Water is everywhere, from soil to the cells inside our own bodies. Depending on factors like location, age, and sex, the average human is between 55-60% water. So what role does water play in our bodies, and how much do we actually need to drink to stay healthy?

The water in our bodies works to adjust temperature, and to nourish(滋养) the brain and other body parts. Water isn't only in our blood. An adult's brain and heart are almost three quarters water, while lungs are 83% water.

If we are mainly made of water, why do we still need to drink so much? Well, each day we lose two to three liters(升) through our sweat, urine(尿) and even just from breathing, which helps our bodies get rid of waste. While these functions are necessary to our survival, we need to compensate for the water loss. Keeping a balanced water level is essential to avoid dehydration(脱水), which can have bad effects on overall health. Dehydration is usually caused by over consumption of water in a short amount of time. It can cause obvious drops in energy, mood and blood pressure. In severe cases, it will cause headache, and even death.

However, on a normal basis, maintaining a well-hydrated system is easy to manage for those of us who are fortunate enough to have access to clean drinking water. For a long time, it’s commonly believed that we should drink eight glasses a day.   But now it is suggested that the amount of water we need to drink depend largely on our weight and the environment. The recommended daily intake varies from between 2.5-3.7 liters of water for men, and about 2-2.7 liters for women.

Best Way to Lose Weight-Dieting Tips

How do you eat right to lose weight fast? You’ll discover there are a great number of weight loss diets which promise to help you drop the pounds fast. 【小题1】

Many weight loss diets are aimed at losing weight fast, but aren’t necessarily healthy and won’t create a long-term change for the better. 【小题2】 That means you’ll choose a diet which doesn’t cut out any necessary nutrients (营养物). Most diets suggest that you stop eating fat or carbs (碳水化合物). 【小题3】 You’ll need to make clear of your own body type before making a diet plan. You might also need to try different ways before finding the best way.

If you just need to shake a few pounds off in a short time, your plan won’t be the same as one to lose weight in the long term. The best short-term weight loss plan will be stronger than the best long-term weight loss plan, but both of them shouldn’t get rid of necessary nutrition. 【小题4】 Your body will go into “starvation mode” and your metabolism (新陈代谢) will slow down. As a result your body will keep more weight.

【小题5】 Spread out your meals evenly throughout the day. Any larger meals should be eaten earlier in the day. That gives your body more time and opportunity to burn calories. If you eat a lot before bed, those calories won’t burn but become fat.

Although most diets vary according to what foods you can eat, they all follow the same principle of restriction to lose weight—you need to eat less. The now-trendy diet of intuitive eating is, in a sense, an anti-diet: followers are encouraged to base what they eat on how they feel, not on prescribed limits or calorie counts.

The concept was first proposed in the mid-90s by registered dietitians Elyse Resch and Evelyn Tribole, who wrote Intuitive Eating. The first step is to reject the idea that you need to be on a diet to be healthy. You’re encouraged to also give yourself “permission” to eat all foods, to reject the idea of “good” and “bad” foods and to accept your natural body shape. Finally, you help make your body healthier by adding exercise, finding better ways than food to relieve your emotions and slowly shifting to more nutritious food choices.

One of the biggest misunderstandings around intuitive eating is that nutrition goes out the window. Curiously, researches shows that in a traditional diet, caloric restriction is usually followed by a binge(放纵), where the body’s primary drive to make sure it gets enough calories is more important than any desires for nutrition or moderation(自我节制), which leads to disordered eating patterns. However, because intuitive eating allows all foods on the table, practitioners can make small, slow changes that ultimately are more long-lasting-toward eating more nutritionally.

There isn’t strong research to back up claims that intuitive eating helps with losing weight or eating more-nutritious food. However, in Keller’s experience, a registered dietitian in Calgary, intuitive eating can help with overall weight maintenance. In addition, intuitive eaters do gain a healthier attitude toward food, compared to traditional dieters. Keller says, “When people decide to diet, what they actually want is to feel comfortable and confident and healthy in their own body. People have to be ready to overcome their constant desire to lose weight and control their body, and to realize that changing how they look on the outside isn’t going to change those things on the inside. ”