Water : Water Water is the most indispensable nutrient
Makes up about 60 percent of an adult’s weight Water is the most indispensable nutrient
Why Is Water the Most Indispensable Nutrient? : Why Is Water the Most Indispensable Nutrient? Water
Carries nutrients throughout the body
Serves as the solvent for chemicals in the body
Cleanses the tissues and blood of wastes
Participates in chemical reactions
Acts as a lubricant around joints
Serves as a shock absorber inside eyes, spinal cord, joints, and amniotic sac
Aids in maintaining the body’s temperature
The Body’s Water Balance : The Body’s Water Balance To maintain water balance, a person must consume at least the same amount lost each day to avoid life-threatening losses.
A change in body’s water content can bring about a temporary change in body weight. An extra drink of water benefits both young and old
Quenching Thirst and Balancing Losses : Quenching Thirst and Balancing Losses
Quenching Thirst and Balancing Losses : Quenching Thirst and Balancing Losses
Quenching Thirst and Balancing Losses : Quenching Thirst and Balancing Losses Thirst lags behind a lack of water
To ignore thirst is to invite dehydration
When a person is thirsty, they may already have lost up to 2 cups of total fluid
Water intoxication occurs when too much plain water floods the body’s fluids and disturbs their normal composition
Can occur if several gallons of water are consumed in a few hours’ time
Can be fatal
How Much Water Do I Need to Drink in a Day? : How Much Water Do I Need to Drink in a Day?
Safety and Sources of Drinking Water : Safety and Sources of Drinking Water Water is practically a universal solvent: it dissolves almost anything it encounters to some degree.
Hundreds of contaminants have been detected in public drinking water
Safety of Public Water : Safety of Public Water The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for ensuring that public water systems meet minimum standards for protection of health.
Public water systems remove some hazards; treatment includes the addition of a disinfectant (usually chlorine) to kill most microorganisms.
Consumer Corner: Bottled Water : Consumer Corner: Bottled Water About 1 in 15 households uses bottled water as its main drinking water source
Costs about 250 to 10,000 times the price of tap water
A consumer group tested bottled water, however, and disproved the notion of superior safety
About 1/3 were contaminated with bacteria, arsenic, or synthetic organic chemicals
Consumer Corner: Bottled Water : The label on a water bottle may imply purity but what counts is the purity of the product inside Consumer Corner: Bottled Water
Consumer Corner: Bottled Water : Consumer Corner: Bottled Water Bottled water is unpredictable in its content of fluoride, a mineral important to the health of teeth and bones.
Vitamin-fortified bottled waters are simply liquid supplements.