Water
may or may not be classed as a food .... depending on one's definition of food.
However, no one can deny that water plays an important role in our diet and is
just as essential to life as food or oxygen. Our water intake is not only what we take in the
form of beverages and drinking water because we ingest large quantities of
water in our food. It is a fact that most of our fruits and vegetables are
approximately 75% water, with the leafy vegetables and soft fruits holding as
much as 95% water. Even what we normally consider dry foods — grains and seeds,
for example — contain some water. Also, water is formed within the body by the
oxidation of sugar, fat and protein.
It
has been established that every natural process in one way or another involves the
use of water. Water takes the place of a lubricant and actually prevents injury
of various tissues, as well as giving flexibility to bones, cartilage, tendons
and muscles. And, it must be recognized
that water normally accounts for 55 to 65% of our body weight and many of our
body functions are performed with the aid of water. Blood, urine, sweat, tears,
digestive juices, internal fluids in the eyes, mucous and the feces are
composed mainly of water. Also, each cell of our body is surrounded by water. Water
serves as a vehicle to carry food and waste products, it assists in regulating
body temperature, it plays a role in many chemical processes within our body,
it serves as a lubricant and, along with body fat, it assists in protecting
different organs from outside injury.
How
much water should you drink? That is a difficult question to answer because it
is governed by the person’s diet and activities but thirst is the best
indication of the body's needs. It has been my experience that a person whose diet
consists mainly of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains, along with fresh
vegetable juices, requires very little additional water this is especially if
no salt is added to the food.
I
feel that the source of one's drinking water is important and I consider good
spring or well water best because it contains no chlorine, fluorine or any of
the other chemicals that are added to municipal water supplies. I will not go
into the pros and cons of fluoridation and chlorination here but lest you
believe that chlorine is safe or necessary in our drinking water, let me tell
you that in spite of its 50 + years of general acceptance, chlorine is not beneficial or safe. You need to investigate this
and then decide whether you want your drinking water treated with the
supposedly innocuous chlorine. The same applies to fluorine. I want to make it
clear that I would permit no man to add anything to the water that I drink.
It
has been proven that a person can live without food for about 60 days, but no
one can live without water for more than 10 days. Of course, there are great
variations, depending on the surrounding temperature and the amount of water
already present in the body. The amount depends upon the fat in the body — the
more fat, the less water. A 170 lb. person with a normal amount of body fat
carries about 110 lbs. of water in the body. I do not advise long fasts but
fasting for 30 to 40 days is considered commonplace among the 'fasting fraternity,'
even extending as long as 60 days without apparent injury or even suffering,
but water is always taken as desired. I consider water to be food because of studies
clearly indicate that well water contains many minerals and other elements, as
does water out of a lake, a stream or a creek. Ocean water has been said to
contains at least 44 elements. Just how much of the various elements your body
can absorb from the water is open to conjecture but absorb some it does, as
specifically proven in many different experiments.
For
years I have recognized the fact that good drinking water contains many
nutrients and that is why I will never accept distilled water. I also will
never drink treated water of any kind and especially water that has been
softened. I pointedly warn my readers not to drink any water that has been
treated in any way.
Please
believe me, I do not have anything against the people who make and sell
distilled water or distilling equipment but I am concerned about my readers'
health and feel that distilled water can be harmful. I feel that you need the
elements found naturally in water and I suspect that they are elements that
your body cannot get from any other source.
As
always, stay safe and be happy!
- bird
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