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How much water are you drinking?
What you need to know:
- Experts say the body is about 60 per cent water, give or take. You are constantly losing water from your body, primarily via urine and sweat. To prevent dehydration, you need to drink adequate amounts of water.
One of the goals most people set at the start of the year is to drink more water because water is the driving force of all nature. At the time of birth, a baby’s body is composed of 90 per cent water but as we grow up, it reduces to 60 per cent water.
Maintaining the amount of water in our bodies at the right amount will bring rewards of good health because of the various health benefits according to Dr Vincent Bakyenga, a general practitioner at Uganda Health Federation.
Water is the main lubricant in the joint spaces and helps prevent arthritis and back pain; it increases the efficiency of the immune system; prevents clogging of arteries in the heart and brain and thus helps reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
“Water is directly connected to brain function so it is needed for the efficient manufacture of neurotransmitters and the production of hormones made by the brain, such as the sleep hormone melatonin,” he says.
Water affects our appearance, making our skin smoother and giving it a richer tone. Sometimes the body can experience a shortage in the amount of water it requires. When this happens, its functioning will be compromised.
How much is enough?
Dr Paul Kasenene, a nutritionist at Wellcare Centre, says assuming that you do not have any kidney problem, a good indicator of how much water the body needs can be assessed by dividing your weight in kilogrammes by 30.
The number you get is the amount of water in litres that your body requires each day. However, for most adults, your body requires an absolute minimum of two litres per day. That is about eight glasses of water assuming each glass has a volume of 250 ml.
Dr Kasenene says, “Although two litres of water is the recommended amount of water for one to drink in a day, excessive sweating, hot seasons, periods of stress or extremes in body function may compel you to drink more.”
In the hot environments, one loses about 500ml of water a day through perspiration. Monitoring the colour of urine is a good gauge for your body’s water needs. If you are well-hydrated, your urine will be colourless or light yellow urine.
A comparatively dehydrated person produces yellow urine and a very dehydrated person will produce orange urine. You do not always have to consume all your water in liquid form since lots of fruits and vegetables also have a good amount of water. Foods such as bananas, apples, tomatoes, watermelons, cucumber and lettuce are good water sources.
“Ensure that you get at least 60 per cent of fluids from plain water. Note that alcohol, coffee, caffeine-containing drinks, soda and artificially sweetened drinks do not count as water,” Dr Bakyenga says.
When to drink water
Start your day off with two 250ml glasses (half a litre) within 10 minutes of waking up in the morning and hopefully this is within 30 minutes of breakfast.
During the night, a lot of detoxification, healing and other vital processes are taking place that produce some waste that needs to be eliminated. We also tend to sweat quite a bit at night.
It is, therefore, recommended to start your day with water to make you feel better and allow your body perform better.
Dr Kasenene also remarks that, “Drink one glass 30 minutes before meals and two glasses two hours after or in between meal times. Take another glass of water before going to bed. Aim not to drink too late in the night (especially after 8 pm) as it may interfere with your sleep.”
Drinking during meals
Dr Kasenene says unfortunately, many people only drink during meals which is not recommended. When you drink too much while eating, it washes out the hydrochloric acid, digestive juices, and enzymes in your stomach and intestines, which delays digestion.
Moureen Nakito says she fails to eat food if she does not have water.
“I am used to drinking while eating. It is something that I have done since childhood and have failed to stop. The problem however is that my digestion is usually slow and I feel full in a short time,” she says.
You can drink some water with a meal according to Dr Kasenene, but only drink a maximum of half a glass (125mls) of room-temperature water.
What type of water?
The best water to drink is that at room temperature. Paul Kasenene, a nutritionist at Wellcare centre, strongly discourages people from drinking too cold or too hot water because the body uses vital energy to restore body temperature to normal before it is used.
“I drink water at every opportunity I get. I take warm water in particular because it helps with digestive problems and quickens the process. I make sure I drink before a meal or wait for about 30 minutes after I have eaten,” says Ann Male, a chef.
Dr Kasenene says alkaline water is the best form of drinking water. This is because our bodies are alkaline, so acidic things are not ideal for our bodies. Alkaline water helps improve circulation, increase hydration and help with cleansing the body. “Again, this is a broad area however adding some alkaline fruit and vegetables to your water such as lemon, lime, leafy greens can help improve the alkalinity of the water,” he says.
Sheila Munyanziza, a cancer survivor says, “I do not take a lot of fluids which is my weakness but I limit the juices to just plain water. I take more ginger and mint on hot water because they are very alkaline, tasty and good for digestion. They are also caffeine free and help me fight heartburn.”
