RAISE A GLASS TO YOUR HEALTH

We live in the 21st century, when all information is at our fingertips, when a million impulses and messages reach us through the media, whether we have just browsed something online or switched on the radio while driving. Lately there is more and more talk about the importance of drinking fluids, and not only because it is summer, but also because dehydration has become the illness of our time. We can survive far longer without food than without fluids, scientists tell us, and various doctors have confirmed this with certain types of fasting. It is worth asking, then: where does the mistake lie? In our rush we often fail to recognise the voice of our body; we are thirsty but do not think it important enough to take a break of a minute or two to honour it, and instead carry on with what we started. Time passes, and the body begins to ask for fluid in another way – “it's time to eat something”. It is as if we have a stronger urge for food than for drink.

So why is it worth building a habit of drinking fluids?

We can feel a lack of water within us. Depending on the degree of dehydration, the symptoms can include: dryness of the skin and mouth, thirst, headache, dizziness, exhaustion, fatigue, an acetone smell on the breath, dark yellow urine, and, if we do not respond, far more serious ones. Healthy habits sometimes do not come on their own but are a process of learning and changing the way we live. Let us make sure we drink enough. Doctors recommend taking in 2-2.5 litres of fluid a day, some even more. Heavier sweating, physical activity and heat call for greater hydration of the body. With children it is especially important to make sure they drink enough, since they tend to lose themselves in play and do not notice that they are thirsty.

Some scientists claim that only water serves the purpose, while others say that teas, soups and freshly squeezed juices are just as good. I still think the important thing is to take in enough fluid. Now, while it is still the end of summer and we have the chance to build new healthy habits more easily, it will be easier for us in the winter.