Water The forgotten nutrient

 Water is present in every body cell  For most adults, body weight is 50-75% water  Fat tissue is 20-35% water  Muscle tissue is about 75% water  Therefore, the total percentage of body weight from water depends on muscle mass, more muscle=more water Why water is important

 Chemical reactions in the body need water to take place  Breaking down of carbs, fat, and protein  Makes amino acids  Breaks down starches into glucose  Transports nutrients and waste products  Blood is made primarily of water  Lubricates and protects  Spinal cord is protected by surrounding spinal fluid  Regulates body temperature Functions of water in your body

 Water will do wonders for your looks! It flushes out impurities in your skin, leaving you with a clear, glowing complexion. It also makes your skin look younger.  It improves muscle tone. You can lift weights until you are blue in the face, but if your muscles are suffering from a drought, you won’t notice a pleasant difference in your appearance. Muscles have all the water they need, contract more easily, making your workout more effective, and you’ll look nicer than if you had flabby muscles under sagging skin. Benefits of drinking water

It helps you lose weight. How? One of the liver’s main jobs is metabolizing the fat you ate. Another of the liver’s duties is to pick up the slack for the kidneys, which need plenty of water to work properly. If the kidneys are water-deprived, the liver has to do their work along with its own, lowering its total productivity. It then can’t metabolize fat as quickly or efficiently as it could when the kidneys were pulling their own weight. If you allow this to happen, not only are you being unfair to your liver, but you’re also setting yourself up to store fat. Benefits of drinking water (cont.)

 Cellular water balance = the balance between water inside the cells and outside the cells  Intracellular water=water inside the cells  Extracellular water=water outside the cells  Electrolytes (sodium, potassium, and chloride) determines the movement of water in and out of cells Keeping water in balance

 Water intake = your body needs a balance of the water you intake and the water you lose  Thirst is the body’s first signal that it needs water. Some experts say that by the time you feel thirsty, you are already on your way to being dehydrated.  You can meet your fluid needs through the liquids you drink and the food you eat. Keeping water in balance (cont.)

 Most people do not get enough fluids  Recommended adequate intake  males and females = cups per day  The color of your urine will help to indicate if you are drinking enough water. Urine that is dark yellow indicates that it is highly concentrated with wastes which is stressful to your kidneys. When fluid intake is low, the kidneys must work harder to eliminate waste. How much water should you be consuming?

 Infants need proportionally more water to filter waste as there kidneys are immature and not as efficient  Pregnant women need extra fluids to support the increased volume of body fluids necessary to carry a child  Breastfeeding women need extra fluid to produce breastmilk Needs across the lifespan

 Through urine  Sweat  Moisture is lost in your breath as you breathe Water loss

 Dry climates increase water loss through quick skin evaporation  Low oxygen pressure increases water loss in people not accustomed to high altitudes  Hot and humid weather causes a lot of sweating  Exercise Water loss and environmental conditions

 Caffeine is a diuretic  Coffee, soft drinks, and energy drinks are not a good way to replace body fluids  Illness  Vomiting  Diarrhea  Bleeding  High fever Loss of water