Tuesday, July 19, 2011

What are healthy drinks?


My toes are getting tired of the research stepping all over them.  Ok, so if I’m not supposed to drink soda or diet soda, what am I supposed to drink?  Good question.   Let’s look at some ‘healthy’ drinks. 

Water is the original healthy drink.  Our bodies contain 60% water (a higher percentage for children, a lower percentage for women, the elderly and obese persons).  That means a person who weighs 150 pounds has 90 pounds of water in his body.  (That fact comes from my nutrition book.  I did not make that fact up.)

Water is essential and it’s found in our body fluids and inside and around cells.  We must have water for our bodies to function in ways we don’t think about, such as carrying nutrients (vitamins, minerals and glucose from our foods) to body cells and waste products away from cells to be flushed out.  Water aids in regulating our body temperature.  Water acts as a lubricant and shock absorber for joints, our spine and other structures.  Without water, many of the body’s chemical reactions cannot happen efficiently as the body needs them to occur.   

Do you drink water?  Provided it’s clean water (from a clean water source, relatively easy to find in America), water is a great hydrator and healthy drink. 

No comments:

Post a Comment