Think
of what you need to survive, really just survive. Food? Water? Air? Facebook?
Naturally, I'm going to concentrate on water here.
Here are 8 powerful reasons to drink water:
- Weight loss - Water is one of the best tools for weight loss, first of all because it often replaces high-calorie drinks like soda and juice and alcohol with a drink that doesn't have any calories. But it's also a great appetite suppressant, and often when we think we're hungry, we're actually just thirsty. Water has no fat, no calories, no carbs, no sugar. Drink plenty to help your weight-loss regimen.
- Energy - Being dehydrated can sap your energy and make you feel tired -- even mild dehydration of as little as 1 or 2 percent of your body weight. If you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated -- and this can lead to fatigue, muscle weakness, dizziness and other symptoms.
- Headache cure - Another symptom of dehydration is headaches. In fact, often when we have headaches it's simply a matter of not drinking enough water. There are lots of other causes of headaches of course, but dehydration is a common one.
- Healthy skin - Drinking water can clear up your skin and people often report a healthy glow after drinking water. It won't happen overnight, of course, but just a week of drinking a healthy amount of water can have good effects on your skin.
But when did drinking water become so complicated? We are bombarded with
choices. Spring or distilled? Flat or bubbly? Tap or bottled? If bottled, which
brand? And maybe most importantly, which bottle?
By
making the decision to invest in a reusable water bottle, you are improving the
environment by reducing the number of single-use water bottles, many of which
will make their way to landfills and settle there for years to come. The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency estimates the average plastic bottle takes
about 450 years to break down. By choosing the right reusable water bottle you
are also improving your health by both keeping hydrated and reducing your
exposure to unhealthful chemicals.
Aside from staying home and drinking tap water out of a washable glass,
the best way to be “green” while on the go is choosing your reusable water
bottle wisely. Ideally, the best way to drink water on the go would be an
aluminum or stainless steel reusable water bottle, as they seem to exhibit the
least amount of health concerns out of all the choices. Add in the fact that
they can be used over and over again with no degradation and do not need to be
recycled each time you use one, they really are the “green” choice. And since
upwards of 40% of bottled water is just tap water in disguise, buying it seems
like not only a health risk due to the plastic leaching possibilities, but also
a wallet risk due to wasting money on something you already have at home!
BPA Free: Why Should You Care?
Bisphenol A (BPA) is an industrial chemical that has been linked to heart
disease, diabetes and other adverse health impacts. Used most commonly in
polycarbonate plastic products and epoxy resins, BPA can be found in some
polycarbonate plastic containers (such as water bottles, baby bottles and sippy
cups).
Recent research has shown that containers made with BPA can contaminate
food and beverage items, as well humans who handle products made with BPA.
