Some people are in the habit of turning on the tap in the morning to fill a glass with tap water to drink. This is incorrect. The tap water that has been stagnant in the faucet and pipes overnight can undergo a hydration reaction with the metal pipe walls and the faucet's metal chamber, leading to metal-contaminated water. Furthermore, residual microorganisms in the tap water can multiply. This type of water contains a large amount of substances harmful to the human body and may even harbor an acute respiratory infectious pathogen that threatens human health—Legionella.
Therefore, the first water that flows out of the tap in the morning is undrinkable stagnant water. People with this habit should correct it immediately to avoid harming their health.
2、Stale Boiled Water
After boiled water has been left standing for a long time, its nitrogen-containing organic compounds will continuously decompose into nitrites. Especially for boiled water that has been stored for an extended period, bacterial contamination is inevitable, which accelerates the decomposition of nitrogen-containing organic compounds and leads to the formation of even more nitrites. Drinking this water causes nitrites to combine with hemoglobin, affecting the blood's oxygen transport function.
Therefore, the leftover water in a thermos that has been boiled multiple days, or water that has been boiling on a stove for a very long time, has had its composition altered and is no longer drinkable. You should drink water that has been boiled once and is not older than 24 hours.
In addition, bottled or桶装 (barreled) purified water and mineral water should not be stored for too long. Large bottles or barrels of purified water and mineral water should not be consumed after 3 days. 3、Salt Water
Some believe drinking light salt water is beneficial to health and thus drink it upon waking. This understanding is mistaken. While it is true that drinking light salt water is beneficial for replenishing fluids after sweating in the summer, for morning hydration, it is not only unhelpful but also a harmful practice.
Physiological research suggests that during a full night's sleep, a person does not drink a single drop of water, yet breathing, sweating, and urination continue, consuming a significant amount of water. Upon waking in the morning, the blood is in a concentrated state. Drinking a certain amount of plain water can quickly dilute the blood and correct the hyperosmolar dehydration from the night. Drinking salt water, on the other hand, would worsen the hyperosmolar dehydration, making one feel even more thirsty. Moreover, morning is the first peak of elevated blood pressure for the body, and drinking salt water would push the blood pressure even higher, endangering health.
4、Beverages
The first cup of water in the morning should preferably not be commercially available juices, colas, sodas, coffee, or milk. Most carbonated drinks like sodas and colas contain citric acid, which accelerates calcium excretion during metabolism and reduces calcium levels in the blood. Long-term consumption can lead to calcium deficiency. Other beverages have a diuretic effect; drinking them in the morning not only fails to effectively replenish the body's needed fluids but also increases the body's demand for water,反而 causing dehydration.
Fruit juice, milk, and coffee are also not suitable as the first drink in the morning because these substances cannot provide the water the body needs most at that time. They also force the digestive system to work in a state of dehydration, which is not good for health.
Therefore, everyone must remember for their own health that the four types of water mentioned above should not be drunk upon waking in the morning.
Today, more and more people are paying attention to drinking water, but very few truly know how to drink it properly. Drinking without regard to time, content, or thought... only proves you are drinking water, but not necessarily the right water. In an era when taking care of one's body has become a trend, something as simple as drinking water has become a profound science. 5、Hydrating Before Meals is Best for the Stomach
Do you need to hydrate before a meal? Won't that dilute stomach acid and affect digestion? Western meals have an appetizer course; its purpose is to stimulate the appetite, lubricate the esophagus, and prepare for the meal. Similarly, hydrating before a meal has the same meaning. Before eating solid food, first drink a small glass (about 100 ml) of room-temperature juice, yogurt, warm rock sugar chrysanthemum water, light tea, or a small bowl of rich appetizer soup. All are excellent ways to nourish the stomach.
6、Drink More "Invisible" Water
Some people seem to drink no water all day, but that's because they get enough water from their food. Food also contains water; for example, rice is 60% water, and congee (rice porridge) is even richer in water. Looking at a food composition chart, it's not hard to see that vegetables and fruits generally contain over 70% water. Even if you only eat 500 grams of fruits and vegetables, you can get 300-400 ml of water (that's two glasses!). Furthermore, daily diets often include a mix of solid and liquid foods, so obtaining 1500-2000 ml of water from three meals is not difficult. Take the opportunity to replenish fluids during meals by choosing more fruits, vegetables, and unsalty soups and congee for good hydration effects.
7、Remember "Diuretic" Foods
So-called "diuretic" foods are those that increase the body's excretion of water. For example, watermelon, coffee, and tea contain diuretic components that promote urine formation in the kidneys. Whole grains, vegetables, and fruits contain dietary fiber, which binds a large amount of water in the intestines, increasing stool weight. Spicy and irritating components can promote the dilation of capillaries on the skin's surface, causing profuse sweating and loss of surface moisture. Both replenishing and eliminating water are means to achieve the body's fluid balance.
8、Chugging Water is Unrelated to Beauty
When the body lacks water, the skin can appear dry and dull. Drinking too little water can also lead to dry stools, constipation, and even small pimples. However, the effect of simply replenishing water on skin quality and complexion is limited. Yet, many fortified beverages now use a "beauty" angle. For instance, a dairy-based drink containing Vitamin B6 claims to "make skin smooth and tender," and many such "beauty vitamin" drinks are now available. Standard nutrition textbooks do not mention its beautifying effects. Fortunately, consuming more of it is not dangerous and may even help prevent coronary heart disease, so it can be considered harmless.
9、"Killer" in Water
Boiled tap water may contain high-chlorine compounds that are carcinogenic. If left for a long time (e.g., overnight), the water quality can "age."
Nowadays, various types of home water treatment devices have emerged, similar to the once-popular mineral water pitchers. Such equipment has subsequent maintenance issues, just like water dispensers, and can become a source of secondary water contamination.
10、The Science of Sports Drinks
You should not replenish with plain water or high-concentration fruit juice before or after intense exercise; you should use sports drinks. Sports drinks should contain a small amount of sugar, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and various water-soluble vitamins to replenish what the body loses and needs during exercise. Drinking plain water can dilute the blood and cause a sharp increase in sweating, further worsening dehydration. The high sugar concentration in juice can delay the time it takes for the stomach to empty, causing stomach discomfort during exercise. The specially designed concentration of minerals and sugar in sports drinks prevents these adverse reactions. The temperature of a sports drink also matters; too high is not good for lowering body temperature for heat dissipation, and too cold can cause gastrointestinal cramps. It should generally be served cool, with a temperature around 10°C.
11、Beware of Sour Drinks
Many fruit juice drinks use citric acid as a flavoring agent. Consuming too much citric acid means a large amount of organic acid suddenly enters the body. When the intake exceeds the body's capacity to process acid, it can disrupt the body's pH balance, leading to acidosis and causing fatigue and drowsiness. This is especially true in midsummer, when hot weather causes heavy sweating and significant loss of electrolytes such as potassium, sodium, and chloride—alkaline components.
12、The Drawbacks of Light Salt Water
Light salt water refers to a solution with a salt concentration similar to that of the body's fluids, containing about 1 gram of salt per 100 ml. It has several common uses: 1. To replenish water and sodium lost after heavy sweating. 2. To replenish water and salt lost from the intestines after diarrhea, maintaining electrolyte balance. 3. Gargling with light salt water can remove bacteria from the mouth and reduce redness and swelling from inflammation of the mouth and throat. However, light salt water is not suitable for people with poor heart function or high blood pressure, especially in the morning when blood viscosity is highest. Drinking it can worsen thirst and promote a rise in blood pressure.
13、Decoding "Fancy" Waters
Purified water, after multiple filtration processes, removes various microorganisms, impurities, and beneficial minerals. Its main feature is drinking safety. It is a soft water, and many believe it lacks nutrition and that long-term consumption is unhealthy, but this view has not been proven.
Mineral water is a natural resource, drawn from deep underground strata. It is rich in rare minerals, slightly alkaline, and should be more beneficial to health, but it is not immune to the possibility of organic contamination.
Mineralized water is an artificial mineral water prepared by adding a mineral concentrate to purified water in proportions similar to the human body's concentrations, representing a new height in drinking water technology.
14、Active People Need to Hydrate Smartly
When hydrating for exercise, you should follow these principles:
a. Do not wait until you are thirsty to replenish fluids. By the time you feel thirsty, you have already lost 2% of your body weight in water.
b. Replenish fluids before, during, and after exercise. 2 hours before exercise: 250-500 ml. Immediately before exercise: 150-250 ml. During exercise: 120-240 ml every 15-20 minutes. After exercise: Replenish 1 liter for every 1 kg of body weight lost during the activity.
15、Constant Hydration is Not Wise
When the body is in a stable state, drinking a normal amount of 1000-2000 ml of water per day to keep urine clear and abundant is sufficient. However, if you consciously or unconsciously drink large amounts of water, it could indicate a problem. First, it may mean your body is dehydrated, possibly due to being in a high-temperature environment, excessive sweating, or consuming a large amount of salt; in this case, replenishing is necessary. Second, if you have hyperglycemia, pituitary or kidney dysfunction, or are suffering from an infectious disease like a cold or fever, or have a urinary tract infection, or are even a patient with hyperuricemia, then actively drinking large amounts of water is also appropriate. However, for a healthy person, there is no need to drink more than 2000 ml per day if you are not thirsty; it only puts a strain on your kidney function.
16、Excessive Vitamin C Drinks Are Harmful
Many newly launched drinks contain Vitamin C. The benefits of Vitamin C are well-known; to prevent deficiency, the human body needs 60-100 mg per day. The Vitamin C content in "Qoo" is 3-30 mg/100 ml, in "Maidong" it's 25-50 mg/100 ml, and in "She" it's 15 mg/100 ml. This means that drinking one bottle of such a drink can meet the daily requirement. So, what if you drink two, three, or more bottles? Could Vitamin C poisoning occur? Fortunately, Vitamin C has a wide safety margin. But don't think that the more the better. Excessive intake can lead to urinary system stones, osmotic diarrhea, and a dependency on high doses of Vitamin C.