Drink water according to your weight every day
Water, which makes up 90 percent of our body in the embryo, 80 percent in the newborn, 70 percent in a 3-week-old infant, 60 percent in adults, and 60 percent in old age, is an indispensable basic need for our life. While the human body can survive for weeks or even years in the absence of certain nutrients, the fact that life without water can only be sustained for a few days is the clearest proof of just how vital water is.
The mechanisms for taking in and expelling water in the body are controlled by the kidneys, lungs, skin, and many hormones. This system, which operates with sensitivity to a change of 150 ml of water, has an important role in maintaining the body's internal balance.
While the body's water content shows individual variation, it decreases with advancing age. While the water ratio of a newborn baby's body is 80 percent, this drops to around 45-50 percent in old age. However, although the amount of water decreases, the importance of its role and function remains the same.
In adults, 4-6 percent of the body's water is expelled every day and is replaced and renewed with the water taken in daily. Even a 3-5 percent change in the body's water content can lead to significant signs of dehydration.
THE SOURCE OF WATER
The most valuable drink for quenching thirst is water. Particularly living water, in a glass bottle, an earthenware container, drawn from a flowing stream, or revitalized through certain medical systems.
Among the fluids that can be considered water, mineral water comes first (not soda; soda is water into which gas has been injected — see Discover Life, H. Nazlıkul). Beyond this, very light herbal teas, ayran (yogurt drink), and fresh fruit and vegetable juices also count. Herbal and fruit teas are just as valuable as water.
The source of water is not only the fluids we drink; the end products of the metabolism of foods that generate energy in the body also meet part of our water requirement.
Tea, coffee, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages can never replace water. As in our country, where tea consumption is very common, heavily consumed tea, coffee, soft drinks, and alcohol not only fail to meet the body's water requirement, but, since they are diuretics (water-eliminating), they actually increase the body's need for water.
In our country, particularly in workplaces, when people feel thirsty, they often try to quench their thirst by drinking tea. Yet this starts a vicious cycle and causes thirst to become even more entrenched. Yet according to Turkish tradition, the reason a glass of water is served alongside coffee is to also offer a replenishment of the water lost due to the coffee being served. Like all our proverbs and traditions, this example too is very meaningful and healthy.
HOW MUCH WATER DO WE NEED TO DRINK
2/3 of the human body is made up of water. To the question of how much water we need to drink per day, the common answer is "2 liters of water." But please consider this: can the daily water requirement of a petite young woman weighing 50 kg be the same as the daily water requirement of a large-framed adult man weighing 90 kg?
Experts say that people need to drink water in proportion to their weight. About 40 ml of water needs to be consumed per kg of body weight. In other words, a person weighing 70 kg needs to drink at least 2800 ml (an average of 2.5-3 liters) of water per day.
One of the questions we always ask when taking a patient's history in our clinic is how much water they consume daily. I am sorry to say that we are a society that does not drink water and does not know the importance of water. Yet we are a country surrounded on all sides by water, with very rich water resources. Although the water flowing from our taps has not been drinkable for the past 30 years, we can say that we are a country with no water shortage. Despite this, we do not drink water.
In my next article, I will address the topic of "why we need to drink water." If you would like broader information about water, you can benefit from my books Discover Life, Discover Detox, Why We Live Wrong, and My Forgotten Body.