The need to hydrate sufficiently is important, but we are used to silencing the urge to thirst. A diet that favors certain foods in particular can help, even if it alone is not enough
Virtuous country
Water intake has an impact on health and performance, the requirement varies according to many factors: climate, temperature, age, physical activity, some pathophysiological states. And the diet: Estimated that the water people get from food rarely exceeds 20% of their total intake. In our country we value il 30% because we eat more fruit and vegetables, says Laura Rossi, nutritionist and researcher at the Council for Research in Agriculture and the Analysis of Agricultural Economics (CREA Alimenti e Nutrrizione).
What is the daily requirement?
In conditions of temperate climate and moderate levels of physical activity, the need for 2 liters for adult women and 2.5 liters for men. The body eliminates water through different ways: urine (800-1500 ml per day), faeces (150-200 ml per day), sweating, evaporation through the skin, mucous membranes and lungs (800-1250 ml per day). They are mechanisms necessary to dispose of waste, urea, the result of the transformation of ammonium that is formed during the digestion of proteins, and other waste metabolites. The loss must be replenished by drinking mainly water.
Can you keep hydrated only by eating foods rich in water?
Impossible. The watermelonfor example, the fruit that has the most. Consume about half a kilo like drinking a small bottle, but obviously you can’t eat 2-3 kilos a day. Furthermore, any food does not only provide water: fruit rich in sugars, “Mitigated” by the presence of fibers, but it is preferable not to exceed 2 portions a day; too much cold minestrone carries the risk of taking too much salt; vegetables can quench thirst, but it is seasoned with oil, which gives extra calories, it is better to respect 3 daily portions; drinks and fruit juices, to be limited, have sugars. Only water has no contraindicationsthat of food is counted in the final water balance.
Why is it so important to drink?
Water constitutes the 75% of our muscles and internal organs. Even adipose tissue, which is naturally hydrophobic, has even 10% of it. Hydrating helps eliminate metabolic waste, regulate body temperature, lubricate joints, fight fatigue, improve mental performance, facilitate all body functions. Starting with digestion: saliva, for example, which is 98% made up of water, has the task of emulsifying foods, making them more attackable by intestinal enzymes.
Beware of the thirst sign
There are those who think that drinks with caffeine or alcohol can dehydrate. But a 2016 randomized controlled trial of 72 men concluded that the moisturizing effects of water, beer, coffee, and t were actually nearly identical. The moisturizing effects are the same, while the nourishing ones are different, says nutritionist Laura Rossi. Caff and et are nerve-wracking and exciting substances, one cannot exceed. In addition, they are often consumed by adding milk, chocolate or sugar and this raises the calories, as when ordering a beer which may not be an everyday choice given the alcohol content. Unbeatable water: the famous eight glasses a day are great advice because they are a measurable way to drink more. If you don’t want to count, the alternative is to look color urine: the more you drink, the clearer. Some signs can help you understand if you are in reserve: headache, difficulty concentrating, tiredness, feeling drowsy. Often these signals are exchanged as a manifestation of hypoglycemia and, therefore, are led to eat a piece of chocolate instead of pouring a glass of water. When you ask am I drinking enough? it means that you are already a little dehydrated. Today we have silenced the urge to thirst: perfect in a baby, but in an adult modulated on commitments and social demands. You don’t drink because sweating seems inconvenient, because at work you think you don’t have time to go to the bathroom: which would mean, if you hydrate, every two to three hours.
June 20, 2022 (change June 20, 2022 | 10:44)
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