Jal hi jeevan hai

While many beverages — be it that so-called ‘real fruit juice’ or those ‘health drinks’ — might make tall claims about being good for your health, water is and will always remain a necessity, irrespective of how much you take it for granted. Almost every health concern’s one-stop solution happens to be none other than H2O. But, primarily for taste reasons, a part of our daily liquid consumption does include juices, aerated beverages, tea, and coffee, etc. However, have you ever wondered what would happen to your body if you drink nothing but water? Short answer: everything good. For the long answer, read on…

Dr M.G. Satish, Pathologist at Medall Clumax Diagnostics in Bengaluru, says, “The average person spends maximum hours in their lifetime at their workplace. A person should get rid of sugar-laden drinks that will only serve to cause more problems like severe tiredness, headaches, weight gain, high blood pressure, or kidney complications. To avoid wide-reaching implications, the first thought should always be that why are we not drinking enough water to quench our thirst in a more positive and healthy way?”

Increases metabolism  
There is a direct link between low metabolic rate and lack of kidney function. In case the kidney doesn’t get an adequate amount of water, its function gets impaired which, in turn, puts pressure on the liver. Our kidneys require water to remove toxins and dehydration can cause various health issues.

“When you replace all drinks with water, you boost your metabolism and flush out the toxins from your body. You need to drink at least 2 litres of water every day, in sips of 200ml every 1.5 hours,” explains Satish.

“70 per cent of your body is made up of water. And people nowadays are drinking tea and coffee like they are drinking water. Drinking tea and coffee leads to health issues like acidity and constipation. Water is the essential macronutrient that our body needs,” shares Nishant Mishra, a fitness trainer.     

Improves your hair and skin health
Dehydrated hair and skin can cause many problems like hair fall, dandruff, patchiness, and flakiness. It is important to keep yourself hydrated for glowing skin and hair.  “Water is known for clearing your digestive system. Most of the problems start from your stomach and if that is clean, it will result in glowing skin, strengthened hair, and will keep your mind calm,” explains Nishant.

Aids cognitive skills  
Given that most of our body is water, it makes up 85 per cent of our brain. Drinking water is beneficial for our body and impacts our memory, concentration, brain fatigue, headache, and various other brain-related problems.

“If you take down the consumption of sugar and carbs and increase water consumption, it will impact your decision-making ability, you will feel more active and, especially, it will help your cognitive function. You don’t feel sluggish anymore.” expresses Nishant.

“It'll also help you to avoid overeating, feel less hunger, and keep hydrated, which is good for the kidney, heart, and skin. Fizzy drinks, in fact, dehydrate you. It also improves your muscle endurance and by switching over to water, you are able to effectively combat the ill-effects of these beverages. So to conclude, the intake of water and replacing other beverages with water will help you improve your physical performance, which will improve your energy levels and relieving common illnesses,” shares Satish.