drink water
drink water : Water : a food?
Since it contains no protein, carbohydrate or fat, the water is not a food. It does not provide raw energy. By cons, water is essential to life. It is through water that the body can use the energy in food.
Why drink water?
The body is composed of 60% to 70% water, depending on the morphology. After oxygen, water is the most important element for life. This water is essential to all life processes. The fluids cover almost all areas of our body.
The water :
Maintains the volume of blood and lymph; Provides saliva that can swallow food; Serves as a lubricant for the joints and eyes; Maintains the body temperature; Allows the chemical reactions in the cells; Allows the absorption and transport of nutrients ingested; Allows the brain neurological activity; Provides skin hydration; Eliminates waste digestion and various metabolic processes.
How much water to drink?
In a temperate climate, an average person spends more than 2 liters of body water a day. Indeed, the body loses more than one liter per day of body water through urine, and the same amount through the sweat, feces and respiration (as revealed by the mist on a mirror placed near the mouth ).
Water losses are more important in the following cases :
in hot weather; during physical activity; while breastfeeding; in case of illness.
Each person thus has water needs of its own, given its size, the climate in which it lives and lifestyle.
To assess these needs, the Clinic Mayo, the United States, offers three approaches that take into account that our diet also provides water, especially fruits and vegetables, for many, are composed of more than 80 % water. These measures serve scales. They are not based on accurate scientific data.
Drink water: why and how the replacement?. Assess the amount of urine excreted per day (one liter and a half in an adult) and add a liter of water to the spent body metabolism (moderately active person). The loss is 2 liters and a half. As food supplies on average 20% of our water needs, there is 2 liters to recover. It is found in the broth, hot and cold drinks and, of course, in drinking water.
The eight glasses of water a day: a myth. It is more than eight glasses of water or other liquids: juices, broths, hot drinks, etc. Drinks other than water contribute to total water intake. Each glass is the equivalent of one cup (8 oz), giving a total of approximately 2 liters.
The nutritional recommendation. In the US, the Institute of Medicine recommends that men drink daily 3 liters of drink and women 2.2 liters.
For its part, the nutritionist Hélène Baribeau formulates its recommendations to its clients « To someone who does not exercise, men and women, I suggest to drink six to eight cups of water, or 1, 5-2 liters. People who do not eat a lot of fruits and vegetables should be consumed 2 liters. As for the people who make intensive training which causes sweating, I say to take an extra liter for one hour of exercise. »
When to drink?
« Do not rely on thirst to signal to decide to drink, said Hélène Baribeau. When it is active, we have time to lose a lot of water before you feel thirsty. We must therefore make a habit of drinking throughout the day. »
Is it better not to drink during meals? Nothing against it in the scientific literature. According to Hélène Baribeau, the only constraint is that it can cause discomfort because of the volume in the stomach. The important thing is to drink enough. If a person likes to drink moderately while eating, it should not go without.
However, pregnant women with problems of nausea and vomiting can reduce their discomfort by avoiding drinking just before meals, during or just après.
According to the precepts of the Chinese diet, drink a cup of warm water after a meal aids digestion. Hélène Baribeau did not see the need. « If you need a digestive aid, she said, adding lemon to the water to increase acidity. But water alone will have no effect. »
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