Water, Water, and More Water

We have all read or heard about drinking eight glasses of water each day. And each one of those glasses contain 8 ounces for a grand total of 64 ounces, or 2 quarts of water daily.

I usually manage about 5 glasses each day. I also drink 2-3 cups of tea which when added to the water makes the recommend daily fluid amount.

Food also contains water, and that can be counted towards the daily total.

Some of them are obvious, like watermelons and tomatoes.

But did you know that a banana and an egg each have the same percentage of water in them? Surprisingly, the banana is 75% water and the egg is 74%. That is a lot more that I would have guessed.

Even whole grains and cooked legumes contain water which can be counted towards the total.

The human body is considered to be 60% water. The muscles contain 75%, the blood contains 95%, the bones contain 22%, and the fat contains 14%.

I was surprised to find that the fat cells don't really contain much water - the fatty areas on the body seem so jiggly - like they have more water. No wonder it is so hard to get rid of this solid stuff.

If you find it hard to get your water each day here are a few suggestions:

• keep a glass or bottle next to you at all times
• when you go out, carry a bottle with you
• get it through the foods you eat

To make it more appealing, you can add a spritz of lemon, lime, or orange.

Gelatin counts too, as do soups and milk.

Sugar filled sodas and fruit juices are not worth the fluid that is in them.

All natural juice and sugar-free soda would be a better choice.

By drinking cold water, it forces your body to use calories to warm it up to your body temperature.

Anything that burns calories is all right by me.

One word about water though - it is possible to drink too much. The blood stream becomes diluted with too much fluid which puts a strain on your heart and blood vessels.

It also forces the kidneys to work overtime, putting undue stress on them which causes damage.

Using common sense to sip water through out the course of the day is what nature intended for our bodies.

And remember - keep it cold!