The Importance of Water
Water is an essential nutrient, more important to life than any of the others. The body needs more water each day than any other nutrient. You can survive only a few days without water.
Water constitutes about 60 per cent of an adult’s body weight and a higher percentage of a child’s. Water makes up about three quarters of the weight of lean tissue and less than one quarter of the weight of fat, so a person’s body composition influences how much of the body’s weight is water.
In the body, water is the fluid in which all life processes occur. The water in the body fluids:-
Carries nutrients and waste products throughout the body
Maintains the structure of large molecules such as proteins and glycogen
Participates in metabolic reactions
Serves as a solvent for minerals, vitamins, amino acids, glucose and many other small molecules so that they can participate in metabolic activities
Acts as a lubricant and cushion around joints and inside the eyes, the spinal cord and in pregnancy, the amniotic sac surrounding the foetus in the womb
Aids in regulation of normal body temperature, i.e. evaporation of sweat
Maintains blood volume
Percentage of Water in Selected Foods
| 100% | Water |
| 90 – 99% | Strawberries, watermelon, lettuce, cabbage, celery, spinach, broccoli |
| 80 – 89% | Fruit juice, yoghurt, apples, grapes, oranges, carrots |
| 70 – 79% | Prawns, bananas, corn, potatoes, avocados, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese |
| 60 – 69% | Pasta, legumes, salmon, ice-cream, chicken breast |
| 50 – 69% | Minced beef, hot dogs, feta cheese |
| 40 – 49% | Pizza |
| 30 – 39% | Cheddar cheese, bread rolls, bread |
| 20 – 29% | Salami, cake, biscuits |
| 10 – 19% | Butter, margarine, raisins |
| 1 – 9% | Biscuits, cereals, pretzels, taco shells, peanut butter, nuts |
| 0% | Oils, sugar |
So drink more water and eat more prawns!
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