Water for Life
One famous dietitian in Colombo recently recommended drinking three liters of water per day to her clients. Three liters of water is equivalent to two big, tall bottles of water that are sold in the supermarkets. When you consider the almost 33-degree Celsius average day temperature in Sri Lanka, the high amount of perspiration and the fact that 57% of our body is water, I thought that she is on the correct path.
When we were in school we were taught to drink at least eight glasses of water per day. The amount may vary according to the activity one is involved in or the body weight of the person. The general norm is to drink enough water so that your urine is clear in color and not brown or yellow. In a tropical, developing country as ours, physicians advise us to boil or filter the water that we drink. They advise us even to check the bottled water, just to know whether it is coming from a reliable source.
If you are sick especially with diarrhea, you need to regain the lost water content with more clean water. Cholera, hepatitis A and typhoid are some of the diseases caused by drinking contaminated water or fluids such as contaminated milk. In poor countries many diarrhea victims die of dehydration than any other bacterial or viral infections. This is especially common in children.
Cleanliness and Hygiene
Water is an essential and indispensable ingredient in the metabolic reaction within our cells. It is the medium in which the chemical reactions take place. It is essential for the proper digestion and absorption of food. It is a critical ingredient for our urinary system. The blood filters through the kidneys and urine is formed and collected in the bladder. The urine is excreted from the bladder through the urethra.
Water is the chief ingredient for personal hygiene and cleanliness. We should wash our hands especially before eating and after we use the toilet. It is a good habit to take at least one shower or a bath every day. Frequent bathing helps to prevent skin infections, dandruff, pimples, itching and rashes. Showering also takes off the sweat and other unpleasant odors from our body.
Contaminated ground water especially in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka is causing chronic kidney disease. Chemical pollution of the pristine ground water in these areas is responsible for this kind of kidney (renal) ailments. If the drinking water in these areas is not treated, boiled or filtered it is not fit for human consumption. People with end-stage chronic renal failure have to go through continuous kidney dialysis or a renal transplant. These expensive treatment procedures are creating havoc in our fledgling National Health Service budget.
Summery
Health care circles advice us to drink at least three liters of fluids a day. This includes fluid absorption from other sources such as tea, coffee, juice and mineral water. The individual requirement of fluid consumption varies according to the atmospheric and personal status. A pregnant or a nursing mother or a construction worker exposed to the hot sun needs more fluids than a person who is working most hours in an air-conditioned office. Natural thirst instinct warns us when dehydrated and that we have to replace the lost fluids in the body. Water is one of the most precious and essential ingredients that help us to live a well-balanced life.