11 Health Benefits of Drinking Water

Technologies may have evolved, but our basic needs as humans remain the same. Food and water are still the most essential for survival. Drinking enough water a day can help you with up to 5% of your weight loss and increase your metabolism.

However, if you had to take just one to survive, the latter is a better choice. A person can go 3-4 weeks without food, but won’t last a week without water. It’s because our body is made up of 60% water. Ninety percent of our body weight comes from fluids. Thus, experiencing severe dehydration can be fatal.

But don’t put down the water bottle or glass for now. Although we may not need eight glasses of water, there are many reasons to drink water. In fact, drinking water is very important to your health. When the body fluid is insufficient, the brain activates the body’s thirst mechanism. Unless you are taking drugs that make you thirsty, you should listen to these signals and drink water.

There are lots of benefits to simply drinking water. To give you an idea, here are some benefits you can get from drinking water:

1. Flush wastes through urination

Drinking water flushes away toxins such as excess sugar and salt from our bodies as well as other electrolytes. These toxins get discharged during urination. Some people may find it annoying to urinate often, but, honestly, it is the easiest way to detoxify our bodies. This is one of the best ways to get into better health.

2. Aids in Nutrient Absorption

Water helps in dissolving vitamins and minerals from the food we eat. It also helps in transporting the broken-down nutrients throughout our body. Apple cider vinegar may help even further nutrient absorption.

3. Helps Prevent Illnesses

As mentioned above, drinking plenty of water eliminates various toxins from the body, hence, preventing illnesses from occurring. Examples of these illnesses are:

• hypertension
• urinary tract infection (UTI)
• exercise-induced asthma
• constipation
• headache

4. Dilutes kidney stones

Kidneys work nonstop in filtering out a variety of compounds from urine. Water helps in keeping blood vessels open for the kidney to freely deliver toxic wastes.

Kidneys are also prone to forming crystal clumps or stones when there are excessive toxic materials passing through them. Drinking plenty of water helps in diluting these clumps and flush them out through urination.

5. Aids in Weight Loss

Drinking water, instead of flavored drinks, aids in weight loss. Aside from the fact that water contains zero calories, drinking it before or after meals leave a feeling of fulness.

This results in a lesser food intake. Moreover, drinking plenty of water supports faster metabolism – an ideal feat for those who aim to reduce weight. Some research has proven that people that drink more water and apple cider vinegar are less hungry. Sometimes our body will think we are hungry but it’s only water deficiency.

An investigation of overweight ladies analyzed the impacts of expanding water admission to more than 1 liter each day. They tracked down that over a year time span, this brought about an additional 2.1 kg of weight reduction.

6. Relieves Stress and Improves Brain Function

Dehydration of about 1-3% can affect brain function. A study shows that young women who lost 1.36% of the water in the body after an exercise decreased their concentration, triggered a change in mood, and experienced headaches. It’s advised to drink more water during stressful and stamina-consuming activities.

7. Makes Skin Healthier

Some chemicals in our blood make the skin dull. Along with water, these chemicals are released when we perspire. Also, a good amount of water in the body makes the skin plump and prevents wrinkles and fine lines. Good blood circulation also makes the skin glow.

8. Aids in Digestion

Enough water and fiber-rich nutrients promote better digestion. Fiber collects impurities in the gastrointestinal tract, making the stool firmer. The water easily washes away the stool and helps keep a regular bowel movement.

9. Balances Fluids in the Body

Our body comprises 60% fluid. Drinking enough water helps the mobilization of nutrients, temperature regulation, saliva production, and digestion. Losing only 2-3% of your water content in the body would manifest effects such as dizziness and drying of the mouth. Keep your water intake on track.

If you think you need to drink more water, here are some tips to increase your fluid intake and reap the benefits of water:

• Drink a glass every time you eat snacks and meals.
• Choose the drink you like; if you like its taste, you may drink more of it.

Is water the only option to stay hydrated? No, you don’t need to rely on water alone to meet your liquid needs. What you eat also accounts for a large part. For example, many fruits and vegetables, such as watermelon and spinach, contain almost 95 to 98% water by weight.

A quick recipe to drink plenty of water the day

• 250 ml of cold water
• 1 tbsp of lemon juice concentrate or half of a small lemon
• 1/2 tsp of apple cider vinegar (optional)

1. Mix those ingredients and enjoy the most beneficial drink you can have for weight loss and increased health.

Conclusion

In most cases, clean water is highly accessible. Drinking clean water provides more health benefits than what most beverage products claim in their nutrition facts. Coupled with good eating habits and a balanced diet, drinking water highly impacts benefits on human health.

Drink more water and lessen your sugar intake. Good health doesn’t require high food standards. Drinking plenty of water a day gets the job done. For more ways to get healthy, check out our ketogenic diet article.