The importance of drinking water:

You might ask "What's so important about water. I know I drink it everyday. It's just common sense". The average person's body is made up 60% to 70% of water. This fact alone should tell you how important it is.

However, for one thing most people don't drink enough. They rely on drinking soft drinks or coffee to get their fluid intake. Studies have recently concluded that the average person in most western countries does not drink enough water. This can have both short and long term effects on the body.

How much should I drink?

Most people should drink at least 7 to 10 average sized glasses of water each day. Many people do not drink enough water and the consequences of this can be severe. People often think that drinking cups of tea, coffee or even alcohol makes up for not drinking water. This is incorrect. Instead of quenching your thirst these drinks can actually make you feel more thirsty.

Hangovers

One of the causes of a hangover is not enough water. Its amazing how often a hangover can be avoided by simply drinking a good sized glass of water before going to bed.

Constipation

Constipation is a sure sign of not enough water and is a good indicator that you should drink more. Lets face it, the main substance in the body is water. Not drinking enough water means the body has to take water from somewhere to try to digest foods and carry out the various chemical reactions that take place within the body. This then upsets the balance and can harm other parts and make you feel uncomfortable.

Impurities in water

In this modern age it is a sad fact that water quality can often be quite poor. In many countries of the world, even western countries, it is not safe to drink normal tap water.

More and more reports come out in the mainstream press about the impurities in water such as chlorine, farm fertilizers and now even more dangerously man made drugs such as female contraceptive chemicals and even prozac. The long term side effects of this have not been studied well enough yet, but already there is reduced male sperm counts in many countries. The new chemicals in our water supplies can't just be a coincidence.

So what can you do about this?

Spring/bottled water

Many people drink bottled water. This is usually much better than drinking tap water. Make sure that the level of dry solids are not too high and try to avoid water with a higher than average sodium content.

Distilled water

Many people decide to buy a distilled water maker. Whilst this is safe to drink it should not be drunk continuously over a long period of time. Distilled water is empty water and it will help to draw out the toxins from the body. However prolonged usage will leach vital minerals and vitamins from the body.

Anyone drinking distilled water for a prolonged period of more than a few days should very definitely take mineral and vitamin supplements but we do not recommend drinking this permanently. It's far better to drink this a few times a day as well as drinking normal filtered water whilst ensuring you get all the vitamins and minerals your body needs either from your diet or by using a supplement as well.

Fizzy water

Many people enjoy fizzy water but studies show that prolonged drinking of fizzy water and soft drinks can create problems for the body. Basically, fizzy drinks contain carbon dioxide in the bubbles. The body needs and requires oxygen and most carbon dioxide in the body is considered a waste product to be eliminated. Why add to the body's troubles by drinking carbon dioxide which the body regards as a poison? The occasional fizzy drink is fine but do not make it a habit. One of the most inaccurately named products sold by the large companies are the so called "healthy fizzy drink" products. Health and fizz do not go together!

Filtered Water

Check whether tap water in your area is safe to drink. If it is safe we suggest you also filter the water before drinking. This will help to eliminate some of the toxins found in most water supplies. There are many simple charcoal filtering systems you can buy. You can keep it simple and just use a filtering jug or get a system fitted to the main water supply in your home.