Do You Get Enough Fluids In Your Diet?

Most diet mistakes are : putting an emphasis on weight loss center solely on the food you eat. Often overooked is the fact that in any excellent and well-balanced diet fluids are performing a major role. It’s a fact well know to runners, but anyone interested in excellent health can practice the same principles.

About 60% of the human body is water, muscle tissue nearly 70%. An enormous range of biochemical responses inside cells and out require water. Add these facts together and it’s clear that water is essential. No surprise, there. But what might be is how simple it is to have a shortfall.

Effects of Dehydration.

To rely on your body to “tell” you, you require water because you’re thirsty is not enough. After only a 3% weight loss from water deprivation your body temperature will start to raise, the heart rate will increase and decreased motor performance sets in.

In a cool environment, even when you are at rest, your body will lose about 2-3 liters in a day. If you’re active, the number advances to between 3-6 liters. On a hot day, during vigorous activity, the number can be as high as 10 liters. That’s about 3 gallons of water in one day.

It’s preferable to hydrate in advance. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, that amounts to about 17 ounces (500 ml) every 2 hours for 24 hours prior to any vigorous workout. Another 7-10 ounces (about 200-300 ml) each 20 minutes during workout is also advocated.

But many so-called sports drinks are chock full of sugar. A small bit of simple sugar isn’t terrible. It can even be beneficial. But a bottle of sports drink that is really just soda without the bubbles isn’t helpful. Keep that type to a minimum.

Fruit juices can be an excellent way of getting essential fluid. But keep in mind that drinks with carbs slow the body’s rate of absorption of water. Here too, the amount of sugar needs to be monitored.

Caffeine in itself is not unhealthy per se. As a matter of fact, when taken in moderation caffeine has shown to have certain health benefits. In addition it act as a diuratic. I other words your urine output will be increased and thus encourage dehydration..

Just as caffeine alcohol can really have health benefits; when consumed in moderation. I.e. the hops in beer has excellent documented health benefits. But again, they have a disposition to dehydrate you. Therefore neither alcohol nor caffeine are a replacement for your daily water intake.