<body><h1>Water</h1><p>Water is almost a “forgotten” nutrient even though it makes up two-thirds of the human body’s weight, and there are no vital functions without it.Pure water has no odor, no color, and tends to be bluish only if it gets deeper.Pure water freezes at zero degrees Celsius, and salty at -2 and boils at 100 degrees. Water is the only compound in nature that exists in three states as solid as ice, and liquid such as rain, dew, and sea water (which occupies 21% of the land area), and agasas steam, fog and cloudsWater constitutes between 20-30 of the weight of living organisms, and water is replenished in the human body at a rate of 15% per day in infants and 6% in adults.The percentage of water varies according to the individual’s age, fat mass and tissues. We find it in the cells of the body at a rate of 36% and outside those cells by 20% in the lymph and 4% in the blood plasma. Water foes through membranes by a very delicate mechanism. Its importance lies in its involvement in metabolic processes like digestion and renal excretion. About 15 liters of fluids are circulating daily through the human bodyto ensure optimal food dissolution.A person needs to supplement his body daily with 2 -2.5liters of water to compensate for what is lost through urination (1.3liters) or through skin evaporation (0.5 liters) or sweating (0.3liters) or breathing (0.3 liters) and through defecation (0.1 liter).</p><h2>Sources of water:</h2><p>1-Through the body itself, whose reactions lead to the formation of water in its cells, and this amount is estimated on average0.3 -0.4 liters per day, which is called food oxidation water.</p><p>-1g sugars -0.6 ml water</p><p>-1g protein -0.42ml water</p><p>-1g fat -1.07ml water</p><p>2-Using food water at a rate of 1.2 liters per day, and it is found in vegetables (90%), fruits (80 -95%), meat (65 -70%), cheeses (30 -50%), and bread (35%).Whereas, some foodslikegrains and pastries are poor in water.3-Drinking water of 1-1.5 liters per day, which is the amount that complements our vital needs of water, and its quantity varies according to weather and effort in particular, and excessive intake of water is harmful to the heart and liver, as it leads to glands disorder and slowing down the biosynthesis within the tissues.This water provides us with a large part of the necessary mineral elements, and it has a fundamental role in securing the balance between cells and providing electrolytes for catabolic reactions and cellular structure, and it helps to maintain cell PH.The average adult human body has 40 liters of water (24 liters in the cells themselves and 16 liters in a liquid medium). That is, about 60% of the human weight is water, while this percentage is 97% in watermelon, 89% in carrots, 87% in milk, 80% in potatoes, 80% in earthworm, 78% in shrimps, 73% in chicken and 66% in cows, 33% in bread, 5% in dry sesame seeds, and 0.5% in regular sugar.In children, water is of the utmost importance, as it is closely related to their steady growth and increased breathing frequency.In the human body,there are 8liters of fluid (in the form of various excretions) produced in the digestive tube within 24 hours, and with the addition of drinking water, this amount becomes about 10 liters, and no more than 0.2 liters are emitted from it asresidues:</p><p>image</p><p>In cases of diarrhea, vomiting, or severe bile-pancreatic secretions, the value of the water excreted in the stool increases.The water content of a food is essential for assessing the energy of that food. In general, when the food is rich in water it is poor in energy.</p><h2>The daily need of water per kilogram of human weight per day:</h2><p>-Young children 110 ml.</p><p>-Children 10 years 40 ml.</p><p>-Adults (Room temperature 22.2) 22 milliliter.</p><p>-Adults (Room temperature 37.8) 38 milliliter.</p><p>Drinking water is subject to strict controls, and dozens of conditions must be met to achieve the required quality in terms of color, smell and mineral balance in its composition.There are also about sixty microbiological and chemical requirements in this regard, the most important of whichis chlorine to eliminate bacteria and viruses, but some food remains in the water (it can be disposed of by adding a few drops of lemon juice or by leaving the drinking bowl open in the fridge).As for lime, there is no fear of it, because it provides nearly 20% of our daily needs.It is advised to let the tape running for some time before drinking from it to avoid the risk of lead metal deposited in the cups.It is preferable to drink water between 15 and 18 degrees.Cold or ice water disrupts the digestive process.As for drinking before eating, it blocks the appetite, and it may help in the slimming process. Doctors believe that drinking water during eating is harmful, because it expands the gastric juice and slows down the digestive process.We can drink half a glass of regular or gaseous water after eating. As for those who exercise, they lose a lot of water and mineral salts, and this must be compensated regularly throughout the day in small doses to avoid kidney fatigue. It is always advised not to drink quickly, as it causes some stomach pain.Rheumatologists also advise to drink enough water daily throughout our lives because the joint fluid is the one that ensures easy movement of the joints and their sliding over each other, and protects the cartilage, and this fluid is mainly aqueous.The simple chemical formula of water (H2O) indicates that it consists of hydrogen and oxygen, but water also contains minerals and elements dissolved in it in small quantities, which are all structural and functional.If water is present in the human body by 60%, while 4% of its weight is mineral elements, then a person weighing 70 kg has 42% liters of water and 2.88 kg of mineral substances.The last essential task of water is to ensure a good distribution of fluids in the body and to regulate the chemical balance (acid -base) in cells. This water also plays an irreplaceable role in the enzymatic and hormonal functions and in providing the boneswith the main constituent elements, especially in the first year of life,where some changes develop in the composition of the body on the content of water, fats, protein and minerals, and where the child needs at this stage to strengthenhis fat tissue mass and his muscle and bone mass at the expense of his water mass.</p><h2>This is evident in the following table:</h2><p>image</p><h2>The chemical content of the body of a normal adult human weighing 70 kg:</h2><p>image</p><p>And swabs of fluorine, cobalt, manganese, molybdenum, chromium, sulfur, iodine, selenium and vanadium.The homogeneous distribution of fats in the human body is expressed as follows:Fat distribution factor = fat / protein, in the case of the average adult human, this ratio is 16/20 = 0.8, which is the ideal.</p><h2>Water and pregnant woman:</h2><p>During pregnancy, women undergo a special physiological condition during which she undergoes several changes, all of which aim to provide the essential elements for the fetus in a way that ensures proper growth and comfort for him.Among the important changes in the physiological condition of the pregnant woman is the changes in the balance of water, noting that the fetus is in the process of forming the final stage and needs more water than oxygen.The plasma volume of a pregnant woman increases by an average of 40%, accompanied by a decrease in the thirst limit (i.e. feeling thirsty before its time) and it reservesthe equivalent of 6-4 liters of additional water inside the body.Water is important for the fetus on two levels, the largest compound of its tissues,and it is also the medium in which it grows continuously until it is necessary to liberate it, and it is a mechanical, thermal and anti-inflammatory barrier.</p><p>Deficiency in water leads to pulmonary problems that may killthe fetus, impede its movement and cause deformities of the face and limbs.The volume of water exchange between the mother and the aqueous environment of her fetus is estimated at approximately 460 milliliters / hour (that is, about 11liters of water per day).The volume of this water medium increases in parallel with the increase in the weight of the fetus until week22(220-500 milliliters) and reaches a peak at week 24 (800 millimeters), and then begins to decrease slightly.The wall of the digestive system in the fetus absorbs about 150 milliliters of water per kilogram of its weight, and enters it into its blood circulation, knowing that the embryos start excreting urine into the surrounding fluid from the age of 22weeks.This excretion is the main source of fluid surrounding the fetus starting from the week 22. In the event of dehydration,the fetus gives priority to its important organs (brain, heart, supra-renal glands) at the expense of organs such as the intestine and kidneys, which leads to a decrease in its blood supply with water and a lack of kidney excretion,which negatively affects the volume of the surrounding fluid, constrains his breathing and limits its movement, and the expectant mother must be treated with water immediately.Any delay may expose the mother to a response withher immune defenses, accompanied by atrophy in the placenta, and slowing of the fetus’s growth that may end with deformities or premature birth. Therefore, pregnant women must drink 15litersof water at daily intervals and limit the consumption of sugary drinks, and haveless tea and coffee, and to completely abstain from drinking any kind of alcoholic beverages.</p><h2>Water and the baby:</h2><p>The speed of water exchanges in a nursing infant is the most characteristic of this stage of his life.If we compare the child to an adult weighing 70 kg, we will find a big difference in the distribution of water in theirbodies of each of them. The amount of water in an adult body is approximately 50% of its weight, while it rises to 70% in the child’s body, and it is more than that in premature babies.Once the water reaches the child’s digestive system, it spreads within minutes throughout his circulatory system.The mechanism of thirst in a child is very complex, as it is the result of hormonal neurological interference that is difficult to express, and mothers should think about this.If an adult weighing 70 kg consumes 1.5-2 liters of water per day (this represents between 30-35 milliliters per kilogram), then a child weighing 7kg must have 700 milliliters per day (this represents 100 milliliters per kilogram).That’s three times what an adult would have.In addition, every increase in the ambient temperature beyond 30 raises the need for water by 30 millimeters per kilogram per degree Celsius, and exposure to fevers exceeding 38degrees Celsius requires an additional 10% per degree Celsius.</p><h2>Daily water losses according to age and excretion method (compared to an adult):</h2><p>image</p><h2>Water and the elderly:</h2><p>With getting older, the cellular water level begins to decrease from 76% in an infant to 62% in the first twenty-five years, until it reaches 53% at the age of seventy.Also, the threshold of feeling thirsty is lower for the elderly person, especially in cases of loss of appetite, depression and limited movement or in the case of fear of urinary incontinence, and this is what actually increases it.Elderly people are exposed to dehydration as a result of diarrhea, vomiting, and taking diuretics, laxatives, sleeping pills and others.To avoid “dietary dehydration” it is advised not to overeat meat.Dehydration is also exacerbated in those suffering from high blood pressure and in cardiac or brain disorders.Diagnosis of dehydration in an elderly person often comes late, and its primary symptoms are dry tongue and mouth, high body temperature, constipation, and neuromuscular disorders such as feeling sudden sleepiness, or excessive movement, and some muscle spasms.As for the clinical symptoms, they are weight loss, a decrease in arterial pressure, and eye sore, especially when waking up.The treatment is primarily preventive, and it is necessary to consume the same required amount of water per day (from 1 to 1.5 liters) for humans in normal cases and increase it in emergency and circumstantial cases, in addition to adhering to a controlled diet, eating foods rich in water in particular.</p><h2>The five principles of balanced nutrition:</h2><p>1-A varied diet of cereal products, legumes, fruits and vegetables, milk products, meat, fish and eggs, and it’s different within the same group. In milk products, for example, we find milk, yogurt, butter, and cheeses, and so on.</p><p>2-Water intake 1.3-1.5 liters of water per day for an adult, knowing that the body’s total need of water is estimated at 3.6 liters per day (1.5 liters of it through drinking water, one liter is present in food and the rest results from metabolic reactions in the body).</p><p>3-The meals per day are divided into three main meals and an additional fourth for children:</p><p>-Breakfast should cover 20-30% of the daily caloric needs</p><p>-Lunch 30 -40%</p><p>-Dinner up to 30%</p><p>-Afternoon meal for children from 6-20%</p><p>4-The food must contain sugars, proteins, lipids, water, vitamins and minerals according to the nutritional standards recommended in the global healthplatforms so that it provides the body with the daily needs of a person, and varies according to the age and the physiological state of the individual and his activity, and it is necessary to balance between the various foods mentioned throughout the week.</p><p>-Sugars: 50 -55% of complex sugars most often, and they are called slow sugars, such as products of grains and legumes, while the amount of simple sugarsthat’re quickly absorbed, should be limited.</p><p>-Lipids: 30-35% so that saturated fatty acids do not exceed 8% (meat, sausage, dairy products) at the expense of monounsaturated fatty acids 20% (in the form of olive oil, for example) and polyunsaturated fatty acids 5% (rapeseed oils walnuts, corn and fish …).</p><p>-Proteins: 11-15%, and over-consumption should beavoided.</p><p>-Water: It is needed according to age first</p><h2>And this percentage increases inathletes or in cold or hot weathers.</h2><p>-Minerals: The need for calcium is focused in young people during puberty, for women over 55 years old, and for men over 65 years old</p><p>image</p><p>5-Savoring food: There is no bad foodin and of itself, and what matters is the frequency of eating.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p></body>
