This summer, Baroda broke the heat records and this week, we witnessed historic flooding. With electricity and water supply gone and the flood waters that increased every hour, it reminded me of the famous poetic lines, “Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink,” from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
But do we otherwise realize drinking water’s worth as the elixir of life? Let us accept that in today’s times of all the fancy beverages available in the market, water has become an underrated beverage. There is a reason why I give this element of life that tag. For instance, a soon to be client narrated about her roommates resorting to carbonated beverages and fruit juices to keep themselves hydrated in the sweltering humid climate. Well, things aren’t any different in my inner circle either. A friend who was recently on a break chose her favourite carbonated beverage to be carried along instead of a bottle of water. She could not help but profess her love for carbonated beverages.
So what makes us devalue drinking water? We all are eternal slaves of our palate. Studies have demonstrated that consuming sugar is a form of addiction. Please be mindful, that I am talking about added sugar. How many of us can stop at just one piece of sweet or a pastry or better still those cans of liquid poison laden with added sugar or the ones with artificial sweeteners? But that is not all. Our brain does not register calories ingested from liquids, which is why these beverages boom in today’s times. Their marketing strategy stems from our physiology.
The fact is, none of us need energy drinks, sports drinks, fruit juices, carbonated beverages or non-alcoholic beverages as long as we realize the worth of the humble drinking water. Back in our school days, weren’t we taught that water makes up for 70% of our body weight? We have simply forgotten that.
Water is the best beverage for maintaining optimum hydration. It is a major component of blood, it helps eliminate body wastes, regulate temperature, lubricate the joints and aids in digestion. Do any of the above beverages fulfill any of these functions? Rather, all they do is damage us, the long term implications are too gruesome for our health.
On that note, the climate crisis is hitting all of us in some or the other way. Let us learn to value drinking water before this elixir of life is taken away from us.
Disclaimer: The information shared in the blog is aimed at increasing your awareness and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.
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My observation is that many of us keep forgetting that every process occurring in our body is because of water. So if we want systems in place , we need to replenish our body with water , adequately.
What i have understood is that carbonated beverages are addictive .
Feel proud that I have given up this poison years ago.