WE all know, or we should all know, that drinking water is good for us and at some point in the recent past we were told by the Government that we should avoid fizzy drinks because of the sugar in them.
But then the drinks people started marketing water with sugar in to give them a bit of flavour – because water doesn’t taste or anything, or does it? Of course it does, and it varies greatly from town to town and water cooler to water cooler, mainly as a result of the rock strata that it’s filtered through.
The manufacturers of flavoured bottled water simply add sugars to their products, even though a high sugar diet increases the risk of tooth decay along with assisting in gaining weight. At its most extreme a high consumption of sugar sweetened drinks is associated with type 2 diabetes; and according to the Independent newspaper, ‘they generally taste pretty revolting’.
And they can even contain more sugar than cola.
Water also has no calories, fat, carbohydrates; so why drink it?
Water is the main component of the human body; and depending on your size you’re made up of between 55 per cent and 78 per cent water, and drinking it regularly helps maintain those levels which are essential for digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients, and maintenance of body temperature.
The water in your car’s radiator is there to keep the engine cool, and if the water level falls then you motor can start to malfunction; it’s exactly the same with your body and one reason why drinking water is essential.
According to Steven Guest, adjunct professor of medicine at Stanford University in the USA: "Through the posterior pituitary gland, your brain communicates with your kidneys and tells it how much water to excrete as urine or hold onto for reserves.
“When you're low on fluids, the brain triggers the body's thirst mechanism. And unless you are taking medications that make you thirsty, you should listen to those cues and get yourself a drink.”
As well as regulating the body’s temperature, drinking water also helps the body in many other ways such as controlling calories, energising muscles and keeping the skin healthy looking; but all that is for another day!
