Water: H2Ohh How We Love It. And It Loves Us.
As the temps make their way to the century mark – and humidity levels right in step with it – what better time than now to talk about the health benefits of water — and there are lots of them.
Going beyond 8 glasses a day.
“Water for Health, for Healing, for Life” – a fascinating book by Dr. Fereydoon Batmanghelidj — heralds the natural healing powers of water.
In the book, Dr. Batmanghelidj states that blood in a fully hydrated body is normally about 94% water. And you guessed it, when a body is not fully hydrated, blood is thicker, which means it’s flowing slower and is harder to pump. This is not a good thing for our hard-working veins that already have a heck of a job defying gravity and pumping blood back up from the legs to the heart.
Another interesting study from the University of Michigan Health System is the The Healing Foods Pyramid™, which lists water as the base — the most essential “food” our bodies need.
Though we don’t think of water as a food per se, it is included in the Healing Foods Pyramid because it plays a vital role in creating the balance that comes from eating a whole-foods, plant-based diet. Water’s superpowers are many, but if losing weight, keeping varicose veins at bay and more energy sound good to you – well then, drink up!
Are you dehydrated and don’t even know it?
According to Dr. Batmanghelidj, 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. Some in the healthcare field argue against that number, but as we live in one very hot, very humid place, the best advice is to be smart about your hydration. According to the Institute of Medicine, men should drink roughly 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day. And women should drink 2.2. liters (about 9 cups) total beverages per day.
And by “beverages” they mean anything that comes in liquid form — so bring on that supersize iced tea! Of course, in the Texas’ heat, you need to bump that up and consume more to keep your motor from running to hot. But you knew that already.
If you aren’t in love yet with water already — we hope you’ll at least like — for the health of it!
References:
University of Michigan Health Systems — Integrative Medicine
Foods for Blood Circulation — Livestrong