This was a merchant who sold pills that had been invented to quench thirst. “You need only swallow one pill a week, and you would feel no need of anything to drink.”
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince, 1943
“Why are you selling those?” asked the little prince.
“Because they save a tremendous amount of time,” said the merchant. “Computations have been made by experts. With these pills, you save 53 minutes in every week.”
“And what do I do with those 53 minutes?”
“Anything you like…”
“As for me,” said the little prince to himself, “if I had fifty-three minutes to spend as I liked, I should walk at my leisure toward a spring of fresh water.”
Pure water is the most critical and essential component of all life: humans, animals and plants. For centuries people have been drinking water which is the best choice for hydration. I drink plenty of water when working out in the gym or outdoors, and incorporated water into my daily routine. Yummy!
Water is not only the world’s healthiest drink, but it is also extremely refreshing and purely delicious.
Water is so great because it is free (still) or cheap (is there water inflation?), you can access it nearly anywhere in the world, has no calories or added chemical ingredients that are harmful for our bodies. Water is indeed pure and magical.
Why is water important?
Water is essential to staying alive and healthy. Every part of your body needs a certain amount of water not only to survive, but also to function properly.
Without water you will not survive because between 55% to 78% of the human adult body is made of water – the brain and heart are composed of 73% water, the lungs are about 83% water, the skin contains 64% water, muscles and kidneys 79% and the bones are 31%. Basically, we are made of water, and that is why we need it so badly.
Water: regulates body temperature; helps to digest the food you eat every day; allows body cells to grow and reproduce, and the brain to produce hormones; lubricates joints; flushes body waste in the form of urine; helps transport oxygen all over the body.
Best sources of water
You can drink bottled water, taped water (in certain countries) or filtered water. However, tapped water may not always be safe when public water supplies are contaminated with chemicals.
On Earth, water can be found in streams, rivers lakes, oceans and rain. Once when hiking in Central Europe with my wife, I found a stream with incredibly cold mountain water which I drank directly from the well for a couple of minutes enjoying the taste. Afterwards we filled in empty bottles to carry with us downhill.
Water also exists as solid state (ice), gaseous state (steam) and as snow, fog, dew and cloud.
Water also comes from the foods we eat, mainly vegetables and fruits. While watermelons and strawberries contain the biggest amount of water among all fruits about 92% per volume, cucumbers and lettuce are on top of the vegetables list consisting of 96% water. If you eat them in summer, they will quench your thirst.
How much water do I need?
Human body requires between one and seven liters of water every day. The precise amount depends on the level of activity, temperature, humidity and other factors.
You should drink between two to three liters of water every day to avoid dehydration. Dehydration occurs when you lose more water through urination, respiration and sweating than you take in.
Tea, coffee and alcohol dehydrate the body, therefore, if you take them, you need to drink more pure water to compensate.
Why people do not drink water?
Due to the growth of manufacturing industry and consumerism in the recent decades, people drink too many unhealthy drinks every day – sweetened colas, sodas, beer, alcohol, too much coffee, milkshakes, etc.
None of these are necessary to keep the body hydrated. In fact, many of those drinks are harmful for the body – contain huge amounts of extra sugar and additives with no nutritional value.
Sports drinks are not very helpful here either because they contain added sugar and empty calories. So do fruit and vegetable juices sold in juice boxes from your local store. Instead, freshly squeezed or blended juices made at home work just fine.
Drinking water is one of the best investments you can make in yourself. And, if you are able to drink plenty of water consistently, you will be well on your way to healthy lifestyle, staying hydrated and being healthier for many years.
I hope that you love water as much as I do!
