Water is a vital part of staying nutritionally healthy that is often overlooked. A lot of information available on dieting revolves around eating clean, detoxing, and what to avoid, whilst some of the most important elements that the body needs to survive are virtually overlooked. In a list of 20 facts on the importance of water, All About Water notes that around 70% of an adult’s body is made of water. Another interesting fact is that when we feel thirsty we have already lost 1% of the total amount of water in our body.
Aside from being essential for our survival there are many health benefits that water provides that are the better than any expensive green juices or treatments. Mind Body Green calls water the best anti-ageing treatment around. Water is all we need for hydration and additionally fluid is important for keeping the skin healthy and stopping us from feeling fatigue. What’s even better is that, water is a lot cheaper and more easily available than skin care treatments that often promise the same. The best way to increase your H2O intake is to try to include water at every meal. Fitday.com also recommend replacing the usual mealtime drink such as a soft drink with water.
Our bodies gets fluid from many different sources including coffee, tea, fizzy drinks, juices, and food. Jamie Oliver is a huge supporter of encouraging people to drink more water as he believes that while we get fluid from many different sources, pure H2O is often the best way to stay hydrated. While fizzy drinks contain fluid, they also contain around 12 teaspoons of sugar per 500ml. Additionally, too much fruit juice can be damaging for the teeth due to the natural sugars that become are more readily available when a fruit is broken down. Both Jamie and I recommend mixing water with pure juice to help you cut down on the amount of sugar you’re consuming, whilst still getting some hydration and benefitting from the nutritional components of the fruit juice.
When it comes to dieting tips we often look for inspiration from sports stars. Both Jessica Ennis-Hill and Lionel Messi have been considered the best at their chosen sports. In an interview with the BBC Good Food site Ennis-Hill emphasised the importance of staying hydrated during training through drinking lots of water. After Argentina was defeated in the 2014 World Cup Final many supporters blamed Messi. CBC Sports revealed that in order to get back into top form Messi visited a sports doctor who recommended that Messi improve his diet and good hydration was at the top of his list. Messi’s form has since improved and he is still considered one of the best footballers in the world with specialist football website Betfair reporting that he scored a hat trick against Manchester City, his old Barcelona manager’s team, in October and continues to consistently perform at the top of his game.
Hopefully this has inspired you to increase your intake of water. If you always have water to hand you will be much more likely to reach for it rather than a soda. Staying healthy is about eating right, but drinking right is just as important and beneficial.