, uranium)
3. Different types of water filters:
(Each of the following filters specific toxins – let me know if you have any questions on this)
- Activated carbon (Brita filters)
- Granulated carbon filters
- Solid carbon filters
- Solid carbon block filters
- Reverse osmosis
4. Other important facts you should know:
- Cold water suppresses digestive ability and room temp is easier to digest.
- Drinking too much water with or after a meal can dilute digestive juices, reduce food digestion and nutrient assimilation.
- Why you should sip water and avoid chugging:
- Sipping water and allowing it to stay in the mouth and then passing through the food pipe helps the alkaline saliva reach the stomach to neutralise acid levels in the stomach. Chugging water directly through a bottle causes water to run down the throat, missing out on carrying saliva to the stomach.
5. How to stay motivated to drink more water throughout your day:
- Set a daily water goal
- Keep a cute reusable water bottle with you everywhere you go
- Set reminders in your phone or use post-it notes to remember to drink water regularly
- Don’t like the taste of water? Flavour your water with fruits/veggies like cucumber, lime, lemon, berries, orange slices, etc.
6. Benefits of drinking water:
- Carry nutrients and oxygen to your cells
- Flush bacteria from your bladder
- Aid digestion
- Prevent constipation
- Normalize blood pressure
- Stabilize the heartbeat
- Cushion joints
- Protect organs and tissues
- Regulate body temperature
- Maintain electrolyte balance
Was this blog post helpful for you? Please comment below or feel free to private message me via FB/IG/Email: alex@naturallynourished.ca 🙂
