Water - The Forgotten Nutrient Articles | Nutrition

By: Joe Dively

Question:  What nutrient is the least discussed or thought of nutrient today?
Answer: Water.

Water may be the most forgotten nutrient of all time.  It’s easy to underestimate the importance of water in our lives.  After all, it’s always there.  Yet, without enough water, we would all surely die.

Consider this:  The average sized adult can go as long as two months without food, yet they would die in just a few days without any water to drink.   Despite it’s importance, most adults don’t drink enough water on a daily basis to keep their body in top form.

The human body has little reserves to store water, making it even more important to replenish your bodily supply each and every day.  Believe it or not, our body loses almost three quarts of water every day. This includes:

·    1 cup along from the soles of our feet.
·    2-4 cups just from breathing.
·    2 cups to sweating.
·    6 cups to urine output.

The average adult may be made up of two-thirds water, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need to drink 8-10 full glasses every day to make sure we have enough needed to be healthy.  Why is water so important to our daily lives and health?  Water helps all of our body’s major organs and systems work properly including:

-Aiding digestion and the absorption of food.
-Regulating body temperature.
-Aiding in blood circulation throughout your body.
-Carrying nutrients and oxygen to different areas of your body through your bloodstream.
-Removing toxins and other dangers.
-Cushioning joints.
-Protecting tissues and organs including your heart, lungs, brain and spinal cord.

When you don’t take in enough water to keep your body functioning well, you become dehydrated.  This can become very serious is left untreated.   Dehydration can lead to a number of physical maladies including high blood pressure (hypertension), allergies, migraine headaches and even asthma. 

Signs that you might be dehydrated include:

-Joint pain.
-Stomach pain (cramping).
-Back pain.
-Low energy.
-Disinterest.
-Poor concentration.
-Thirst (of course by the time you actually feel thirsty, your body may already be in jeopardy).

Water may be something we don’t all think about all of the time, but it’s important to your health to take the time to watch how much water you take in on a daily basis and be sure that you’re getting enough to keep your body’s systems and organs functioning properly. 

Now that you better understand the important jobs that water has to maintaining good health remember to drink at least 8 full glasses of water every day.  Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink, since thirst is a sign of dehydration.