Author: Paula Kay Category: Health, Men's Health, Mental Health, Nutrition, Well-being, Weight Loss, Women's Health
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Why Water?  Here we explore why you must keep your body hydrated

If someone told you that there was a free liquid which could; increase your mental clarity, help make your skin softer and clearer, increase your stamina and even help you lose weight, do you think you would be interested?  Plain water is this multi-tasking wonder solution but still, the majority of us don’t appear to be getting enough of it.
 
Water is the body’s most important nutrient and it is involved in every bodily function.  It makes up over 50% of ones total body weight with human blood being about 92% water and the brain approximately 75%.
 
There are three ways we get water into our bodies.  We get it from the foods we eat, the fluids we drink, and as a by-product of metabolism.
 
Researchers at America’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center, led by Dr David Robertson, have shown that plain water – without any additives – does in fact have multiple unique physiological effects that many of us may not realise. These include; maintaining body temperature, detoxing our skin and organs, lubricating our joints and increasing the activity of the sympathetic nervous system.  This system is our ‘fight or flight reflex which raises alertness, blood pressure and energy expenditure or rather the ability to burn calories.  So quite literally, by remaining hydrated with water we can actually help the body to work off a few extra pounds.
 
Unknown to many, lack of water in the body or ‘dehydration’ promotes the increase of body fat.  Along with the sugar glycogen, water contributes to energy storage.  Without water, extra amounts of sugar remain in the bloodstream until reaching the liver, the extra sugar is stored as fat.  Your body takes water from inside cells in an effort to compensate for a dehydrated state, including fat cells. Less water in your fat cells means less mobilization of fat for energy.
 
One of the liver’s primary functions is to metabolize stored fat into energy.  The kidneys are responsible for filtering toxins, wastes, ingested water, and salts out of the bloodstream.  If you are dehydrated, the kidneys cannot function properly, and the liver must work overtime to compensate.  As a result, it metabolizes less fat.  The sensation of thirst is ones of the mechanisms the body employs to keep water at a constant and healthy level with bloating being another sign of lack of water in the system.
 
It is always better to drink pure water instead of fizzy drinks, tea, or coffee. These products actually increase your need for fluids because most contain caffeine, which is a diuretic.  Diuretics force out stored water along with certain essential nutrients.
 
If the body does not get enough water, it will react by pulling it from other places, including the blood.  This causes the closing of some smaller vessels (capillaries), making the blood thicker, more susceptible to clotting, and harder to pump through its system.  This can have serious implications in hypertension, high cholesterol, and heart disease.  Recent studies have also linked the lack of water to headaches, arthritis, and heartburn.
 
The body gets rid of water through the kidneys, skin, lungs and gastrointestinal tract.  When normal and healthy, the body maintains water at a constant level.
 
A common excuse for many people not drinking enough water is that they ‘do not like the ‘taste’ of water’.  Although water should be tasteless, to the water connoisseur, there are taste difference especially in regards to tap and good quality bottled spring water.  If the taste of water is a huge no no, with your fruit juice make your glass a ¼ water or even try infusing your water with strawberries, cucumber or mint.

Paula Kay is a Nutritionist and Formulator for luxury beauty brand SuperFoodLx Feel free to connect with her on Twitter or Facebook or for consultations; support@superfoodlx.com