It is a well-known fact that water intake is one of the pillars of good health. However, what should be a habit has received less and less attention. The result of this is a series of symptoms that our body manifests when it needs such an important element and does not receive it as much as it needs it.
Thus, it is necessary to transform the act of drinking water ( of quality! ) Into a routine. If you still don’t know all that this habit can do for your health, we have prepared this post to show you some of the benefits. Check out!
What can drinking water provide for your health?
1) Well-functioning organs
The benefits of water for our body organs are diverse. In the case of the brain, for example, hydration causes cells to receive oxygenated blood. Thus, the system is on alert. As you can imagine, drinking water is also good for the kidneys: it helps eliminate unnecessary waste and nutrients through urine. In the case of the stomach, water helps nutrients to dissolve more easily, facilitating absorption by blood and transport to cells.
2) Quality of the skin
One of the greatest reflexes of water intake is through the skin. Keeping the body and tissues well hydrated gives the skin an aspect of youthfulness and youthfulness. This is because water causes elasticity and tonicity to improve considerably. Thus, with a firmer skin, wrinkles are also softened. The balanced absorption of nutrients is also one of the advantages that the skin enjoys thanks to the intake of water.
3) Lubricates muscles and joints
It is not only the organs that benefit from water. In the case of our body, drinking water helps to lubricate the muscles, improving their functioning, and the joints, protecting them from possible injuries. In the case of the first, it is not for nothing that water intake is highly recommended in the diets of those seeking muscle mass gain! These points are especially interesting for those who exercise regularly, in addition to, of course, the hydration that these practices require.
4) Assists in weight loss
The greatest benefit of water when it comes to weight loss is its satiety power. Drinking water before and between meals gives you the feeling that what you have eaten is sufficient; this avoids feeding of exaggerated proportions. The digestion process also improves and the bowel function is benefited, bypassing constipation and all the difficulties that it brings with it. Fasting water is recommended, preferably cold. This is because water at low temperature requires a greater effort of metabolism, since the temperature of our body is lower than that of liquid, being excellent for those who have the objective of losing weight.
With this amount of benefits, it is easy to convince yourself that the habit of drinking water is essential to everyday life. But, to understand a little more the complexity of this element in our body, see what is the path that water takes in our organism!
What is the process of water in our body?
It is estimated that our body is composed of, on average, 75% water. Our blood, for example, has 95% of the liquid in its composition. These data alone would be enough to have an idea of how important water is, but the truth is that it is not just an importance; the water is essential .
It is known that water is what keeps us alive, but what else do you know? The path of water in our organism involves a series of steps for our body to absorb it in the necessary way.
Esophagus and stomach
From the moment we drink a glass of water, the first stop is the esophagus and then the stomach. At that time, a few H2O molecules have already infiltrated the blood. However, this is not where most of them will be absorbed.
Small intestine
It is in the small intestine that water will be largely absorbed. That’s because the mucosa that lines the organ allows the liquid to penetrate the blood more easily, falling into the bloodstream!
Blood circulation
This is where the magic happens and water travels throughout the body. The bloodstream is responsible for taking water to all the parts that need it, which also includes the cells. It is for the cells, in fact, that most of the water we drink is destined. Thus, what remains ends up joining certain substances and, in an attempt to return to the bloodstream, they may end up harming the body. That’s when a great ally of our health comes in.
Kidneys
It is the kidneys that are dedicated to the important mission of filtering the rest of the water ingested, which, at that moment, has the presence of elements with urea and creatinine. In addition, the kidneys also balance the amounts of sodium and potassium present in these amounts of water. That’s just how the water returns to the bloodstream! It is worth remembering that, after this filtration, everything that is removed from the water needs to be eliminated by our body and this does not happen only through urine: sweat also has its contribution.
Bladder
Everything that is not eliminated by sweat goes through the channels of the renal system until it reaches the bladder. When you have accumulated the ideal amount to be expelled, urine will be eliminated from our body easily!
If the water goes through all these steps inside our body, it is essential that what we are ingesting is of excellent quality, right? In that case, there is a lot of talk about pure water. But what’s the difference, anyway?
What does pure water have that others don’t?
Less chlorine
The water treatment process at municipal stations has a series of steps necessary to deliver water suitable for consumption. One of them is the addition of chlorine, in order to eliminate microorganisms and bacteria. However, this element, if in large quantities, can cause several damage to health. Intoxication and irritation of the airways are some examples of the harm that excess chlorine can cause. And attention: it is necessary to pay attention not only to the water that we ingest directly. It is also necessary to observe the water that we use in the cooking processes, in daily meals.
Smelless
If the water you drink has a smell, it is best to be aware that this is not a good sign. Pure water should have neither odor nor color! Ingesting unscented water gives you the assurance that you are providing your body with source water; moreover, it is less likely to be contaminated. This is because, among several reasons, the excess of chlorine causes changes in the odor of the water. And, as seen in the previous topic, this can be a health problem. In addition to the chlorine problem, other types of contamination may be present. The problem may even be with the water tank itself.
More minerals
Purified water brings countless benefits to our body. There are purifier models that, in addition to treating and leaving the water as adequate as possible, also rely on the technology of adding mineral salts , elements that are very important for the health of the human body. Water, when pure and rich in mineral salts, can count on the benefits of calcium, which helps in the maintenance of bones; potassium, which acts in the regulation of metabolism and in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases; and magnesium, which plays an important role in the absorption process of other nutrients dear to our body.
As you have seen so far, pure water is the junction of a series of details that constitute it as such. In this case, it is possible to imagine that tap water is not the most suitable for consumption without first undergoing a filtering and / or purification process. But what do you know (besides the everyday myths) about not recommending drinking tap water?
Why shouldn’t we drink tap water?
When the thirst hits, there is no way around it: only a good glass of water is able to quench the problem. This liquid, so important in maintaining our health, is a fundamental part to keep the body hydrated. However, drinking water is still surrounded by bad and harmful habits. One of them is, at the time of intense thirst, end up filling the glass with tap water.
This habit is not recommended and there are some reasons for this. Don’t know what they are? Check it out below!
Water treatment
The water that reaches our house is treated by the treatment plants in each municipality. After the water is taken from the springs, the first dose of chlorine occurs, an essential element to ensure optimal bacteriological control. Then coagulation occurs, which agitates the water (added with aluminum sulfate or ferric chloride, which causes the particles to stick together).
The flocculation stage consists of a lighter agitation, which joins the smaller particles together, forming larger flakes and easier to be eliminated later. In the decantation step, these flakes that formed in the previous steps are separated and then the water is filtered so that possible flakes resistant to the previous step are removed. The last step performed at the treatment station is fluoridation, in which fluoride is added in order to prevent cavities. Then, the water goes to our house through the distribution network!
Where is the problem?
All the steps carried out by the treatment plants guarantee a healthy and suitable water for consumption. What few people imagine is that, in some cases, the problem lives in our own home.
Do you have a habit of cleaning your water tank frequently? The water that arrives pure from the stations to its box can lose much of its quality if the reservoir is not in good condition. There, there may be an accumulation of residues and impurities; these remnants end up adding to your water, which reaches your tap under conditions different from those provided by the meticulous treatment of the seasons.
Therefore, it is not recommended to drink water directly from the tap! Ideally, you should have adequate filtration equipment.
Use and abuse the filters!
Water filters are excellent options to have at home. There are traditional options, such as clay, and also water purifiers , which are the best option for those seeking practicality, health and well-being for the whole family. The purifiers have a sophisticated and technological purification system , which removes the finest impurities, smells and odors. In addition, some models still have a cooling system; this guarantees fresh, cold water at the touch of a single button!
