lesson 2 water - wildrosecollege.com · to clean our food before it is eaten. water is used...

NUTRITION 101 LESSON 2 WATER

© 2020 Jeananne Laing, RH (AHA), INHC 1

Lesson2:WATER

THEBODY’SWATER....................................................................................1HOWMUCHWATERDOWENEED?.......................................................................3THIRST.............................................................................................................5DEHYDRATION..................................................................................................6

WEIGHTLOSSANDWATERINTAKE.............................................................8

WHATISTHEBESTWATERTODRINK?........................................................8TAPWATERVSSINGLEUSEBOTTLEDWATER.........................................................8SPRINGWATER...............................................................................................11ALKALINEWATER............................................................................................13DISTILLEDWATER............................................................................................15MINERALWATER(STILLANDSPARKLING)............................................................16

HARDWATERVSSOFTWATER.................................................................16TOTALDISSOLVEDSOLIDS.................................................................................17

WATERFILTRATIONSYSTEMS...................................................................18CARBONFILTERS.............................................................................................18REVERSEOSMOSIS(RO)...................................................................................19CERAMICWATERFILTERS.................................................................................19IONEXCHANGE...............................................................................................20ULTRA-VIOLETSYSTEM(UV).............................................................................20COMBINATIONFILTERS.....................................................................................20

WATERPOLLUTION..................................................................................20

TheBody’sWater Water is a critically essential nutrient that needs to be ingested daily in order to keep the body’s metabolic processes functioning properly. At birth the human baby is about 75% water. By the time that baby becomes an adult, their body contains 55% - 60% water. Muscle contains more water than fat, so the leaner a person is, the more water they contain. Different areas of the body have differing water content:

• muscles - 70% water



• fat - 25-35% water • bone - 10% water

Sixty percent of the water found in the body is contained within the cells. The other forty percent is circulating outside the cells in the extracellular matrix. Water serves many vital functions for the body:

• cushion and shock absorber for the brain and spinal cord • transporting nutrients through the bloodstream and

extracellular matrix • regulation of body temperature through sweating • flushing waste out of the body mostly through the

kidneys • important for the formation of gastric and other digestive

juices, including saliva • lubricant for joints • creates a cushion in the uterus for the growing fetus • vital to maintain healthy intracellular fluid so the cell can

properly perform its function • regulation and proper functioning of metabolic pathways • helps conduct the electrical signals and currents in the

body Water is also extremely important for our personal hygiene and to clean our food before it is eaten. Water is used externally to maintain health through bathing, hot water soaks and steam baths, cold water plunges to reduce inflammation, and simply gazing at flowing water to calm the mind. Water enters the body through the ingestion of food and beverages and is absorbed mostly through the walls of the large intestine, but also through the small intestine. The kidneys regulate the release of water by releasing excess through the urine and holding onto to water when there is not enough. Water is constantly leaving the body through urine, feces, sweat and exhalation. Excessive loss of water through bodily fluids can create a dangerous health condition called dehydration. Read more



about dehydration later in this lesson.

Howmuchwaterdoweneed? The amount of water each individual requires on a daily basis is dependent upon age, activity, outside temperature, and diet.

• Children require more water per kg/body weight than adults.

• Athletes require extra water during training. • Being in a hot environment increases water requirements. • High fiber diets require the ingestion of extra water to

avoid constipation. • Extra water should be consumed when experiencing

colds, flu and other health issues to help speed the healing process.

• Certain health conditions (kidney stones, urinary tract infections, etc) require an increase in water intake until these health conditions are cleared up.

• Some pharmaceutical drugs benefit from extra water intake.

There is not much scientific evidence indicating that we need to each drink at least 1.5 – 2 liters of water daily to stay healthy. We do know that we need to drink enough water to satisfy demands of our diet and lifestyle. The best method for determining if you are taking in enough water is to note the colour of your urine.

• Normal urine from a well-hydrated body is a pale straw-colour or transparent pale yellow.

• Clear, colourless urine may be an indication of over hydration.

• Dark yellow, amber or honey coloured urine is a sign that the body is becoming dehydrated and extra water intact is required.

• Some foods and supplements change the colour of urine. B vitamin supplements turn the urine a bright, florescent yellow. Beets, blueberries and rhubarb can turn the urine various shades of pink/red.



https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324469.php For the vast majority of healthy adults, water intake can be adequately maintained through moderate water intake (1-2 litre daily) and eating water rich foods and other dietary sources of water. The more fresh fruits and vegetables you eat, the more hydrated your body becomes. The more processed, denatured food you eat, the more you need to supplement your diet with extra glasses of water throughout the day. Water rich fruits are juicy when you bit into them. (A banana is not water rich.) Oranges, melons, peaches, apples and most berries are good choices. Most non-starchy vegetables are water rich, such as cucumbers, bell peppers, lettuce, carrots, leafy greens, celery, beets, cabbage, etc. The added advantage to eating plenty of water rich vegetables is all the extra vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients you will be ingesting! Examples of water rich fruits and vegetables include:



• Iceberg Lettuce 96% • Celery 95% • Cucumber 95% • Radish 95% • Tomato 94% • Zucchini 94% • Bell Pepper 92% • Cabbage 92% • Cauliflower 92% • Spinach 92% • Watermelon 92% • Broccoli 91%

• Strawberry 91% • Cantaloupe 90% • Carrot 90% • Jicama 90% • Eggplant 89% • Peach 89% • Grapefruit 88% • Orange 88% • Pineapple 87% • Raspberries 87% • Apple 85% • Kiwi 85%

Changing up our food intake to treat chronic dehydration is an often-overlooked remedy!

Thirst Thirst is a great indicator of the need to get more fluids into the body. The body uses our thirst mechanism to let us know it needs a replenishment of water. Is it true that by the time we feel thirsty, we are already dehydrated? Not likely. There is not much scientific evidence to support this theory or the theory that we are all walking around chronically dehydrated. Our bodies are well designed and the thirst indicator is likely as reliable as the fuel indicator in your car. However people with poor body awareness often don’t realize they are thirsty or they may mistake thirst for hunger. A diet of fast food/processed food can make one feel very thirsty and induce headaches and constipation. When we eat things that our body doesn’t know what to do with, like many of the ingredients in processed foods, our body will trigger the thirst mechanism as a survival response in an effort to dilute the unwanted substances until they can be excreted. We can use this mechanism to discover food allergies and intolerances. If you routinely feel thirsty after eating a certain food, it is likely that your body is trying to dilute what it perceives as a harmful substance in order to get it out of the



body as quickly as possible.

DoYourOwnResearch Below are two experiments you can do on your own to help understand your own thirst mechanism. Experiment 1: Start to pay attention to your thirst levels, especially within 30 to 90 minutes after a meal. If you notice you are extra thirsty within this time frame, make a note of all the ingredients that made up that meal and eliminate those ingredients from your diet for several days. Then each day eat just one of those ingredients and monitor yourself for thirst. You will soon discover what foods are depleting for you allowing you to make more informed food choices. Experiment 2: For one week eat at least one extra piece of fresh, water-rich fruit and at least one extra cup of juicy raw vegetables daily. Monitor your thirst levels in a journal. Keep track of your thirst levels each morning and evening by noting how you feel on a 1 – 10 scale (10 being very thirsty, 1 feeling satisfied.) Also note how much and what types of water rich foods you eat each day. At the end of the week analyze your notes and make a determination of any changes you perceive in your state of hydration. Do you feel that your overall hydration improved? If so, what benefits has that given you? Water rich fruits are juicy when you bit into them. (A banana is not water rich.) Oranges, melons, peaches, apples and most berries are good choices. Most non-starchy vegetables are water rich, such as cucumbers, bell peppers, lettuce, carrots, leafy greens, celery, beets, cabbage, etc. The added advantage to eating plenty of water rich vegetables is all the extra vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients you will be ingesting!

Dehydration Also known as hypohyration, dehydration is a condition that can occur when there is an excessive loss of body fluids such that normal bodily processes cannot function as required. This can occur because of vomiting, diarrhea, blood loss, being over heated, or simply not taking in enough fluids throughout the day.



Dry cracked lips and dry mouth are two other recognized symptoms of dehydration. Other symptoms of dehydration include thirst, headache, dark coloured urine, fatigue, weakness, flushing, rashes, dry mouth, nose, eyes and skin, lowered blood pressure, head rushes and loss of appetite. Babies and the elderly are particularly susceptible to dehydration especially when they are sick with a fever, diarrhea and/or vomiting. Participating in sports that induce sweating can quickly lead to dehydration. Hot yoga is notorious for exercise-induced dehydration for participants who do not properly hydrate before and throughout the class. Untreated dehydration can lead to grogginess, vomiting, muscle spasms, tingling in the extremities, disturbances in vision, delirium and eventually death.

A simple test for hydration can be performed anytime, anywhere on anyone. Simply pinch and release the skin on the back of the hand. If the person is well hydrated the skin will snap back quickly. If the person is under-hydrated or dehydrated the skin will return to normal more slowly. While the side effects from dehydration can be debilitating, the treatment is relatively simple … drink water! However in many cases plain water is not enough and an electrolyte replacement drink is required. This is especially true for children and elderly. See Lesson 7 on Minerals for more information on electrolyte replacement drinks.



WeightLossandWaterintake Does drinking extra water help you lose weight more quickly? Again there is not much evidence to support this theory. It is more likely that eliminating soda pop and processed foods will help you lose weight more quickly than adding extra water to your diet. However drinking extra water throughout the day can help produce a full feeling in the stomach, possibly reducing hunger and cravings. It is definitely worth increasing water intake during a weight loss program (along with diet changes, caloric reduction and increased activity.)

Whatisthebestwatertodrink? Ask 10 different people that question and get 10 different answers. Who ever thought that drinking water would get to be so complicated? The most important thing to remember is that the best water is the cleanest water! In some cases the cleanest water may be municipal tap water. Lets look at a few drinking water choices.

TapWatervsSingleUseBottledWater By far the least expensive water choice in most (unfortunately not all) Canadian communities is municipal tap water and for the most part it is a very safe choice. There is much controversy over whether or not tap water is safe to drink … and while some of that controversy is warranted, much of it has come about from a smear campaign designed to sell single use bottled water for profit. There certainly are cases of tap water containing substances known to be harmful to our health, and when municipal water treatment processes break down, tap water can become lethal.



Lets first look at the real concerns of tap water. Most municipalities use chlorination to sanitize the water that flows into your house. And while chlorination comes with its own health issues, it is absolutely essential that municipal water be treated to ensure that it is bacteria free when it comes out of your tap! Our public health depends on this. While chlorination is not the most health-enhancing choice, it is the most common way that municipalities ensure drinking water is safe when it arrives at your home. In addition to chlorination, other concerns with tap water are fluoridation, fertilizers and other industrial chemicals, heavy metals, and pharmaceutical drugs. Chlorine can easily removed from municipal water through the use of home filtering systems such as Brita, Santevia, Berkey and other carbon based filters. It is not the scope of this course to go into details about tap water. Below are resources you can check if you would like to learn more.

• Health Canada http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/water-eau/drink-potab/index-eng.php

• Environmental Working Group (USA focused link) http://www.ewg.org/tap-water/

In spite of these concerns, tap water may be a better choice than over-priced, single-use, bottled water. In numerous tests, Canadian municipal tap water is often found to contain less bacteria and other contaminants than bottled water. This is because municipal tap water is highly regulated and vigorously tested several times each day. Yet there are few, if any regulations governing the quality of bottled water. The other factor in choosing tap water over single use bottled water is the petrochemicals required both to make the plastic bottle and in transporting the bottles over long distances. The very making of plastic bottles creates pollution that gets into our water supply and a vicious cycle begins. Single-use bottled water being promoted in areas with safe tap



water may be one of the greatest cons of the 20th century!

Single use bottled water is great to have on hand for emergencies. Bottled water can save your health when travelling in countries foreign to you where organisms living in the tap water may be harmful. But beyond emergencies and travel, the use of plastic bottles is a leading cause of plastic pollution around the world. We are just beginning to learn the health effects of the chemicals in plastic that leach into the supposedly ‘pure’ drinking water sold in plastic bottles. A recent report from the Fredona State University of New York indicates that almost all bottled water that they tested contain tiny particles of plastic. We don’t yet understand the consequences (if any) of ingesting tiny particles of plastic on our health … but it is disconcerting to think about!

• Synthetic Polymer Contamination In Bottled Water, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/14_03_13_finalbottled.pdf

The environmental impact of single use bottled water is devastating and it will take us a long time to clean up from this 30+ year experiment. Until we find a better solution, we must take responsibility for



the plastic pollution crisis in the world. Glass and stainless steel water containers are a great alternative. These can be refilled from taps and other responsible water sources. In many parks and other public places filtered water refilling stations are popping up allowing you to refill your own bottle. Annie Leonard does a wonderful job of explaining the downfalls of bottled water in her animated documentary called “The Story of Bottled Water”. You can watch The Story of Bottled Water online at storyofstuff.org.

SpringWater

A spring is the spot where water flows from an underground aquifer to the earth's surface. Aquifers are large underground stores of water, usually found beneath layers of rock, sand or silt. As the aquifer water rises to the earth’s surface it is filtered through those layers of rock, sand and silt. This earth filtration results in the pure clear water we know as spring water.



Spring water is different from water flowing in creeks and rivers. Once the water starts flowing on top of the earth it is vulnerable to pollution from surrounding land and air. It is important that spring water be collected as close as possible to its source - the area where it flows out of the earth – rather than further downstream where it may have picked up impurities from the environment such as agricultural runoff, pesticides and other pollution. Melting snow during the spring can make it difficult to differentiate between a spring and the many little creeks and flows from melting snow.

Towns and villages often develop the site of a spring by adding rock or concrete formations, pumps, pipes and benches to make it easier to collect from. Spring water can be collected at its source or purchased from water resellers.

If you want to collect your own spring water, there are several things to keep in mind.



1. Has the spring water site been tested? If not, it is advisable to have it tested for impurities prior to use. Check FindASpring.com to discover if the spring has been tested or ask people who live in the area. If in doubt, have the water tested for impurities prior to use.

2. Collect spring water in sanitized stainless steel vessels, food-grade plastic bottles or glass bottles.

3. Take precautions with glass bottles to avoid breaking at the site of the spring. It is impossible to clean up small pieces of broken glass amongst rocks and sand and this creates a hazard for animals and other humans.

4. Water can be stored in stainless, plastic or glass in a cool, dark place, out of sunlight and sources of heat.

If collecting your own spring water is not an option, bottled spring water is widely available from water resellers. Pre-bottled spring water is often collected from a well drilled near a spring rather than from the spring itself. Spring water sold by the bottle is usually put through a sterilizing process prior to being bottled. An uncomfortable, and sometimes serious gastro-intestinal infection can occur from drinking surface water that has been mistaken for spring water. A parasitic cyst found in contaminated surface water causes giardiasis, aka beaver fever. Symptoms of giardiasis include abdominal pain, gas, bloating, diarrhea, weight loss, and in more severe cases fever, vomiting, and blood in the stool. An easy way to guard against giardiasis is to put your spring water through a filtration system that removes parasitic cysts prior to use.

AlkalineWater Alkalizing water filtration systems, also known as ‘water ionizers’ separate water into two types: acidic and alkaline. Some brands of water ionizers allow the user to adjust how the level of alkalization. Alkaline water filters do not purify the water (unless specifically stated). The pH of distilled water is 7 which is neutral - neither acid nor alkaline. Regular tap water has a pH range of 6.5 to 8.5. Alkaline



water generally runs between 8 and 9 on the pH scale.

Studies suggest that alkaline water may benefit some health conditions, including acid reflux, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Proponents of alkaline water use it to improve oxygen levels, help with weight loss, detoxification, and overall hydration. Drinking alkaline water can lead to lowered stomach acid and other gastrointestinal issues, decreased immunity (due to low stomach acid), and skin conditions. A condition called metabolic alkalosis can develop from too much alkalinity in the diet. Symptoms of metabolic alkalosis are nausea, vomiting, confusion, tremors, twitching and tingling in the muscles and extremities. Drinking alkaline water may be helpful for some health conditions, however we will see in later lessons that the subject



of acid/alkaline balance in the body is much more involved than simply the pH of your drinking water. Drinking alkalized water on a regular basis may not be in your best interest unless you are specifically treating a disease process and under supervision of a health care practitioner.

DistilledWater Distillation is a water purification method that removes all impurities from the water, including all minerals. Distilled water is created by capturing the steam from boiling water and condensing it back to a liquid in a second container. The impurities in the original water are left behind as they are too heavy to become vapour. For centuries distillation techniques have been used to create drinking water from seawater and other undrinkable sources. Distilled water is the purest water available, however it isn’t necessarily the best water to drink. It is important to note that distilled water does not naturally occur anywhere on the earth. Because distilled water is pure (free of minerals and other matter) it has chemical ‘room’ to bond with other substances. Think of distilled water as being ‘hungry water’, in that it doesn’t like to be alone and is capable of attracting large crowds of minerals, chemicals, toxins and other substances. When food is cooked in distilled water more of the nutrients are pulled out of the food and into the water … which is fine if you consume the water the food was cooked in. But if you throw out that water, the food will be missing much of its mineral goodness. Similarly when one drinks distilled water on a regular basis, the water begins to leach minerals from the body and over the long term this loss of minerals can have a devastating effect on health, resulting in symptoms such as muscle, bone loss, and even serious mental health issues. Distilled water is a great choice when you want to pull chemicals, salts and other minerals out of a substance. For instance, when making herbal teas, more of the mineral matrix



can be extracted into distilled water than regular water. Distilled water is a good choice for use in clothes irons, humidifiers and other small appliances. It is recommended that only distilled water be used for neti pot nasal irrigation. Once a fad, drinking distilled water has since fallen out of favour. Non-distilled drinking water is an important dietary source of micro and macro minerals required by the body. (See lesson on Minerals for more info.) Long term drinking of only distilled water puts a person at risk of serious damage to their health, including mental health disorders. Knowing how to distill water at home is a great skill to learn for times when there may not be clean drinking water available. Check YouTube.com for DIY water distillation methods. It is highly recommended that a mineral supplement be added to distilled water prior to drinking. Mineral drops and stones are available online and at health food stores.

MineralWater(stillandsparkling) Mineral water comes in two forms: still (no bubbles) and sparkling (bubbly). As we have seen most water (unless it has been distilled or highly filtered) contains minerals. Sparkling water is mineral water that has been infused with carbon dioxide to make it ‘bubbly.’ Some mineral water is naturally sparkling (containing naturally occurring carbon dioxide) and water companies like to bottle this water and sell it for a high price. Drinking mineral water, while a good way to ensure you are getting plenty of beneficial minerals from your diet, is a high price to pay for those minerals.

HardWatervsSoftWater The term ‘hard water’ refers to water with a higher mineral content, mostly calcium and magnesium. ‘Soft water’ refers to



water that contains a higher amount of salts, and less calcium and magnesium. Both hard and soft water are naturally occurring and will vary greatly from region to region. There are a few ways to easily tell if your water is hard or soft.

• Hard water leaves a white powdery residue buildup on kettles and taps, or a white ring left in a pot after the water has boiled down.

• Soft water generally tastes more salty and less ‘minerally’ than hard water.

• Soap doesn’t lather very well in hard water, and is easily rinsed off the skin.

• Soap lathers generously in soft water and is more difficult to rinse off.

There is much controversy over whether or not hard water is helpful or harmful to health, specifically cardiovascular and dental health. At the time of writing, the debate is still raging on this subject. Many people living in areas with hard water install water softeners in their homes. This is not because soft water is superior for drinking, but to extend the life of plumbing and appliances that use water (dishwashers, clothes washers, etc). The excess calcium and other minerals in hard water build up in these appliances causing them to be less efficient and break down sooner than expected. Softened water is safe to drink, however it may be contraindicated for people on sodium-reduced diets.

TotalDissolvedSolids Total dissolved solids (TDS) describe the inorganic salts, minerals and organic matter present in water. In nature, water flows over rocks, gravel and sand dissolving the water-soluble bits that become suspended in the water. These suspended bits are the TDS. Naturally occurring calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, carbonate, chloride, sulfate, fluoride and nitrates are the most common but other substances such as chemicals, metals, and minerals that get into the ground water from



agriculture and other industries can also be present. A simple way to understand the concept of TDS is to think about how a cup of coffee is made. Clear, clean water is poured through ground coffee. The water dissolves soluble portions of the coffee that then become suspended in the water. Water with a TDS under 500 mg per liter or 500 parts per million (ppm) is generally considered safe to consume. Average tap water is around 350ppm. Water with TDS levels exceeding 1000ppm is considered harmful and should be filtered or distilled to make it potable. TDS levels will vary throughout the seasons. Your local municipality can provide more information. Well water and spring water can be sent for testing at a local lab.

WaterFiltrationSystems Running tap water or spring water through some type of filtration system can give you the best of both worlds – inexpensive water that is free of contaminants. Next we’ll look at a few types of water filtration and purification systems.

CarbonFilters One of the oldest ways to filter water is to pass the water through carbon. Carbon filters use either a carbon block or granulated activated carbon (GAC). Contaminants and impurities in the water create a molecular bond with the carbon and are effectively trapped in the filter, resulting in good tasting and safe drinking water. Over time the water flow through the carbon will slow as it become saturated with contaminants, so filter replacement is required every few months depending on how much water is put through the system. This type of filtration is good at removing chlorine, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), as well as pesticides, but does not remove arsenic, fluoride, or some of the other undesirable metals.



Carbon filters leave minerals, salts, and inorganic substances intact. The quality of carbon filters varies greatly. Block carbon can be more effective than GAC as the block of carbon is fixed in place, where the granulated carbon can open up channels where the water flows through quickly and doesn’t actually get filtered. Usually the slower the water flows through a carbon filter, the more effective it is. There are many portable carbon filters available that are popular and inexpensive for home use, although the filters themselves may not be recyclable.

ReverseOsmosis(RO) Water is moved under pressure through a selective membrane. The type of contaminants removed is dependent upon the size of the membrane, and includes various types of bacteria, as well as arsenic, nitrates and fluoride. This type of filtration can remove many of the beneficial minerals along with the undesirable substances. RO filtration wastes a large amount of water, so this type of water filtration is not suitable when the water supply is scarce or limited. Reverse Osmosis creates an excellent quality drinking water and affordable under the sink or countertop systems for home use are available.

CeramicWaterFilters Water is poured through a ceramic filter that is sitting on top of a receptacle. Anything bigger than the size of the pores in the filter is removed from the water. These filters are effective at removing cysts, protozoa and some bacteria. They generally don’t remove viruses or chemical contamination. Often ceramic water filters have a silver coating. The silver helps kill bacteria and prevents algae and mold from growing on it.



Some types of ceramic water filters incorporated a carbon filter into the design for added filtration power. While effective, ceramic water filters have a slow flow rate and are easily damaged.

IonExchange Ion exchange filters don’t remove chemicals or microorganisms, but they are able to remove heavy metal contamination, such as lead. Resin micro-beads trap ions of heavy metals and replace them with safer ions. These filters are prone to bacteria and other micro-organism overgrowth, requiring that the water be put through a second filter to ensure no bacteria is present.

Ultra-violetSystem(UV) A UV filtration system uses an ultraviolet lamp to kill bacteria, viruses and parasites such as Giardia. This system does not actually filter the water nor does it remove chemical contaminants. The UV light may be ineffective with particularly turbid (cloudy, dirty) water. It works best with a clear water source.

CombinationFilters Most of today’s water filters combine 2 or more of the above technologies to take advantage of the unique capabilities of each.

WaterPollution “Only we humans make waste that nature can’t digest.”

~ Capt. Charles Moore http://www.ted.com/talks/capt_charles_moore_on_the_seas_of_plastic.html Water pollution is a big issue and it’s finally starting to get the press it deserves. It is difficult to find a body of water that has



not been polluted by plastics, industrial waste, acid rain and other sources of contamination. Pressures on the world’s clean water supply include:

• Industrial processes used to extract natural gas (fracking) are damaging underground aquifers, once thought to be sacred.

• Plastics in water may turn out to be the biggest environmental disaster to date.

• Municipal water treatment plants were not built to deal with the influx of new chemicals in the environment, including pharmaceutical drugs released into the system through urine and toilet/sink disposal of unused drugs.

While not the focus of this lesson, you are encouraged to learn more about the environmental issues related to water.

lesson 2 water - wildrosecollege.com · to clean our food before it is eaten. water is used...

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