The answer to the question why do we need water is known by everybody from children to old people. Nutritionists and doctors are emphasizing the important role of water for the good functioning of the human body. Nutrition and drinking water are so closely linked because water makes up more than 70% of the body's tissues and plays a role in nearly every body function from regulating temperature and cushioning joints to bringing oxygen to the cells and removing waste from the body. We also need water for our blood to be able to carry nutrients around the body. Without water, our body's survival time is limited to a matter of hours or days.



Water is eliminated from the body through urine and sweat, and should be replaced though the diet, during the meals or as the thirst dictates. Actually if you feel very thirsty, you are already dehydrated so make sure you are drinking water during all day to avoid this sensation. Other signs of dehydration are: dark coloured urine, headaches, confusion and irritability, lack of concentration. Chronic dehydration can cause a number of health problems, such as constipation and kidney stones.

Debates on how much water to drink and where to get the water from, have been many. Basically, there are three ways to get water for your body: from drinks, either plain water or as part of other beverages, from solid foods, especially fruits and vegetables, as a by-product of chemical reactions within the body.

The British Dietetic Association, formed to provide training and facilities for State Registered Dieticians, aims to inform, protect, represent, support dieticians. The Association advises that the average adult should consume 2.5 litres of water per day. Six to seven glasses of water per day must be obtained directly from beverages. Water is the major ingredient of all drinks: carbonated and still drinks are 65 per cent water, diluted squashes are 86 per cent water (after dilution) and fruit juices are 90 per cent water. But drinking plain water is still the most effective way of replacing lost fluids. The quantity of water should be increased during periods of hot weather or during and after periods of physical activity.

Is there any difference between the types of water to drink? Bottle water is the most common way people drink. There are two types of bottled water: spring water that collected directly from the spring where it arises from the ground and must be bottled at the source and mineral water that emerges from under the ground, then flows over rocks before it's collected, resulting in a higher content of various minerals. UK sources of spring water must meet certain hygiene standards, but may be treated in order that they meet limits set on pollution.