Water can be a very boring beverage. It has very little taste, making colas, teas, coffee and so forth seem so much better. However, water is an essential part of your diet for a lot of reasons.
Brain Function: Your brain is made up mostly of water. If you don’t get enough fluids, it may not be able to function at its best. In fact you may lose up to ten percent of your cognitive function without adequate water intake. In this instance, that does mean water. Sugary drinks are nowhere near as effective.
Diabetes Control: Hydration has a direct affect on blood sugar levels. Water flushes out excess blood sugar, helping to maintain a steady rate. While it is important for everyone, children with type 2 diabetes have to be watched carefully. There are plenty of times when they don’t get the water they need.
Sometimes it’s because they don’t want to drink it, but it can be a problem in class as well. Most schools frown on children having food or drinks in the classroom during instruction time. For a diabetic child, this is an issue that has a direct impact on his or her life.
Healthy Kidneys: The kidneys are your body’s filtration system. Lack of adequate water makes it more difficult to filter the waste products and it makes these products more concentrated. Lack of adequate water intake could result in kidney stones as well as kidney damage.
Hydration: Our bodies are made up of about seventy-five percent water. There isn’t an organ, from the skin to the lungs, that isn’t damaged by chronic dehydration.
Reducing Gout Risk: One of the waste products that might be leftover if there is a lack of water intake is uric acid. Even if you keep your consumption of foods, drinks and medications that can increase your risk factors, the simple lack of water can increase uric acid levels in the bloodstream, thus increasing your risk for gout and gout flare ups.
As hard as it is to remember to drink adequate amounts of this fluid, it’s harder on your body if you forget. One method I use is to keep a bottle of it next to me when I’m writing. I don’t notice that I’m drinking it, but at some point, I’ll be surprised at the empty bottle. It’s not a bad method, if you can get your boss or teachers to agree.