Food and Drink
From WikiBody - The Owner's Manual For Your Body
Of all the ways we treat our body, what we put in it is the most important. Water keeps us hydrated. Food gives us energy and essential nutrients to keep all of our systems functioning. Drinking enough water and eating the right food will go far in treating your body right.
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[edit] Water
Our bodies are between 50 and 70 percent water. Without water to drink, we will die within a few days. Yet we lose water through sweating, urination, and respiration. Sweating and urinating are self-explanatory. We lose water simply by breathing because the water in our breath evaporates. That's why you might feel thirsty when you wake up -- you've been breathing and losing water for hours but you haven't replenished.
You MUST drink water! It's a matter of basic survival and your body will not work well if it's dehydrated. Make sure you're hydrated before having other beverages such as alcohol, coffee, tea, soft drinks, juice, etc.
[edit] How to Know If You're Dehydrated
Are you thirsty? Is your urine yellow or dark yellow? Does it have a strong odor? If any of these things are true, you are probably dehydrated.
[edit] Bottled vs. Tap vs. Filtered
Bottled water is not guaranteed to be any better than tap water, and is significantly more expensive. However, local water supplies can have low-grade bacteria and other impurities. A home water filter can remove these impurities.
[edit] How much water to drink
(Body Weight in Pounds / 2) = Ounces of Water Per Day
If you weight 150 pounds, drink 75 ounces of water.
Drink more water when you exercise, travel on an airplane (due to the low humidity of airplane air), during hot summer months, and if you live in a dry climate.
[edit] Effects of Dehydration
Dehydration can lead to headaches, constipation, back pain, muscle pain, joint pain, bad breath, and kidney stones.
[edit] Water to Avoid Drinking
- Developing countries
- Sea water
- Standing water
- Water from polluted rivers
[edit] References
- http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Smi-Z/Water.html
- http://nutrition.about.com/od/hydrationwater/a/waterarticle.htm
- You: The Owner's Manual
[edit] Further Reading
[edit] Food
Unlike water, people can go without food for several days. However, a poor diet can cause heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and several deficiency diseases such as scurvy and beriberi. A healthy diet guards against such diseases and increases your energy level throughout the day.
[edit] Eat a Balanced Diet
The point of eating a balanced diet is not to omit certain foods. It is to eat a variety of foods so that your body gets all the nutrients it needs to maintain good health.
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, you should eat:
Lots of:
- Fruits and Vegetables
- Healthy Fats and Oils
- Whole Grains
A Fair Amount of:
- Nuts, seeds, beans, and tofu
- Fish, poultry, and eggs
Some of:
- Dairy products
And sparingly:
- Red meat
- Butter
- Refined grains
- Potatoes
- Sugars and sugary drinks
- Salt
[edit] Avoid Processed Food
Processed foods often contain large quantities of salt. They also contain substances that technically aren't food. (Just look at the ingredients list on the package.) By avoiding processed foods, and eating whole foods, you ensure that you get as many nutrients from the food as possible, while reducing the amount of salt and other substances.
[edit] Don't Overeat
The average recommended number of calories is 2,000. However, this depends on age, sex, height, weight, exercise, etc. In general, overeating is common with foods at the top of the food pyramid. The first step in reducing overeating is to eat in the correct proportions, and to substitute foods at the bottom of the pyramid for foods at the top.
Remember, eating is only one part of the caloric equation. If you are eating too much, you can increase the amount of [exercise] you get in order to compensate for the extra calories you are taking in.
