Friday, March 13, 2009

Health Benefits of Drinking Water


Water! Something every person needs to think about seriously. We hear about it, and we think about, but do we really get the amount of water our bodies need every day? Most likely not. The average person drinks 2 quarts of water a day, our bodies need 4. Most people don't drink enough water and wait until they are thirsty. By the time we are thirsty, are body fluids are already depleted. I actually just recently learned this, but after the age 20, our bodies become less and less aware of the sensation of thirst, and we become dehydrated without even knowing. Pay specific attention if your exercising on a regular basis. Our organs could be screaming for water and not even know it. Water keeps our energy levels high and it actually helps our bodies to not feel sore after workouts.
Getting water from fruits that are high in water content also help a lot with the water intake. Fruit will also help fill up the stomach with low calories and gain tons of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients (nutrients that are important to the human health) to increase vitality. Most of the fruits that carry a lot of water content are also very high in fiber! Which is definitely a bonus!

You can always tell if your hydrated by your urine. If it's colorless, most likely your good and hydrated. When it becomes yellow, or even orange, the body is dehydrated and a part of the body is suffering for it. Here is a list of foods that are high in water content to help you out, also some health benefits of drinking water regularly.

-Lettuce (1/2 cup): 95% water by weight
-Watermelon (1/2 cup): 92% water by weight
-Broccoli (1/2 cup): 91% water by weight
-Grapefruit (1/2): 91% water by weight
-Milk (1 cup): 89% water by weight
-Orange juice (3/4 cup): 88% water by weight
-Carrot (1/2 cup): 87% water by weight
-Apple (1 medium): 84% water by weight
-Cottage Cheese, low-fat (1/2 cup): 79% water by weight
-Yogurt (1 cup): 75% water by weight
-Potato, baked with skin (1 medium): 71% water by weight
-Tuna, canned, drained (3 ounces): 70% water by weight

Health benefits of drinking water
regulate appetite
increase metabolism
boost energy levels
less water retention
alleviate some headaches
help reduce blood pressure
help reduce high cholesterol
ease joint pain
decrease in risk of some cancers
less chance developing kidney stones
release toxic waste products
improves skin

I hope this helps you to think about it more throughout the day. I would recommend to start buying water bottles. So you always have water by you, and always think to drink it!

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Um you have no idea who I am, but I found your blog by blog-stalking my other friends. (creepy kind of :)). I just really appreciate your knowledge. A lot of it is things that I have heard from my mom or others, but it always helps hearing it from an outside source. I am not diabetic, but I was not blessed with fabulous genes, which makes it crucial for me to exercise ALWAYS and eat healthy. I kind of 'fell off the wagon' for a while, but I have a new found determination. Your tips and ideas are amazing and I am looking forward to living a better lifestyle. So, mostly I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to write on this blog!

tracie said...

Love the advice on water! If Cardston water did not taste like mold I would probably drink more. I just need to start buying it I guess!

chelsey said...

Melissa! I love that your doing this! I've loved reading each post and find myself wanting to start doing all of it! Thanks for sharing all your tips and tricks...they are so helpful! Keep it up!

us said...

Hey Meliss! Did I mention i love your blog? Well I do! :) It always gets me pumped and motivated to be healthy. Hey, I just posted about some freebies for diabetics on my shopping blog. Go to this link http://shoppinghigh.blogspot.com/2009/03/more-goodies.html

the murdocks said...

LOVE THIS.