Doctors emphasize that in order to improve health and well-being, it is crucial to understand how to properly drink water during the day to ensure that the body receives the necessary hydration.
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Medical advice ranges from two to four liters a day, but of course the whole process is dependent on each person's consumption need. More than the actual consumption of a quantity of water, more important is the way in which we ingest water.
“We should not replace water with other liquids and should listen to our instincts. Our body sends us messages when it needs water. There is that feeling of thirst, but with today's always-busy lifestyle, we ignore it. Thus, our brain adapts to the fact that we ignore the feeling of thirst and then it no longer demands, does not force us“, explains Adina Rusu, nutritionist.
According to her, the sensation of thirst occurs when our cells are already dehydrated. We shouldn't wait for that sensation to drink water.
“Our body is already dehydrated when this sensation occurs. Many people say that they do not feel this sensation of thirst and therefore do not drink water. Which is very wrong. We need to re-educate our bodies and we can do this by proposing to drink water regularly“, adds the nutritionist from Iași.
The greater the amount of water ingested at one time and the faster it is drunk, the more strained and strained the kidneys will be trying to eliminate the excess water introduced into the system.
“Water helps digestion. We don't drink a lot of water before meals, that is, we don't drink half a liter, but if we drink two or three mouthfuls, it helps. Water is involved and important in all digestion processes. Including in the body's detoxification processes. Let's not expect our metabolism to be at optimal parameters if we don't hydrate properly“, emphasizes Adina Rusu.
No matter how thirsty a person is, “flooding” the body with water does them no good – it doesn't even help with overall body rehydration. The water is quickly eliminated by several frequent urinations, one after the other, and in no way helps the desired cooling.
“Important: do not drink all the water at the same time. We don't decide that we have two liters to drink, as we heard it would be needed, and we drink them in four portions of half a liter each and that's it, we're done with hydration. Not like this. Water should be drunk little by little. We can drink two mouthfuls of water during the meal and before, but also after“, says nutritionist Adina Rusu.
Water and digestion
The effects of dehydration can include decreased energy, difficulty concentrating, and reduced physical performance. In addition, chronic dehydration can have long-term health consequences, such as kidney and digestive problems.
“If we don't hydrate properly we can feel fatigue, headaches and even hunger, because in our brain these needs can be confused: the feeling of thirst can be interpreted by the brain as hunger. And then we happen to eat more than we hydrate,” concludes nutritionist Adina Rusu.
