In order for our body to remain in perfect health and working order, it is necessary to keep it hydrated. Being hydrated means maintaining the fluid balance in our body; this is between 60% and 70% water in adults, dependant on gender and age.
The human body cannot store water, and we lose water throughout the day, which means that we need to drink water regularly to maintain that balance.
Do I Really Need to Drink Water to Hydrate?
Many individuals think that just because they do drink many other liquids during the day that is enough, and they don’t need to still drink water as well. Unfortunately that is not strictly true, as even though most liquids do hydrate one to a point, some others actually dehydrate us.
The following drinks are weak hydrators:
Milk: Milk is a food not a drink, and it is generally infrequently fully digested by adults. Whey is very easily digested but contains diuretic properties so should not be consumed on a daily basis.
Alcoholic Beverages: Alcohol actually dehydrates you as it removes water from the tissues, drying them out and creating more of a need for water in the body.
Coffee, Tea, and Cocoa: Coffee, black tea and cocoa-based drinks are all high in purines, which are toxins that must be eliminated from the body via sweating or urinating. Purines must be diluted in large quantities of water in order to be evacuated without irritation, which means that the majority of water consumed with these drinks is utilised to eliminate the toxins they contain, so virtually no hydrating takes place.
The following drinks are strong hydrators:
Herbal Teas (Infusions): The leaves from the linden, balm, verbena, and mint plants add great flavour and aroma when they are steeped in hot water, and have medicinal properties too, which means that they do not have any negative effects on the body’s assimilation of the water and therefore make a satisfying alternative to drinking plain water. It is important to note however that this does not include plants which have diuretic properties such as dandelion, or sweet infusions.
Fruit and Vegetable Juices: The juices in fruit and vegetables is essentially water provided by nature for hydration, however this water is bound to a substance, notably a nutrient or sugar, so while fruit and vegetable juice is hydrating, it should not form the major resource for hydration. Note that this only refers to 100% pure fruit and vegetable juice.
Water: Water is the superior beverage for correctly hydrating the human body. Pure filtered drinking water such as that from a water cooler is the best as it contains no toxins or harmful substances and will hydrate the body fully.
If you want to keep your body fully hydrated, in good health and optimal working condition, a minimum of 70% of your daily fluid intake should be plain water. Invest in a office water cooler that offers easily access to pure filtered drinking water virtually 24/7. A water cooler will not only encourage you to drink more water, but also others in the vicinity, thereby improving everyone’s health.
