The human body is mostly water. Without it, people would have no cells, no nerve impulses, and no metabolic processes. Even a small amount of dehydration (2 to 3 percent) can result in fatigue, low blood pressure, elevated heart rate, headaches, dry skin, constipation, and decreased mental function.
The part of your brain that controls the thirst sensation is called the hypothalamus. Guess what else the hypothalamus controls? Hunger! When you’re dehydrated, the hypothalamus kicks in and triggers thirst. This can also trigger food cravings, as you’ve probably experienced.
Drinking enough water is one of the easiest ways to keep cravings in check. Doing so also cuts down on your desire for other, less-healthy beverages. Downing a cold glass of water is one of the first things you should do when a sugar craving strikes.
Current recommendations for water intake range from a minimum of 64 ounces daily (eight glasses) to a maximum of one ounce per pound of body weight. Try this — pour distilled water into four pint-sized (16 ounces) stainless-steel water bottles and see how much of it you drink on an average day.
Drink distilled water when possible. Water filters remove some of the large contaminants and bacteria, but distilling water is the only way to remove all the mercury, lead, pesticides, pharmaceutical residue, PCBs, livestock runoff, and other hazards that seep into the groundwater. Get your minerals from food and from a high-quality supplement, and don’t worry about the tiny amount that’s missing from distilled water.
