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The Importance of Water Water is very important in therapeutic diets because two-thirds of the body consists of water, which naturally means that it is the most important nutrient. Water is in all body tissue and every cell, two thirds of the body’s water is situated inside the cells and the rest outside the cells in the tissue. The process of osmosis needs water, as well as water, nutrients and waste material pass in and out of the cell walls. Even bones consist of one third of water and muscle and brain cells are made up of seventy one per cent of water. One point five litres of water are lost per day through the skin, the bowel, and the lungs and via the kidneys as urine; this ensures the toxins are eliminated from the body. The body also produces a third of a litre a day of water when glucose is burnt for energy. Therefore the human body needs a minimum of one litre a day preferably two litres a day. No change takes place with water within the human body but it is absolutely essential for the vital functioning of the body and its various organs. The circulatory system is especially dependant on water. Water is only beverage that really quenches the thirst, other beverages only relieve thirst relative to the amount of water they have in them. A lot of these beverages such as tea and coffee are unhealthier than water because of the substances such as caffeine that they contain. Vegetables and fruit consist of about ninety per cent water, this is a great way for the body to get water as they supply it in a form that is very easy for the body to use, at the same time they also supply vital minerals and vitamins. Alcohol, tea and coffee are diuretics that cause the body to lose water and they also deplete the body of vital vitamins, this is why coffee, tea and alcohol are not a viable source of liquid intake. A human can live for a several days without food but can only survive a couple of days without water. After oxygen, it is the most vital substance for maintaining life. The body develops thirst when it loses one per cent of its total water and death occurs when twenty per cent of water is lost. The body balances the input and output of water, most of it comes from what we eat and drink although some is produced by the body. The most important functions of water are, to help the body use essential nutrients and to move nutrients and oxygen from the blood to the cells and to get waste material from the cells back to the blood so that they can be removed from the body. Other functions for water within the body are to regulate body temperature, to give cell shape and form, to protect certain body organs, lubricate joints and other areas and to maintain performance. The amount of water the body needs depends on the diet, consuming unhealthy foods such as large amounts of meat, diary, salt and spices needs more water to cleanse the system. On the other hand, consuming large amounts fruit and vegetable will lead to the body needing less water as fruit and vegetable consist of large amounts of water. The skin is an important organ of elimination; it eliminates not only normal body waste but poisons and toxins such as sodium chloride, urea, lactic acid, and potassium. These are all eliminated through sweat which is near one hundred per cent water. Through the wear and tear of every day living, tiny amounts of living tissue are destroyed within the body. These dead tissues have a poisonous effect on the body and need to be removed; pure water dissolves these poisons on contact where they can later be expelled by the other organs of elimination – the lungs, skin, liver and kidneys. Water is a vital part of the digestion process, it dissolves nutritive material in the process of digestion so that the nutrients can be absorbed by the blood and carried to the cells and tissues of the body where they are needed. Water keeps the mucous membranes of the body in a soft condition preventing friction on their surfaces. It also helps in the body processes and regulation of temperature. When water is drunk, some of it is absorbed through the intestines into the bloodstream increasing its volume. This increases the circulation by making the blood more fluid. When blood volume is increased, more water comes into contact with the body’s waste material in every part of the body. This results in more waste being removed; this is illustrated by the increase in urinary output and perspiration. Drinking a lot of water increases elimination by the intestinal tract mucous membrane lining. This results in the contents of the intestinal tract becoming more fluid which intern helps with problems such as constipation. It also cleanses the blood from its toxic waste which leaves the blood cleaner to build tissues. In this way water both helps with repair and elimination. In conclusion, water is so important in therapeutic diets because it purifies and bathes the blood and tissues which enables the body to be cleansed from poisons and waste material. Water dissolves toxic material and foreign elements within the blood aiding their elimination through faeces, urine, sweat and the lungs. Water is also a vital part of the body’s cells, tissues and body’s fluids. Because water is such a vital part of the proper functioning of the body, it also becomes a vital part in any therapeutic diet or treatment. Not only is water use therapeutic in diet but it can be also used therapeutically in baths and in other water treatments, this is known as hydrotherapy.
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