Water is really the most essential nutrient. It’s the first thing your body demands in times of starvation. While your body can store certain vitamins and minerals while it maintains carbohydrate, protein and fat deposits, the absence of water soon leads to life-threatening dehydration. So, why do we need water?
The role of water
Around 50-80 percent of our body weight is made up of water required for a whole host of functions including digestion, absorption of nutrients, and elimination of waste products via the kidneys. Even mild dehydration — the equivalent of losing as little as two percent of one’s body weight — can lead to a drop in mental and physical performance. So how to best stay hydrated?
Fluid recommendations
In individual terms, this is quite varied as hydration status differs from person to person. It’s affected by things like your kidney function and how much body water you lose each day, including those sweaty gym sessions. A good personal guide is to keep check on the colour of your urine which should be light or clear and not deep coloured. The official population guidelines set by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), which will be appropriate for the majority of adults, are that an adequate intake of fluids per day is:
Men: 2.6L or around 10 cups
Women: 2.1L or around eight cups
How much of the tally should be water?
For good health, it’s a great aim to drink six cups of water a day. The rest of your daily tally can be made up of caffeine-free beverages. Great choices if you’re watching your weight include soda and sparkling mineral waters, diet soft drinks, tonic water and herbal teas.
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