As we all hopefully know by now, Americans are facing a health epidemic. According to a report released in June 2011 by the University of Washington, the United States was ranked #39 in terms of life expectancy (39!!! 38 other countries are leading healthier lifestyles than those of us living in America). In order to determine how the American life spans stack up internationally, researchers from the United States and the United Kingdom compared life expectancies in the U.S. to a moving average of those in nations with the lowest death rates. This group includes countries such as Switzerland, Australia, Japan, and Canada. Between the years 2000 and 2007, researchers discovered that more than 80% of U.S. counties fell below the life-expectancy bar set by this group of leading nations even though the United States spends more on health care per capita than any other nation in the world (paraphrased from a news report posted by CNN news on June 16,2011). This is very alarming! Although we are learning more and more each day regarding our own health (i.e. lifestyle, exercise, etc) we are missing the boat on one of the most important pieces and keys to longevity.
By now (hopefully) we all know how important it is to avoid processed foods and include whole, organic foods in our daily food choices and to engage in some form of physical exercise each day (If not, that is an article for another day :). However; we neglect to visit one of the most vital keys to good health, hydration. The three main elements needed to sustain life are, oxygen, water and food. Think about it, when it comes to health our main focus tends to be on diet and exercise. I'm not saying that hydration isn't mentioned but, when it comes to hydration I don't think that many of us realize how truly important proper hydration is to our overall health! While we as humans can go anywhere from 10 days to several weeks without food, (The duration of survival without food is greatly influenced by factors such as body weight, genetic variation, other health considerations and, most importantly, the presence or absence of dehydration) it is next to impossible to go more than a day or so without water (yes water and water alone, we'll talk more in a future post about the effects of other liquids on our health). The person who is well hydrated is always healthier, less toxic, more energetic, retains less water in the extremities, is more mentally alert, is less prone to disease is better equipped to fight disease of every kind and, functions more efficiently overall! You can never be truly healthy unless you are sufficiently hydrated!
Water is one of the most important elements for the body. Every single organ in the body relies heavily on water to function properly. Think about it, the human body is made up of roughly 69% water. The brain itself is 85% water, the bones are 35% water, the blood is 83% water and the liver (get this) is 90% water. WOW, that's a lot of aqua! So when we become dehydrated we are placing our health in serious jeopardy! According to the National Research Council guidelines we should drink 1 milliliter of water for every calorie of food consumed. This is approximately half of our body weight in ounces. The "drink eight, eight ounce glasses of water a day" is simply not true. Digestion is a dehydrating process all on its own which requires a large amount of water from the body reserves. The typical diet here in the U.S. consists of dry, cooked and processed foods which require more water. Raw foods however contain a significant amount of water. This does not mean that these wonderful raw foods contain enough water to properly hydrate the body because this is simply not true! We still require a large amount of water to flush our digestive tracts between meals. Water serves to energize every living cell and organ in the body and is absolutely crucial to healthy bodily functions. When we become dehydrated the body begins to ration water to each organ. As the brain is the most important organ it gets most of the water while the skin being least important, is given the least amount. Chronically dry skin and/or dandruff signify advanced dehydration. The body is amazing and will adapt to its circumstances and will supply the most important organs with water first. The brain, heart, and liver will always win in the battle for water but this leaves other functions within the body to suffer. Researchers have determined that a 1% dehydration causes a 5% drop in athletic performance. As you can see, it is very difficult for the human body to function without adequate hydration and it is frankly quite impossible to get hydration from any source other than water itself! Once you start making water, yes WATER the main focus of your daily lifestyle choices you will undoubtedly begin to notice a healthier you!
Thanks so much for visiting! You have been 'Water blogged'!
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