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With temperatures nearing triple digits, don’t forget your water, says VeEtta Simmons, Crittenden County extension staff chair with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
“Water is one of those important nutrients for maintaining good health that we often forget to drink,” Simmons says.
Water, which makes up to 75 percent of the human body, is essential to human life because body cells and organs require water to function.
“Water deprivation kills faster than the lack of any other nutrient,” Simmons says.
Water is essential for several reasons:
* Water regulates body temperature. If you’re too hot, your body cools off by sweating. This is especially important in the summer.
* Water serves as the body transportation system by carrying other nutrients throughout the body and transporting body waste removal.
* Water is a lubricant. It’s important for moving food through the digestive tract and helps joints move more smoothly.
* Water participates in the body’s biochemical reactions. Water helps the body digest protein and carbohydrates and turn it into usable and absorbable forms.
Unlike many nutrients, there isn’t a specific daily recommendation for water intake. Drinking six 8-ounce glasses of water daily is a good idea, but the amount of water a person needs is affected by many factors, including climate, physical activity, age, state of health and body size.
“Thirst is a trigger that reminds us to drink more water,” Simmons says. “Typical water output is two or more quarts a day. If adequate water isn’t consumed daily to replace this loss, body fluids will be out of balance, causing dehydration. Severe dehydration can be life-threatening.”
All beverages or fluids are a source of water, but drinking plain water is the best source of this vital nutrient, according to Simmons.
You have a choice of whether your fluid is simply water or an energy-rich beverage that may or may not contain other nutrients and calories. Base this selection on your need for extra calories and/or additional nutrients, Simmons advises.
In foods, fruits and vegetables are the best sources of water. Foods such as chicken, pasta and bread also contain varying degrees of water, the county agent says.
For more information about water or other nutritional and health issues, contact your county extension agent or visit http://www.uaex.edu and select Health & Nutrition.
The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of Agriculture.