BODY CARE MEDICINES NATURAL MEDICINE

WHAT WATER TO DRINK?

Dr. Tasnim Zara

Recently, there has been a trend to popularize water drinking. However, more than knowing the need to deliver it to our body is required. Every day, when choosing water, we still pay too much attention to the known brand or habit, and we need to pay attention to the mineral composition of a given water. We can find different types of water on store shelves: mineral, spring, or healing. Water is certainly uneven, and the right choice for us depends on our individual health needs. For many people, mineral water will be a good choice. But for everyone? In today’s article, we will answer what water to drink.

Why do you need to drink water?

Water accounts for about 75% of the total human body weight. It is located in every cell of our body, and thanks to its presence, all processes necessary for proper functioning can take place. Without food, we can survive even a month, while only a few days without water. The human body constantly expels excess water, so we can’t store it, and we need to supply it continuously. When expelling water from the body with urine, we eliminate toxins and metabolism products, which is why water is responsible for efficient detoxification. In addition, we get rid of water by sweating. This is crucial for maintaining adequate body temperature, protecting us from overheating. In addition, scientific research proves that regular water drinking supports metabolism and prevents overweight and obesity.

How much water should we drink?

There is no one answer to this question. First, it is worth focusing on what and how it affects individual water demand. The basis is the differences between people – men, tall people with higher body weight usually have a larger volume of circulating blood and a larger body surface area, which affects the higher water demand. So, how much we should drink depends on body weight, height, and gender. These parameters do not change significantly after reaching adulthood. However, the water demand may differ significantly from day to day, and the current state of health and climate determine this, as temperature and physical activity.
According to current recommendations, sufficient water consumption by adults is about 2 liters for women and 2.5 liters for men.

Symptoms of dehydration

The first sign of mild dehydration is a feeling of desire. The most common later symptoms include dry mouth, decreased body function, feeling hot and tired, dizziness, and headache. To prevent them, you must regularly supply water to your body, even if you do not feel thirsty yet.

Water selection

When choosing water, we should be guided mainly by the degree of its mineralization. According to the definition, mineral water is “groundwater extracted with one or more natural or drilled holes, differing from water intended for human consumption by its original chemical and microbiological purity and characteristic stable mineral composition, and in certain cases also properties having physiological significance, causing beneficial effects on human health”. Therefore, water is divided due to their degree of mineralization:

  • Low mineralized waters: up to 500mg of minerals per liter,
  • Medium mineralized waters: from 500mg to 1500mg of minerals per liter,
  • highly mineralized waters: over 1500mg of minerals per liter.

Therefore, when buying water, look at the inscription on the ” mineral ” label. You need to be more; you should pay attention to its degree of mineralization and choose water suited to your needs. Depending on possible deficiencies, choosing them individually for specific electrolytes is worth choosing high-flux, high-magnesium, low-sodium, or other waters. In contrast, people struggling with heartburn or stomach ulcers should watch out for carbonated waters that irritate the mucosa.

If calcium deficiencies occur, water with a calcium content above 200 mg / l, magnesium, and water with a magnesium content above 80 mg / l is recommended. In contrast, people with stomach pH problems should drink water with bicarbonate content above 1300 mg / l. During increased sweating, i.e., during hot weather or exercise, choosing water with increased sodium content is good.

Another type of mineral water is healing water, which contains very high levels of soluble minerals in the right proportions. By design, these are waters for immediate use in the event of electrolyte deficiency or during the occurrence of the disease entities concerned. Therefore, you should not drink them every day, but only for a short period, preferably after consulting a doctor or dietitian. Healing waters can be a great complement to therapy. Drinking water well suited to our health and preferences can be very helpful in therapy or diet.

There is another type of water – spring water. However, they do not have such a stable and rich composition as mineral water. Thus – we will provide the body with only clean water, without additional benefits in the form of minerals.

Tap water.

However, we often need to remember the cheapest possibility, i.e., tap water. Research shows that it is safe from a microbiological point of view, and you do not have to worry that it will hurt you. If we are disturbed by the taste and smell of tap water, all we have to do is filter it properly. It’s good to know that our filter should be activated carbon. Using the right filters for water will help remove unwanted substances, positively improving taste and smell. Tap water usually has a similar degree of mineralization as spring water.

In hot weather, providing the body with enough water is very important. Consuming mineral water is most often recommended, but everyone has better choices. Let’s pay attention to our individual needs and read the water labels carefully to avoid buying water with unnecessary additives. Unfortunately, we can often find water-faking drinks on the shelves in the water, which contain additional substances and sugar.