With our emphasis on nutrition I wanted to give a gentle reminder to myself and everyone else that one of the most important nutrients is also one of the most overlooked and that is water.
"Almost every fluid, with the exception of water and most non-diuretic botanical teas, causes dehydration. Notably, caffeine, alcohol, carbonated beverages, and juices can actually "rob" the body of water and needed electrolytes. Water is the single most important nutrient for optimal biochemistry and functioning."
On an average day the human body loses approximately 2.5 liters of water and extra water is needed during times of extra water loss. These can include; exercise and sweating, diarrhea, vomiting and diuretic use.
How much water should I drink? The old recommendation of 8 glasses of 8 ounces/day was easy to remember but not very sensible. If I am 6'2" 195 lbs and you are 5'2" 110 lbs we have different water needs. The easiest and most individual way to determine that is to take your body weight in pounds then divide by 2 and drink that amount of water in ounces daily. A 200 lb. person needs 100 ounces of water and a 100 lb. person needs 50 ounces of water.
When choosing water you can look to the blog posted on 3/28/2011 entitled "Water isn't just water".
Some information is from D. Weatherby, N.D. and S. Ferguson, N.D.: Clinical Laboratory Testing from a Functional Perspective.
