Fill in the blank with your poison of choice, “I must have … to survive!”
The “elixir of life” for me is coffee. I would substitute coffee for a meal if I were forced to choose one or the other. That being said, I certainly wouldn’t WANT to live without coffee, but I know that I could.
On the other hand, my body would physically shut down and death would be guaranteed if I went for more than 3 days without water. Survival experts call it The Rule of Threes. While you would be miserable, you have 3 minutes to live without air, 3 hours to live without shelter, 3 days to live without water, and 3 weeks to live without food.
Was your poison of choice mentioned by survival experts? Mine wasn’t either, but water was. Water Really Does Matter.
I find that I sound a lot Gus Portokalos from the 2002 movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The patriarch of the family had a remedy for any ailment; “Put some Windex on it!” “Drink some water,” is my advice for any one of my children’s common complaints. I must also admit that when I see a child under the age of 24 months in public with a baby bottle (yes, the one with a rubber nipple) full of soda, my blood pressure elevates. There’s good reason for concern.
- The human brain is 95% water
- Human blood is 82% water
- Water is necessary for every cell and organ function in the human body
- Water is critical in every stage of digestion
The human body is significantly affected by dehydration (and learning is hindered):
- The heart is stressed as blood thickens and loses volume
- The body has difficulty regulating its temperature
- The simplest tasks (standing, walking, paying attention, solving problems) become difficult
Our body begs for water. Each of the following can be a sign of chronic and unrecognized dehydration:
- Sluggishness
- Muscle fatigue
- Headaches
- Poor memory
- Constipation
- Heartburn
- Dry mouth (and the resultant bad breathe and cavities)
- Urinary tract infections and kidney stones
A simple gauge is to monitor your children’s urine (and you own for that matter). If their urine is light as lemonade would be, they are probably well hydrated. If their urine is dark like apple juice, they’re not drinking enough water.
We were recently traveling and I suddenly realized our 8 year old hadn’t had any water for the day. My children’s answer will always be, “Yes, I’ve had enough water,” so I asked what his “pee” looked like. He said it “kind-of looks like cheese”. My reply, “Yeah, buddy. You need to chug this whole water bottle. Right now.”
Dietitians vary on their cups of water-per-day recommendations. I’ve included the range in the recommendations I reviewed.
- Men – 13-16 C
- Women – 9-10 C
- Children – 6-8 C
It’s worth mentioning, too, that liquids are not all created equal. Coffee, tea, juice, milk, and sodas are not substitutes for water. In fact, they often lead to chronic and unrecognized dehydration.
Reply below to join the conversation. Have you found some easy ways to encourage water consumption for your family?
For more from Marea, check out Me and Thee Studios’ faith based leveled readers for 1st-2nd graders at http://www.meandtheestudios.com/early-reader-collection.html.