In an era where taking care of your body has become a trend, something as simple as drinking water has become a profound science. So how should we drink water correctly?
Expert Interpretation of the Science of Drinking Water
Drinking water is a science in itself. How do we personally determine if our body's daily water intake is sufficient? What kind of water can make us healthier? Let's hear the experts' interpretation below.
1. To cherish life, you must start with water
Some people believe, "Drinking water is just for quenching thirst; as long as it's safe, it has nothing to do with health." So what are the health secrets then?
Expert Interpretation: The relationship between drinking water and health is immense. Health is a systematic project. When a person gets sick, it's like falling into a swamp. Medicine is what holds you up, preventing you from sinking further, while health preservation and wellness give you the strength to climb out. Everyone knows that a healthy body doesn't get sick, and a body with chronic diseases is certainly not healthy. The term "health preservation" is an abbreviation for protecting the body's health. Only through health preservation can people in a sub-healthy or unhealthy state restore their health. And a reasonable diet is particularly closely related to the public's health. I believe drinking and eating are two separate things, and drinking is more important than eating. To cherish life, you must start with water. Drinking water holds a fundamental position in health issues.
2. How much water is considered adequate per day?
Expert Interpretation: I'd like to share three points of experience: First, do not use other beverages to replace drinking water. No matter how much tea, coffee, or other beverages you drink, or how much soup or congee you consume... none of it can replace drinking water. Only plain water rehydrates you; everything else dehydrates you. It's just a matter of whether it's severe or mild dehydration. Second, don't blindly believe the marketing from manufacturers and merchants: "This water is good, that water is bad." Whenever you are dehydrated, you must rehydrate immediately and without delay. Third, don't mechanically set a fixed amount of water to drink. The standard to test if you've had enough water is not the concept of "8 glasses" or "6 glasses," but rather the color and odor of your urine after each urination. If the color and odor are dark, you need to rehydrate immediately. If 3 glasses of water make your urine clear, it's enough. If 10 glasses of water still leave your urine yellow, it's not enough.
The "11 glasses a day" theory is sensationalist
"Eleven glasses of water a day? That's pure nonsense," said Professor Li Lite, former Director of the Functional Water Research and Promotion Association of the China Health Care Science and Technology Society and Vice Chairman of the National Food and Nutrition Advisory Committee, in an interview with reporters. The body's demand for water must be determined by each individual's environment, health condition, and food intake; there is no fixed standard value. Currently, there is still no conclusive evidence that the body's need for water is related to rising temperatures. According to the American view, we should consume one-third more water daily. If you blindly rehydrate, it can even lead to "water intoxication" symptoms such as weakness, rapid heartbeat, cramps, and coma.
So, how much water is considered appropriate for a normal person per day? Generally, the human body loses about 1800-2000 milliliters of water daily through urine, sweating, or skin evaporation. Therefore, it has always been believed that we need to supplement about 2000 milliliters of water each day. However, this 2000 milliliters doesn't all have to come from drinking water; the various foods we eat every day contain a lot of water, which should also be included. Therefore, after deducting the 1000-1200 milliliters of water obtained from food at the three meals, we only need to drink another 1500 milliliters of water per day, which is sufficient. The general principle is: no less than 500 milliliters a day, but no more than 3000 milliliters.
Five Principles for Drinking Water
So, what kind of water should we drink? Someone once proposed the concept of "three health-preserving glasses of water a day": a glass of honey water in the morning, a glass of light tea after a noon nap, and a glass of plain water before bed. Experts say this has some merit. For the elderly and people who often have constipation, drinking a glass of honey water on an empty stomach in the morning can promote bowel movements; if you still feel drowsy after a noon nap, a glass of light tea can refresh and awaken the mind; drinking a small amount of plain water before bed can replenish the water lost during sleep from sweating.
Chinese people generally have some misconceptions about drinking water, so they should also master five principles: Drink a full glass of water at once. This means drinking an entire glass of water in one go, not just a few sips, so that the body can truly absorb and utilize it. Drink good water. Try to avoid drinking distilled water frequently, as its pH is too acidic and can harm the body, especially for people with weaker kidneys. It's better to choose high-quality mineral water. Drink warm water. Ice water is not good for stomach function, while warm water is easier for the body to absorb. Drink water on an empty stomach. Water will pass directly through the digestive tract and be absorbed by the body. Be able to hold and release. Office workers often skip drinking water for fear of using the restroom. Over time, this can damage the bladder and kidneys and easily lead to back pain.
Are some of the legends about drinking water true?
■ Does drinking more water help a cold recover faster?
Whenever we catch a cold, someone always advises us to drink more water. Does drinking more water really help a cold recover faster? Researchers have found that you can't drink too much water.
When we have a cold or fever, our body loses a lot of water through breathing and evaporation. Theoretically, drinking more water should replenish the body's fluids and relieve discomfort in the mouth and nasal membranes. But the results of a scientific investigation were surprising.
Researchers found that in the past few decades, no one had ever tried to verify this claim, nor had anyone doubted its correctness. Only one clinical study on children with moderate to severe pneumonia involved the amount of water they drank, and the conclusion was that when these children drank more water, they were more prone to hyponatremia.
■ Does drinking a glass of water before a meal help with weight loss?
Researchers conducted a three-month follow-up survey on some middle-aged and elderly people who were losing weight. Half of them drank a glass of water before each meal, while the other half ate directly. After three months, the group that drank water before meals lost an average of 15 pounds, while the group that didn't only lost 10 pounds.
However, the weight loss benefit of drinking water doesn't seem to be universal. Another study showed that for middle-aged and elderly people, drinking a glass of water 30 minutes before a meal can effectively reduce calorie intake during the meal and can also curb hunger. But for young and middle-aged people under 35, this effect is not significant.