This Is The Reason I Only Drink Water And Nothing Else

Water is a luxury that many people disregard, but there are a lot of people in the world with limited access to water. To be exact, according to water.org, 663 million people (1 in 10) lack access to safe water. Water is great for so many things such as keeping you hydrated, flushing out toxins from your body, increasing your metabolic rate, and helping reduce the risks of many diseases and ailments.

Now, what if you only drank water for a month and nothing else, what happens to your body? This means cutting out all beverages such as caffeine, teas, sugary and carbonated drinks, and replacing those with water! The results can only be beneficial.

4 Benefits Of Swapping All Beverages For Water

 

There is a direct link between drinking water and brain function, as 70% of your body is composed of water. There is also a clear link between drinking water and the detoxification of the body. A study demonstrates a link between decreased kidney function and low metabolic rates. Let’s find out more about these benefits below.

Cognitive Benefits

Lack of water could cause symptoms such as loss of focus, memory, brain fatigue, headaches, and sleep issues. Your brain is comprised of 85% of water and is the most important organ in your body, so it is important to keep your brain hydrated. Brain cells need two times more energy than other cells in the body and water provides this energy. Daily hydration helps you think and focus and can help prevent attention deficit disorder (3).

A study evaluated school children who were given extra water throughout the school day compared to those who were not. Researchers noted that the children who drank water throughout the day had increased visual attention (10).

Read More: Should You Drink Water On An Empty Stomach When You Wake Up In The Morning?

Detoxification Benefits

Drinking water helps give nutrients to our cells, aids digestion, flushes our bodies of waste, and keeps our kidneys healthy. Without enough water flowing through your systems, you are allowing for waste buildup in your body which is very unhealthy for your overall well-being. (11)

Kidneys are an important organ for the function of filtering waste. If the kidney does not receive the water it needs, these filtering functions cannot do their job, and in turn, can lead to rapid health deterioration.

Metabolism Benefits

Drinking water can help with weight loss because it helps stabilize your metabolic rate; water is a natural appetite suppressor. (10) As mentioned before, when the kidneys don’t get enough water they can’t function properly, therefore the liver then takes over the function of releasing toxins from the body.

Now, the liver is responsible for metabolizing stored fat into usable forms of energy, but when the liver is doing the kidneys’ job, it isn’t metabolizing the fat. This then leads to more stored fat. In this way, dehydration can cause many problems in your system which can then lead to other health issues. The key is to keep your kidney hydrated so it and all the other organs in your body can function well.

Hair and Skin Benefits

Similar to the rest of our body, hair, and skin health depends a lot on what you put in your body. Just like other cells, hair and skin cells require hydration to function properly. Proper hydration leaves your hair feeling strong and thicker and leaves your skin feeling fresh, radiant, and hydrated (6).

According to UW Health, dehydrated skin can lead to dry, tight, and flaky skin, which can then lead to wrinkles. Water reaches all other organs before it reaches the skin, so it is important to take other measures to keep your skin hydrated along with drinking enough water, like applying moisturizers after you shower to lock in the moisture (7).  

Water is the main source that keeps your organs running effectively and smoothly, so why not incorporate it into your daily diet more often? Try eliminating all other beverages for thirty days, including coffee, tea, juice, and soda, and substitute those with water. You’ll see an improvement in your cognitive abilities, your metabolic rate, and hair and skin health. 

5 Reasons to Ditch All Beverages And Try The 30 Day Water Challenge

1. Drinking soda causes obesity if consumed regularly. Sodas contain aspartame, an artificial sweetener. Aspartame can cause birth defects, brain cancer, and diabetes. (5) (9)
2. Fruit juice (flavored, sugary juice) can contain even more calories than soda, this is due to the amount of concentrated sugars incorporated in these drinks. (5)
3. Milk and other dairy products cause digestive issues for those who are lactose intolerant or even just sensitive to dairy. Dairy is a common cause of gas bloating and skin problems. It’s also high in natural sugars.
4. Caffeinated beverages like coffee and green tea can put stress on your adrenal glands. 
5. Alcoholic beverages are often very high in calories, although many people don’t take into account exactly how much sugar they’re consuming when they drink. Alcohol also puts stress on your liver, which is the only organ that can metabolize alcohol in your body. Drinking is also infamously linked to weight gain, especially around the gut. While there are some benefits to certain alcoholic drinks, such as the resveratrol compound in red wine, it’s best to limit your alcohol intake.

Read More: There Is No Excuse for You to Casually Drink Bottled Water

Myths About Hydration

Before you ditch all beverages for water, you should first know exactly how much water to drink. Not knowing how to drink water might sound silly, but there are many myths surrounding hydration. These are the most common:

 You Need To Drink 8 Glasses Of Water Per Day

This is the most common myth about hydration. (14) The amount of water that we need is different for every person according to their size, physical activity, and the way their body works. Larger people might need more than 8 glasses and smaller people will need less. If you exercise and sweat a lot or you’re generally a heavy sweater, you’ll need more water than a sedentary person.

You Can’t Overhydrate

Don’t push yourself to drink more water than you can handle. If you overhydrate, your kidneys might not be able to get rid of the excess water, which leads to hyponatremia, a condition that dilutes the sodium in your body and makes you sick. (12)

If You’re Not Thirsty, You Don’t Need Water

Sometimes thirst is very subtle to notice so you might think that you don’t need to drink water. Making water your go-to beverage will guarantee that you get enough water even when you don’t feel thirsty.

You Should Drink Water When You Wake Up

You can do that if you feel like it, but you don’t need to. Your body knows how to take care of itself when you sleep, so going several hours without water while you’re asleep will not dehydrate you.

The Color Of Your Urine Shows If You’re Dehydrated

While that’s generally true, you can’t rely on color alone because the food you eat or the supplements and medication you take might affect the color. Instead, use the volume and frequency of going to the bathroom as signs that you need more water.

This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and is for information only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions about your medical condition and/or current medication. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking advice or treatment because of something you have read here.

Read More: 5 Reasons to Eat Watermelon Often