FatehSrajeldin N.D.*
Water is the most important substance not only in nature
but more importantly in our own bodies. Without it, our survival is
nullified.
Our body needs water to regulate body temperature,
transport nutrients, regulate blood pressure, serve as a medium for chemical
reactions and to detoxify the body. If an individual chooses to neglect
replacing lost water from their bodies, the body will become over saturated
with toxins, free radicals and poisons. We need about 8 glasses of water
spread throughout the day. This can be made up of water, fresh juices,
herbal teas and broth soups. This daily requirement is based on the
following:
• 700 ml is lost through skin perspiration
• 600 ml is expired as air through the lungs
• 700 ml is excreted through urination
In total you are losing 1.5 to 2.0 L (8 to 10 glasses) a day.
8 glasses of water should be sufficient, as long as
coffee, tea and pop are not used throughout the day, or the body will use
them to remove the danger stemming from coffee and pop.
Therefore, an individual should average approximately eight
glasses of water to cleanse the body from head to toe providing that the
process is not disrupted by coffee, milk, pop, sweetened juices or alcohol.
These substances may counteract or negate water availability for metabolism.
-
One cup of coffee, being an acid, requires four glasses
of water to be flushed out of the body.
-
One can of pop, containing approximately twelve
teaspoons of sugar, requires four glasses of water to be flushed out of
the body.
-
One glass of milk contains denatured protein and
denatured lipids, requires approximately five glasses of water to be
flushed out of the body.
Bearing in mind the loss of the above volume of fluid from
the body, the body would require replacement of the above amount as soon as
possible at all costs.
In addition to its function as a temperature regulator and
blood pressure regulator, fluid support for chemical reactions, cleanser,
and de-toxifier, water frees the body from toxins and free radicals.
During meals, an individual should not drink any water, as
it dilutes the stomach acid leading to improper digestion and a feeling of
indigestion and acidity. Water should be consumed thirty minutes before
meals or one hour after meals, but never during meals. Water is less likely
to be required during meals if the individual would chew their food
properly.
I would recommend that you drink water throughout
the day as follows:
- 2 glasses at rising in the
morning, preferably with a squeeze of a lemon,
- 2 glasses between breakfast and lunch,
- 2 glasses between lunch and supper,
- 2 glasses between supper and 9 p.m.
This should be sufficient, as long as coffee, tea and pop are not used
throughout the day.
It is important to remember that every cup of coffee
requires approximately four glasses of water to remove it from the body, and
that every can of pop containing twelve teaspoons of sugar, requires four
glasses of water to remove it from the body. Therefore, a person who drinks
eight glasses of water along with a cup of coffee and a can of pop will not
benefit from the water because the body will use them to remove the
immediate danger stemming from coffee and pop.
We should therefore resort to water, vegetable juices,
fruit juices, green and other herbal teas, rice milk and soy milk to replace
our water need for cleansing and to replace water lost in perspiration.
Do not wait until you are thirsty, for by that time your
body has gone far beyond water replacement and is already deprived of water.
It is worth mentioning that children should drink
half the amount of water that is applied to adults as follows:
- 1 glass at rising in the
morning, may squeeze a sliver of a lemon in it,
- 1 glass between breakfast and lunch,
- 1 glass between lunch and supper and,
- 1 glass one hour after supper. Children should not drink water or any
fluid close to their bed time.
Any treating discipline that does not endorse drinking water
or dictates not to drink water on a daily basis in the amount of eight
glasses of water per day away from meals or one half hour before meals and
one hour after meals, is not worth following since this is the first hole in
its improper teachings.
Naturopathic doctor and the director of the Naturopathic and Allergy Clinic in the city of Toronto.