Importance of Water in a Diet

As humans, we have a great need for water every day for sustaining life and health. The importance of water in your diet can't be understated. For people who are working to lose weight, water is an essential helper.

Water's Function

According to MayoClinic.com, your body is about 60 percent water. Water flushes toxins from your body, carries nutrients to cells and provides moisture for the delicate tissues of your ears, nose and throat.

Additionally, Dr. F. Batmanghelidj writes in Water: For Health, for Healing, for Life, that water acts as a joint lubricant, helps keep your brain functioning properly, reduces the effects of aging by keeping skin smoother and clearer, and increases the efficiency of your immune system.

Aside from health benefits, water serves as a valuable tool for weight loss because it contains no calories and helps keep the stomach feeling full and the digestive system moving well.

Tap or Bottled Water?

If you're worried about whether you should drink tap or bottled water because one might not be as good for you as the other, stop worrying. Both are fine, assuming you live in a country that has modern water purification systems.

According to a study conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council, there is no assurance that bottled water is any more or less safe than tap water. In fact, about 25 percent of bottled water is tap water that may or may not have received further filtration.

Signs of Dehydration

Regardless of whether you use tap or bottled water, you must be sure to get enough water every day to avoid dehydration, which can cause electrolyte abnormalities, shock, coma and kidney failure if it becomes severe. The signs of dehydration include headache, thirst, decreased urination, muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, dry eyes and lightheadedness.

How Much Water do You Need?

The amount of water needed in your diet will depend on your lifestyle and your health. Generally, a healthy adult needs about 2 liters of beverages each day. This equals a little more than eight 8-oz. glasses per day, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Your water requirement will increase if you exercise heavily, are pregnant or nursing, are ill, or live in a very hot and humid climate.

How to Drink More Water

Considering the amount of water needed in your diet, you might be alarmed to find that you don't drink as much as you should. If you want to increase your water intake, try the following:

1) Carry a bottle of water with you when you run errands and do daily activities outside the home.
2) Keep a glass or bottle of water at your work desk.
3) After you urinate, drink a glass of water to replenish your system.
4) Add a squeeze of lemon or lime juice to your water to give it some flavor.
5) Drink a glass of water with each meal.