Hydration, a key food
The beauty of being well hydrated
Did not drinking enough water is the main cause of the sensation of fatigue during the day? Our body is constituted by two basic compartments, the lean or fat free mass and body fat or adipose tissue. The lean tissue includes bone, muscle, water, and all the nervous tissue than fat cells. Of all the substances that make up our body water is the largest component.
Two thirds of our weight is water, about 67% of the weight of an adult and in children the percentage increases to 84% in newborns. The Dietary Guidelines for Venezuela state that drinking water is essential for the maintenance of organs and tissues such as skin, brain, heart, blood. In muscle over 65% of its weight is water.
The body has over 10 trillion cells filled with water that communicate with each other through the water around them, all metabolic reactions occur in water, its functions include the transport of nutrients, serve as a vehicle for waste disposal and toxins, lubricate the tissues and joints, prevent constipation and maintain constant body temperature.
How we lose water?
Water is lost through urine, feces, skin and breathing, these losses increase when sweating occurs due to environmental heat or exercise, as well as for certain diseases such as diarrhea, burns, infection, fever and kidney impairment.
The normal loss of water in a person vary between 1.5 and 3 liters a day and depends on your activities, physiological status, sex and age. All water lost must be replaced, it is necessary to take liquids, such as water, teas, soups, juices, milk and water-rich foods like fruits and vegetables.
Monitor daily hydration
Water needs vary depending on age, however, is the color of the urine the best way to identify if you are well hydrated. Note that appears when the thirst is dehydrated and lost approximately between 1 to 2% of body weight in water, thirst disappears equally long before all liquid had recovered is required, therefore, that there constantly hydrated.
It can be dehydrated without feeling thirsty, people may have impaired memory, difficulty paying attention and concentrating, decreased reflexes, coordination and dexterity also generates increased headache and fatigue.
This picture shows a color scale urine 1 to 8 according to the intensity of the color of urine. Ideally found between levels 1 and 3, since as early as level 4 dehydration, therefore should be increased fluid intake.
In children exclusively breastfed until 6 months, you do not offer any kind of liquid, even in hot climates, and that breast milk gets all the water it needs to stay hydrated, for which it is important the mother put the baby to the breast as often as he asks. With breastfeeding the best way to check if you are well hydrated is having wet diapers during the day, it is appropriate to 6-8 diapers, urine diluted, ie it shows no color. If urine is concentrated, penetrating odor and dark yellow or orange, indicating that dehydration, therefore, it is necessary to place more frequently baby chest.
Hydration is important at any age, dehydration can compromise the concentration of children in school and their cognitive development.
The following table provides a reference to the amounts of water needed for age, is only a guide, as we noted above, the best indicator of full hydration is the color of urine.
From 7 to 12 months: 800ml (3 ½ cups)
From 1 to 3 years: 1.3 liters (5 ½ cups)
From 4-8 years: 1.7 liters (7 cups)
From 9 to 13 years: 2.4 liters for men (9 ½ cups) and 2.1 liters in girls (8 ½ cups)
From 14 to 18 years: 3.3 liters for men (13 cups) and 2.3 in girls (9 ½ cups)
19 years and over: 3.7 liters for men (15 vessels) and in women 2.7 liters (11 cups).
The liquid in feed
Any time of day is good to drink water, however, it is advisable meals after eating it, because when included drinks little food is chewed each bite, which causes digestive problems often take fluids "pass" or what the food is like swallowing faster. However, if each bit is chewed well fluid is not necessary, saliva lubricates perfectly fulfill besides food digestive functions.
If you are looking to lose weight or maintain your figure, you can have a glass of water or any liquid with no calories as infusions of green tea, chamomile, lemon balm unsweetened lemonade sweetened, unsweetened fruit juices, before you start eating, Thus ends promotes satiety and eating less. The water, regardless of source, is absorbed and utilized by the body in the same way, what matters is the total amount ingested.
What happens in pregnancy?
Physiological changes during pregnancy generate fluid retention that occurs by increasing the amount of blood as a consequence of the requirements of the fetus. Hydration in this period is not only important to cover increased requirements, but also to prevent constipation, common in pregnant women, in addition, to keep the skin well hydrated, which favors its stretch during pregnancy and prevents stretch marks . If at the end of the afternoon, swollen feet and legs, it is recommended to upload in a chair or bench or lie down for a while, to encourage the return of body fluids and allow desinflamación. If this persists, do not forget to consult your physician.
Hydration before, during and after exercise
The hydration must be maintained before, during and after exercise, since the losses increase significantly with sweating, thus, the person dehydrates quickly. A practical way of knowing how much liquid lost through sweating during exercise, weigh yourself before and after exercise, if the weight is equal to say that was hydrated enough, if less, you should increase the amount of fluids ingested, if is greater not worry, the excess will be eliminated in the urine in a short time. Always remember to keep moisture at an optimum level.
Hydration status is key to physical performance. It has been found that the physical performance decreases with dehydration, therefore, fluids is essential. In athletes is likely due to the loss of excess sweat, for example, in football, basketball, cycling, marathons, and similar activities, the person need to eat a well drink water containing electrolytes and sugar, which will help improve hydration and quickly replenish lost energy.
What to do in old age
Some seniors avoid consuming fluids for fear of incontinence or urgency to avoid having to go to the bathroom, when they are away from home. With age, changes occur in the kidneys, decreases the sensation of thirst, so for example, at age 70 the ability of the kidneys to filter out waste products is about half that at 30 years. Some simple changes in diet can encourage fluid intake in older adults, such as the inclusion of soups, purees, jellies, juices, porridge, besides having a consistency that promotes food intake is more content water than other preparations.
Older people lose much water in the urine, which is usually diluted due to higher amount of water needed to excrete the same amount of waste. This situation is accentuated by the presence of diseases like diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease or some medications.
In older adults can not be measured hydration with the color of urine, since renal function is impaired by age, then it is best to consistently deliver fluids to maintain urine output.
Water as any food can be a vehicle for disease is why, when there is no guarantee of quality or potability, the safest method is to boil it for 10 to 15 minutes, especially for consumption by children. Keep water in clean, covered containers prevents contamination and cause disease. Use a pot for boiling water only to manipulate and store and always use clean utensils.
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