Dr. Brett Hill - Eat Think Move Chiropractic

Lately it seems everywhere we look there are drinks claiming to be better than water. They taste better, they have more glyco-nutrients, they have real fruit, they are carbonated or they contain vitamins. So what really is the best water?

Well as it turns out water is the best water - nothing more, nothing less. Hardly surprising really when you consider that our bodies spent millions of years adapting to utilising pure fresh water. In fact over all those years of evolution we evolved to require water, both pure and from our fruits and vegetables, as our only form of hydration. As a result it makes up 80% of our bodies and is involved in just about every process that takes place in our bodies.

But doesn't adding nutrients to water make it even better?

Firstly, often nutrients are not the only thing added to the water. There are often other sugars and preservatives added that are not so good for you.

Secondly, the nutrients are unnecessary if you are eating a healthy diet. You are much better off getting your nutrients from real foods where they are much more readily available to your body. Remember also that unless you are doing several hours of continuous exercise without eating then you won't need any extra sugars and glycol-nutrients above what you will get from your diet.

So how much water should you be drinking? Well, probably more than you think and even more likely, more than you do. For optimal function you should aim for one litre for every 25kg of body weight, and athletes should drink even more than that.

Remember also that when you are calculating your water totals only pure fresh water counts - not soft drinks, not milk and certainly not tea, coffee and alcohol!