Are You Drinking Enough Water this Summer?

Your body is about 60% water and important functions of bodily fluids include digestion, creating saliva, circulation and transportation of nutrients and maintenance of body temperature. If you don’t drink sufficient water then this will trigger your thirst mechanism and any drink apart from alcohol will help rehydration. The reason why alcohol should be avoided when you are thirsty is because of the way it interferes with the communication between your brain and kidneys and it can cause excess excretion of fluids, leading to dehydration. Health benefits of drinking plenty of water include:

• Water keeps your skin looking good. Dehydration can make your skin appear dry and wrinkled and proper hydration will improve this, although it won’t work miracles and cannot get rid of wrinkles.
• Water helps you exercise more effectively. Your muscles need plenty of fluids to help prevent them from becoming fatigued. Ideally, drink plenty of water before exercising and continue sipping on water while working out to replace lost fluids.
• Water helps your kidneys function properly. Your kidneys do a great job removing harmful toxins from your body, provided you drink enough water.
• Water helps your bowels to function properly. Adequate hydration prevents constipation.

If you struggle to drink water then try to ensure you have a beverage with every meal. Choose something you enjoy but make sure it doesn’t contain high amounts of sugar for the sake of your dental and general health. Fruits and vegetables have high water contents, so incorporating more of these foods into your diet will help. Around 20% of our daily fluid intake comes from foods.