Drink Water For A Healthy Life!
Water makes up about 60% of total body weight. It allows for the transportation of many nutrients from the blood to the cells and also for the elimination of waste products. All foods contain water so it is necessary to drink eight glasses of water per day? As long as our diets consist of adequate foods such as fruits and vegetables can we get much of our daily supply of water in this manner? The simple answer is NO! We need about ½ of our body’s total weight in water each day. If you are not drinking adequate amounts you should begin to gradually increase your water intake.
It is important to drink water that is free from toxins, especially when a person has a weakened immune system or a degenerative condition. Tap water consists of toxic heavy metals as well as many other pollutants such as viruses, bacteria, parasites and chemicals. One of these chemicals, chlorine, is added to kill some of the previously mentioned microorganisms. If chlorine is ingested on a regular basis it can destroy vitamin E in the body and cause vascular disease. This chemical is considered a hazard even when contacting the surface of the body. According to the Environmental Protection Agency prolonged bathing or swimming in water that has been treated with chlorine can cause skin cancer!
Another chemical in tap water is sodium fluoride. Fluoride was originally thought to prevent tooth decay. The studies that were originally done, however, were done using calcium fluoride, not the sodium fluoride that is added to the water. Of the tests done using sodium fluoride, some demonstrated improvement in the teeth and others demonstrated a worsening effect. So basically there was no difference in tooth decay between the fluoride vs. the non-fluoride treated water. The sodium fluoride that is present in the water actually looks like a thyroid hormone and tricks the body into thinking that it has too much. So it can actually slow or inhibit thyroid function and can contribute to low thyroid and also an inability to lose weight. It can further damage the immune system.
Tap water can be considered soft or hard. Hard water comes primarily from shallow ground and contains high concentrations of calcium and magnesium. It leaves a residue in the sink or tub; however, it seems to support health better than soft water. Soft water, on the other hand, comes from deep in the earth and contains high concentrations of sodium thus increasing the amount of dietary sodium intake. Soft water also has the tendency to dissolve toxic metals such as lead and cadmium from pipes.
Drink water that has been treated by reverse osmosis. A second option is water that has been carbon filtered. Spring water has no guidelines. It could be the same tap water that you can get out of your faucet. If you have a degenerative condition or a condition of immune system weakness then you should drink more distilled water. So is drinking water important for a healthier life – YES! Read here about the importance of vitamins.