Am I Drinking Enough Water?
February 12, 2007
One of the questions I ask each client is, 'how much water do you think you drink in one day?' Most answers range from one pint to a quart, maybe two.
Even though our body collects water from fresh (particularly raw) foods - a quart a day is not enough! Different parts of the body have their own water requirements.
The distribution of watery fluids is primarily controlled by the heart, kidneys and thyroid. The intestinal system (for adults) requires 2 quarts a day just to keep nutrients and wastes moving through, to keep the mucosa moist and ensure proper bowel movements. Healthy kidneys appreciate copious amounts of filtered water to help dissolve salts and acids.
If we aren't drinking enough water, our body will fiercely retain it, which can result in edema or even high blood pressure. I recommend a minimum of 3 quarts (3.5 liters) of pure, filtered or spring water every day for adults over 100 lbs (40 Kg).
Drinking water clears our energy, provides oxygen to the brain, keeps blood and lymph fluid moving and helps with overall metabolism. Our bodies are more water that substrate, however many things are dehydrating to our cells, such as: heavy perspiration/heat, caffeine in every form (green and black teas, coffee, coke), cigarettes, alcohol, salty foods, dry foods (cookies, chips, crackers) sugar and strongly diuretic herbs.
If you are cleansing, it is important to drink at least a gallon of water a day, especially if bentonite clay is part of your regime. While this amount of water sounds unfathomable to some, I have easily been able to drink more than a gallon a day during a cleanse or during a summer day working in the garden!
An interesting book on this subject is Fereydoon Batmanghelid 's book Your Body's Many Cries For Water (see margin).
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