Water is an essential ingredient that allows life on earth. Every living being needs water in its life cycle to survive and reproduce. Nearly 60% of a human adult is composed of water and some main organs like the heart & brain (73%), lungs (83%), etc. have a majority composition of water. It is crucial for a healthy and balanced life.

Due to a lack of physical workouts and recreational activities weight reduction has become a problem for several people around the world. With every passing day, people are moving away from outdoor physical exercises and sports. Once they feel they are overweight they are already too lost in their lives and feel like they can't do anything about it now.

Many pharmaceutical companies started offering supplements that aid weight loss. These are not only costly, but these artificial methods of weight reduction always come with side effects that can lead to long-lasting health issues.

How water helps you lose weight?

A very convenient, affordable, and healthy way to reduce weight naturally is by simply drinking more water every day. Water helps our metabolism and aids digestion. It also maintains the normal functioning of many body organs most importantly the liver. Drinking a sufficient quantity of water every day increases the natural process of burning fat.

As we burn fats, the liver processes them into a useful form of energy or excretes them, but if we are dehydrated the kidneys don't function well because they are not getting the fluids they need. To save kidneys, the liver takes the brunt of the load. As this situation arises the liver can no longer work as efficiently in fat burning as it was doing previously and thus slows down. This leads to slower fat burning and more accumulation of fats inside the body.

An NHANES 2009-2012 report concluded that dehydrated people had a 1.59 times higher chance of being obese rather than people who stayed hydrated. Water keeps you hydrated and aids in boosting the natural process of burning fats and staying healthy and fresh.

 

Why is it good to drink water before every meal?

Drinking water before every meal has several health benefits it supports weight loss by making you feel that you are not as hungry and then this makes you eat less food. When you drink water before a meal, your body has trouble determining the difference between hunger and thirst, so you'll have reduced cravings and you won't be prone to overeat at mealtimes.

Secondly, water acts as a natural suppressant so when you drink a glass of water before you eat, it's going to take up some of the space in your stomach. A study concluded that drinking 500 ml of water approximately 30 minutes before a meal was linked to a 2.4 KG weight loss after 12 weeks.



How much water you should be drinking?

The amount of water that should be drunk in a day varies from person to person and is not absolute. Many people believe that 8 glasses a day are enough. For some, it might be but for a person who is physically active and sweats a lot throughout the day, 8 glasses simply aren't enough. The myth of drinking 8 glasses of water per day arrived when US Food and Nutrition Board recommended that 2.5 litres (8 glasses) of water was sufficient.

For a normal person, the best way to understand the amount of water is by setting a goal that your urine should kind of look like water, the moment your urine starts to go a deep yellow colour, your body telling you that you need to drink more water.

Most people believe drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day is enough and adequate. For most of them it may be but not for all. It's always better to understand your body's requirements and then come up with a solution to meet those requirements.

 

Don't like water? what can you do about it?

A lot of people don't like the taste of water and then avoid it. This has several effects on health and can cause serious kidney and other health problems as well. The bland taste of water makes it unlikable and to some people, undrinkable.

Similarly, if you eat something before you drink water there is a chance that you might feel a change in the taste of water due to the receptors being activated in your mouth. Sipping water after taking something acidic will switch on the sweet receptors. These specific receptors can also be the reason why some people don't like water.

Drinking no water at all is not an option as there is no substitute for water. Many people think of fizzy drinks or other energy drinks as alternatives to water but these drinks can only give a refreshing feel due to high sugar content but they cannot aid in metabolism, digestion but have effects on kidneys as well as other areas within the body. Not to mention leading fizzy drinks brands not only pump their drinks with sugars but also use artificial flavours and preservatives.



What else can you do?

The 1st thing that you can do is do eat different types of food before you drink water and figure out the one that switches on the receptors that you don't like.

Secondly, you can use hydration sachets. These sachets will not just add flavour to the water but will also keep you hydrated and fulfil several vitamin and nutritional requirements.

ViDrate offers a hydration sachet that has several flavours and comes in portable, recyclable packaging. The sleek design of the sachet allows it to fit in the smallest of pockets/ bags, the only thing you need is a reusable bottle and a supply of water! The company claims to provide maximum results with minimum ingredients. It can help you get over your habit of not drinking water as it adds an amazing taste with a range of flavours and vitamins. This means that you can enjoy drinking water and stay hydrated.

Health is the most important thing in our life. Each year the world is determined to stay healthy and there are many diets that can help you to lose weight but as many people have seen, these diets can be gruelling and not enjoyable! If you simply drink more water and lose weight, isn't this a win-win? Drinking more water will not only quench your thirst but will help in weight reduction, staying active, and will support in maintaining a healthy and balanced life.