Water is life
4 billion years ago, photosynthesis enabled life to arise. The essential ingredients : light, carbon dioxide & … water.
We are made out of water. Predominantly.
Humans are no camels. We’ve all learned that between 50 and 75% of the human body is water.
Water is a building block
Water is a vital nutrient and building block for all cells and water is responsible for essential biological processes like regulating body temperature, transporting nutrients and metabolic waste, supporting the production of hormones and neurotransmitters in our brains, serving as lubricant for joints and for shock absorption.
1 to 2 litres. Every day.
To regenerate, to keep our body healthy and our organs functioning proper rehydration is required; scientists found we need to drink between 1 and 2 litre of water every day. This water intake excludes water from food like fruit and vegetables. That means we need up to 730 bottles of 1 litre every year per adult person. We dehydrate already losing between 1 to 2% of water through sweating, urination and breathing. Dehydration has negative effects on concentration, brain performance, mood and physical performance.
Increasing nutrient value
Water also plays an essential role in preparing food. Human species started to cook at least 1 million years ago; an estimation based on the discovery of burnt bone fragments of the Homo Erectus. Why did we start cooking? First cooking food kills bacteria that cause food poisoning and second, cooking food increases digestibility and calories extraction which has proven to be a crucial factor in accelerating human evolution. To give you a sense of the power of cooking: raw potatoes are 32% digestible, cooked potatoes a whopping 98% - an increase of 200%!
A powerful cleaning agent…
The hydrologic cycle of water both protects us from the sun when clouds are shaped and allows crops to grow when it starts raining. It cools down the earth during the day and keeps it warm during the night. Thorough showers clean complete areas, carrying dirt, debris and toxic substances and washing these into the oceans.
“Thousands have lived without love,
not one without water.”
— H. Auden