Why do we need to increase our fluid intake?
The answer is simple but tricky. It is simple in a way that you are 60% water, but tricky because some drinks do not necessarily contribute to your daily intake. Some sugary beverages can even inhibit your body from absorbing sufficient fluid.
On average, an adult male needs to take 15.5 cups of fluids (3.7 liters), and 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) for women, daily. Safe to say that our body practically requires proper hydration, or else it would have a hard time doing its primary and secondary functions. The brain needs at least 1.5 liters per day to function optimally. When we get dehydrated, it loses its efficiency, affecting our long and short-term memory functions. What was I saying again? Oh, right, drink water!
When we get dehydrated, it loses its efficiency, affecting our long and short-term memory functions.
There is a long list of health benefits of proper hydration. But let’s talk about the verb this time – hydrate. That sounds like an easy thing to do. Well, it is, in principle. But maybe not if you are one out of ten people who still do not have access to potable water. So, before we focus on hydration, let’s briefly check where we are at in terms of our sources.
“Water is an extremely important resource that we cannot live without. But there are Filipinos who are still being left behind in terms of access to improved water sources, especially in rural communities,” said Dr. Gundo Weiler, WHO Representative in the Philippines.
Water is a human right and a commodity.
When an essential resource becomes scarce, two things could happen: Some people would have to buy commoditized water, contributing to plastic waste, while others will resort to drinking unsafe water.
In 2018, it was reported that 44% of the population prefers to drink bottled fluid or those coming from water-refilling stations in fear of drinking something unsafe or contaminated.
So, while it may be easily accessible for most of the population, some of us are still facing struggles in obtaining sufficient, safe, and clean water supply to stay hydrated, leading to various health problems.
Our bodies lose water when they evaporate through our skin, when our lungs breathe, urinate, or when we sweat. It is vital to replenish the lost fluids in the body to allow us to run errands, go to work, and function on a tiptop level. Sufficient fluid that gets in the body ensures that our body will do what it is expected to do.
Sufficient water that gets in the body ensures that our body will do what it’s expected to do.
Staying hydrated, of course, does not only make us move and pretty much do everything we do. It also helps in fighting off certain diseases. Energy drinks and some fruit drinks may also help ensure we get enough fluids in the body. The only problem here is that they contain sugar that may also cause dehydration.
We’d sound like a broken record here, but water is essential to our body. Safe and clean water is vital in nation-building. While our resources are scarce, we should never forget that staying hydrated is the most basic way of taking care of ourselves and our families. Take it when you have it. Drink your water.
