Sunday, August 3, 2008

Pure Drinking Water

By Thomas Manso


How much purified drinking water do you need every day? Are there health advantages to drinking pure mineral water? You'll find the answers ahead.

First, let's assume that you have a high quality home purifier that is certified to remove cysts, chlorine, THMs, lead, VOCs, MTBE, pesticides, herbicides and benzene. That is the only way to be sure that you are getting pure drinking water.

If a system uses ion exchange to remove lead and copper, then it will replace them with potassium and sodium ions. Thus, you also have pure drinking mineral water.

The companies that supply bottled water would like for you to think that they offer a better choice. But, anything stored in plastic cannot be classified as pure drinking water, because it absorbs the taste, chemicals and odor of the plastic bottle.

Environmentalists would like for you to get your pure drinking mineral water from a home purifier and carry it with you in a reusable glass container. The bottles are a major source of pollution.

So, how much pure drinking water does a person need on a daily basis? According to the USDA's dietary reference guides, men over the age of 19 need at least 3.7 liters per day. Women over 19 need 2.7 liters per day.

Children of course need less. Pregnant women need about 3.0 liters per day. If you are breast feeding, you need about 3.8 liters per day.

About 20% of the total recommended water intake comes from foods. Fruits and vegetable, for example, contain a high level of water, and so contribute their share to proper hydration.

There is no set "upper limit", but the kidneys can only handle 24 ounces per hour. So, the cases of toxicity that resulted from drinking contests overtaxed the kidneys and led to heart failure. If the contestants had survived, they would have likely suffered from kidney damage or failure.

Use thirst as a guide and also the temperature and your activity level. The more you exercise the more pure drinking water that you need.

If you live and exercise in a dry hot climate, you may need more pure drinking mineral water. Not only do you lose fluids through sweat, but you also lose electrolytes or minerals. That's one reason that drinking distilled waters on a regular basis is not recommended. Distillation removes all minerals from liquids.

Recommendations vary for the correct intake of pure drinking water. 64 ounces per day is a common rule of thumb. To drink half your weight in ounces is another suggestion.

Weight is another important factor. Heavy people will need more pure drinking mineral water, particularly if they are trying to lose excess weight.

You do get necessary fluids from other beverages, but certain ingredients are also dehydrating. Caffeine, for example, has a dehydrating effect as it increases blood pressure and respiration.

Also, sugar-filled beverages may increase your appetite and interfere with the brain's signal of "fullness". If you need to lose some weight, have an eight ounce glass of pure mineral water 30 minutes before each meal and drink another glass during each meal.

That gives your 6 of the necessary 8, right there. You should be able to fit two more in somewhere, without too much trouble. Remember that pure drinking water is the best choice for replenishing your bodily fluids.

About the Author:

No comments: