Water is essential for the survival and health of the human body. Approximately 60% of the human body is made up of water which is constantly lost through sweat, evaporation, urination, and other normal bodily functions. This lost water must be replenished daily to maintain good health.
If you do not drink enough water, you will quickly become dehydrated which can cause many health problems including:
* Headaches
* Weakness
* Constipation
* Dry skin
* Weight gain
* Ulcers
And, that’s just to name a few! Water is essential for your health. Every system in your body is dependent on water to function properly. If you become dehydrated you may end up hospitalized. Severe dehydration can even cause death.
How much water do I need?
According to the National Institutes of Health, the amount of water you need to drink depends on many factors including your age, activity level, and the climate you live in. A good rule of thumb is 8 glasses of water a day. If you feel thirsty often, are not urinating regularly or your urine is not colorless, those are good signs that you aren’t drinking enough water.
But, I don’t like water…
Some people just don’t like the taste of water. While drinking pure water has many benefits, including being calorie-free, all beverages include water and help keep you hydrated. You can stay hydrated on calorie-free beverages, or by adding calorie-free flavoring to water.
It may also be that you don’t like the taste of your water because, well, it just tastes bad. If you are drinking well water or city water, it may be contaminated. This contamination isn’t necessarily toxic or a problem, but it can make water taste or smell bad.
If your water tastes bad, don’t give up on water! Just drink better quality water.
How can I find water that doesn’t taste bad?
One option is drinking bottled water. Distilled or purified water are the best choices for taste. Avoid bottled water labeled “drinking water” because it’s just bottled tap water. Spring water, depending on the source, can also be a good option.
Bottled water has the added advantage of being convenient, but it can be quite expensive. According to the National Resources Defense Council we spend 240 to 10,000 times more money for a gallon of bottled water than tap water. For this reason, another viable option to consider is treating your tap water.
The water that comes out of your tap is from a well or a municipal source. Often the contaminants in the sources do not make the water unsafe, but can dramatically affect the taste. For instance, city water often tastes of the chlorine that is used to disinfect it. Also, naturally occurring contaminants like minerals can affect the taste of both well and city water. A high percentage of homes in America have what’s called “hard water”—water that contains a high content of minerals.
Water can be treated to purify it, and in the case of hard water, soften it. Treatment can result in dramatically better tasting water. A wide variety of water filtration and softening systems are available to treat water by the bottle, tap, or the whole home. For the best results, test your water first to determine what might be causing your water to taste bad and identify the best solution. Install appropriate treatment or filtration systems, or water softener alternatives that can be purchased online or at local home improvement stores, and just taste the difference!
Want to stay healthy? Sit back with a tall, refreshing glass of water and enjoy!
Leave a Reply