In summer water becomes the most priceless thing in the world for all of us. We will be in the water, drinking, bathing, having lemonades but still, we won’t be able to quench that prolonging thirst however hard we try. Do you agree with this my friends as I will be like this in summer? When I see water I will transform into Gollum, “My precious.” LOL. We will be hearing a lot of facts about how much water to drink and all but is everything true? Well, there are some myths in that too. Let’s see what are all the true facts and what are all the myths.
The true facts about water
1. Drinking eight glasses of water a day is necessary
This is indeed a true fact that on an average we need to drink at least eight glasses water in order to stay away from dehydration and other problems. However, if you cannot drink eight glasses of water correctly doctors suggest that to keep a general rule of drinking two to three liters of water a day.
2. Drinking water helps in weight loss
Although water doesn’t directly involve in reducing your weight, drinking water at regular intervals will keep you full thereby limiting the intake of food. But when you are extremely hungry having a glass of water will replenish your digestive system thereby prevents you from overeating.
3. Drinking water while eating will affect digestion
Doctors say that drinking water while eating will dilute the stomach enzymes which interferes the digestion process. Also, drinking water during meals will add more volume to the stomach which causes bloating and acid refluxes. Therefore it is advisable to drink water before having a meal and about 30 minutes after taking your meal. This will keep the digestive juices flowing.
4. Drinking water removes toxin from our body
Dr. Jasvinder Anand, Senior consultant, Internal Medicine, Medanta says that drinking water is essential for proper functioning of kidneys which are solely reliable on how much water we drink. The sufficient amount of drinking water will help in excluding Urea which is one of the major toxins in our body. Also, drinking enough water helps in preventing constipation problems and good bowel movement, and also water acts as a lubricant for the colon. Proper drinking of water will help in preventing digestive ailments.
These are some true facts about the amount of drinking water a day and what are the benefits that we get from drinking enough water. So, now let’s see some of the myths that we believed to be true but they are not.
Myths:
1. Water need decreases in winter season
Rupali Datta, a Delhi-based nutritionist says that this one of a major false belief. She says that even though we don’t feel thirsty in winter our body uses more energy to keep itself warm for which it requires hydration. The air in the winter is also much dry so we need to drink water in order to keep our mouths, throats, and noses moist. Also, our body loses one to two liters of water in urine, 500 ml in sweat, 300-400 ml while breathing in both summer and winter. Despite the seasonal changes our body will be functioning as normal and it is our duty to keep it hydrated.
2. Drinking water too much
Though drinking a lot of water in excess will not have any adverse effects on our body Dr. Ranjish Monga, Head of Gastrology, Gurgaon. Except for elderly people who have high blood pressure and on a low sodium diet can drink excess water only on a medical advice otherwise it will cause electrolyte imbalance. Otherwise drinking excess water at times is not a big problem.
3. All drinks are good for hydration
People often have the false assumption that having a cup of coffee or tea will hydrate the body and replaces the drinking of water. This is a false assumption studies shows. Often coffee or tea will make us expel more water from the body than usual. The biggest rascal is alcohol. Drinking alcohol not only causes often urination but also leads to vomiting and after effects are quite discomforting.
4. Drinking a liter of water early in the morning will keep our digestive system healthy
This is another false assumption and people should stop drinking a liter of water early in the morning immediate after waking up. This will lead to flushing out a whole lot of electrolytes on an empty stomach. But if you feel thirsty having a glass of water is just enough as anything more than that will be unnecessary.
5. You will dehydrate if you don’t drink enough water post workout
Nutritionists say dehydration occurs only when you lose 2% of your total body water. You can measure this by weighing yourself before and after workout sessions. If you are an athlete, bike racer then you will be needing 200 ml of water every 20 minutes in order to maintain the glycogen stores. Otherwise if you just workout only mildly a tender coconut or lemonade will balance the water need.
Most of the myths that I have mentioned was believed by me as true facts. So, let me know in the comment section which are the ones that you believed to be true and which are the myths that you believed. The right amount of drinking water will help us stay away from diseases.
Thanks for reading. 🙂