The Five Essentials to Sustain Life: Water, Air, Food, Sleep, Shelter
We, as humans, need five essentials to sustain our lives. They are water, air, food, sleep, and shelter. Without just one of these essentials, the body will die. Some are more crucial than others but all are equally important. Today, we are going to focus on water. Did you know that the body can live up to three weeks with no food but normally, only approximately four days without water?
Why we need water
Sixty percent of the human body is made up of water. Seventy-five percent of the brain and heart are water. Sixty-four percent of our lungs are water. That means that the majority of the body’s vital organs consist of water. Water conducts electricity and the human body is a living, breathing, electric machine. Our bodies need water to make all the systems in our body run efficiently. How many of you would put 75% diesel and 25% gas in your truck and expect it to run well? Doesn’t it make sense that we need to replenish the body with water and not drinks filled with chemicals?
Symptoms and results of lack of water
When the body does not receive enough fluids a person experiences dehydration. Minor symptoms may include feeling thirsty or having a dry mouth. But dehydration can impact a person’s mood, concentration, cause headaches, cause insomnia, impair brain function, and even cause blurry vision. Many people when experiencing the emotional and mental symptoms would turn to medication or a remedy to treat these. But few realize that getting enough water each day is crucial to the health of your body and preventing these symptoms from occurring in the first place.
With severe dehydration, a person can have problems with the kidneys, blood pressure spikes, and even loss of consciousness. Therefore it is important to remedy dehydration as soon as possible to prevent health complications.
How to get water during the day
Try to drink at least 16 oz. of water when you wake up before having anything else. This helps to flush out any toxins collected during the night while the body is working to heal itself.
The daily water intake goal: ounce water for each pound that you weigh. Ex: If you weigh 200 lbs. you should drink at least 100 ounces of water each day. Remember, that is a goal. Adding in any extra water is better than none. Start slow and build up. Celebrate each small victory!
Drinking lemon in your water also a lot of health benefits:
1. Aids in flushing out toxins and cleanses the liver
2. Is high in Vitamin C
3. Prevents Oxidation-Lemons contain phytonutrients which protects cells from oxidation.
4. Contains potassium
5. Aids in digestion
Eating foods with a water content of over 75% is a great way to get extra water into the body. These include watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, peaches, oranges, celery, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, zucchini, yogurt, cabbage, cauliflower, bell peppers, cottage cheese.
What water is best
One question people ask is which water should I drink or what water is the best. Distilled or purified water removes almost all chemicals from water. Filtered water from the refrigerator is good but does not filter out many of the chemicals found in tap water. Water from the sink is low on the list but not all tap water is created equal. The tap water in my area is much better than some in larger cities. Believe it or not, some bottled spring waters aren’t so good either. In fact, the ones I tested were higher in chemicals than my tap water.
If you are curious about the amount of chemicals in your water, you can buy a water meter to test your water for under 15. You can also buy water filters that filter out even the worst contaminants from creeks, ponds, etc.
The takeaway is the body needs water to survive and any water, besides contaminated creek water, is better than no water. Drink your water and feel better!
Yours in Health,
Julie Dillon, TNC
Wellness Manager