Drinking Water

What is the most important food to consume? Some may say carbohydrates; other protein. It’s true that we all need a certain proportion of carbohydrates, protein, and fat in our diets, but there is one item that, although not generally regarded as food, is actually more crucial than the more commonly-mentioned food types: water. Both in the immediate now and over long periods of time, consuming enough water is necessary for life itself, not just for optimum health. The question is how much of it we need to drink over the course of a day.

Although I’ve heard anything from four to eight full glasses of water as a good daily intake, I don’t necessarily see that this is so. What’s the scientific backing for those exhortations, after all? When I’ve stepped up my water intake in the past, it just seems that I spend more time having to run to the bathroom. Although I do believe that we need to drink more water, I have a simpler remedy.

Whenever I feel tired or hungry, I should first ask myself whether I am also thirsty. And then drink a glass of water. Not tea or cola or fruit juice or coffee or milk. Just plain water. From the tap. Nothing fancy, no counting daily glasses. I just respond to what my body tells me and no more.

I also believe that some of the overeating that has been going on is due to people not drinking enough water. One of the things that tells us whether we are hungry is how full our stomachs are. If we drink water at the first feelings of hunger, I believe that the compulsion to raid the fridge for junk food can be forestalled. And then a more healthful meal can then be prepared.

There’s such a thing as drinking too much water, so I don’t want to get rigid about pouring a high number of glasses down my throat. But the main problem is that people don’t drink enough, not the reverse. But water is so readily available and is free if you don’t have some kind of hang-up about drinking it from a tap or fountain.