Among the various factors that contribute to an optimal state of health, hydration and the balance between the water compartments of the body occupy a place of primary importance in nutrition.
In fact, we can go several days without food, but already after two or three days without water our survival is seriously compromised.
From here it is easy to understand how much this element is an essential nutrient for the body.
Water, which represents about 70 percent of our body, does not provide any energy input, but it is a fundamental element, indispensable for the correct performance of the physiological functions and nutrition of humans.

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H2O is essential for a multitude of reasons

Water is a chemical compound with the molecular formula H2O, in which the two hydrogen atoms are bonded to the oxygen atom with a polar covalent bond.
Under normal temperature and pressure conditions, it appears as a two-phase system, consisting of a colorless and tasteless liquid (which is called "water" in the strict sense) and a colorless vapor (called water vapour).
It occurs in the solid state (called ice) when the temperature is equal to or lower than the freezing point. In the human organism it performs essential functions for the survival of the individual and of the species:
• transport of nutrients;
• the elimination of waste;
• temperature regulation through perspiration;
• regulation of the concentration of mineral salts;
• regulation of cell volume;
• digestion;
• skin elasticity;
• diuresis.

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We consume 600 times our weight

Consider that, on average, in our lifetime we consume a quantity of water 600 times higher than our body weight.
There is no standard amount of water to drink, but the daily water requirement varies according to age, gender, body temperature, mineral content of food, ambient temperature and humidity, intensity and type of physical activity and energy expenditure.
The water we drink is not only a compound of hydrogen and oxygen, but a real solution of minerals and, consequently, represents a food.
Minerals are, in fact, essential nutrients for the body.
We can classify them into three groups:
• Macroelements: present in the human body in discrete quantities, such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chlorine and sulphur;
• Microelements or trace elements: which the body needs in small quantities, such as iron, copper, zinc, fluorine, selenium, cobalt, iodine, manganese and molybdenum;
• Trace minerals: the need for which is very low, such as, for example, silicon (useful for bone health).

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Which foods contain a little more water?

In addition to the water itself, it is also possible to hydrate through the intake of certain foods or through other drinks.
However, not all foods are able to supply the same amount of water.
A regular consumption of fruits and veg it can guarantee a good water ratio, if seasonal products are chosen, since long-term storage, freezing or freezing can negatively affect the nutritional levels of vegetables and greens.
Among the 20 foods that contain the most water (over 90 percent of their weight) we find: cucumbers; lettuce; radishes; watermelon; chicory; tomatoes; yellow pumpkin; raw cardoons; Belgian endive; courgette flowers; melon; Red radish; raw zucchini.

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The importance of thirst in animal forms

Thirst is a symptom of the body's need for water and therefore when you are thirsty you must drink.
When the loss of water exceeds 0,5 percent, specific receptors are activated which give rise to the need to drink, a stimulus that is always good to indulge.
We can therefore say that the water balance is maintained through two mechanisms:
1. The first slows down the loss of water in the urine;
2. The second induces the stimulus of thirst.
These mechanisms compensate for each other if one of the two is compromised.
In our body, the intake of particularly salty foods without adequate fluid intake increases the concentration of salts in the extracellular water (contained for example in the plasma and lymph).
The cells must release part of the intracellular water (the one contained inside the cell), dehydrating themselves, to create a new balance between their interior and exterior.
At this point the receptors intervene and send messages to the hypothalamus, which in turn analyzes the information received and generates the stimulus of thirst.

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Thirst in humans can be of two types

Thirst is the instinctive desire for fluid intake that manifests itself in animals and leads them to drink. It can be classified into two types: "primitive" and "secondary".

1. The “primitive” thirst:

Primary thirst corresponds to a lack of fluids: it occurs when there is an excessive loss of fluids (greater than 2 percent of body weight), there is no correct integration of water and warning symptoms arise, such as tiredness irritability and difficulty concentrating.
If this loss were to increase due to acute or chronic diseases, nausea, mental confusion up to real circulatory disorders and kidney failure could also appear.

2. The “secondary” thirst:

Secondary thirst, on the other hand, is more linked to diet (excess of salt or sugar), is independent of the sense of thirst and is attributable to all those mechanisms (for example the so-called "mouth watering") that are activated when we eat these foods.
As already mentioned, it is necessary to drink even when you are not thirsty, to restore the water reserves continuously lost through sweating, perspiration, urine and faeces.
It is advisable to drink in small sips and on several occasions.
Never drink quickly and in particular iced water, especially when you are hot; this avoids annoying and sometimes dangerous congestion.
It is preferable to drink water that is similar to body temperature.
The refreshing sensation of cold water is illusory: due to the excessive sweating that follows, the sense of thirst reappears immediately afterwards.

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Trio of waters: mineral, tap and purified

It is certainly necessary to make a useful distinction between mineral water, tap water and purified water, highlighting their main characteristics for better or for worse.

1. Mineral water

Mineral water has the following characteristics:
• is of underground and protected origin;
• is bacteriologically pure at the origin;
• has constant composition and characteristics;
• Gives possible favorable effects for health;
• is bottled at the origin in safe and controlled containers.
In Italy there are 250 types of mineral waters and each one is unique.
The composition and mineral content give it its characteristic taste and properties.
However, it is clear that the consumption of mineral water alone cannot cure human pathologies.
Surely a good natural mineral water, combined with a correct diet and healthy habits, improves the perspective of life.

2. Tap water

It is distributed by aqueduct companies through the water network and has potability as a fundamental requirement, i.e. it must be bacteriologically pure.
For this, in general, it undergoes filtration, chlorination or ozonization treatments before reaching our homes.
It should not contain chemicals harmful to health and should be colourless, tasteless and odourless.

3. Purified water

It has the advantage of being subjected to a further purification process, thus offering a greater margin of safety with respect to the risks of pollution along the route that tap water travels before reaching our homes.
Chlorine and heavy metals, in addition to representing a health risk, give tap water an unpleasant taste or in any case worse than that of mineral waters.