Water is exactly what your body needs to live and function at optimal levels. It’s the perfect drink and one of God’s greatest blessings!

choose Water . . . choose life!  

The "no calorie wonder"
God gave us water to quench our thirst and keep our bodies working at maximum efficiency. He created us 70% water by weight. When we drink what he created for us to drink—water—we get no added calories to slow down digestion or add unwanted fat, no irritants to stress sensitive linings of the digestive tract, and fewer foreign chemicals to damage delicate body machinery.

But the sad fact is, people today drink more alcohol and soft drinks than they do water. And it’s having a significantly negative impact on our health.

Why other drinks are no substitute
The body uses water in all forms. So you get some benefit from all the liquids that you drink. But certain beverages pose special problems.

Many drinks have calories that must be digested like food. Excess calories produce extra fat storage, swings in blood sugar, and slowed digestion. Water alone, on the other hand, goes right through the stomach whether or not food is there. It requires no processing, no digesting and does not irritate or disturb body functions.

Sugar in beverages requires extra water for metabolism. Most beverages increase acid secretion in the stomach. Cola drinks contain phosphorus, a chemical which can help deplete the body’s calcium supplies, contributing to brittle bones.

Why diet drinks and coffee do more harm than good
Diet drinks, black coffee, and clear tea solve the calorie problem, but they present other difficulties. Chemicals in these beverages, including the flavorings, preservatives and colorings in diet drinks, may irritate the stomach lining and require the liver and kidneys to detoxify and dispose of them. These processes require extra water.

Add to that the ever present, negative impact of caffeine. Drinking clear, pure water eliminates all these potential problems.

How much water is enough?
The body loses about 10 to 12 cups of water a day through the skin, lungs, urine and feces. Food provides only two to four cups of water. That means we need to drink six to eight glasses of water daily to replenish our losses.

Make a habit of drinking water a regular part of your day. Start by drinking two glasses of water of at least 30 minutes before breakfast. Drinking water or other beverages with your meal decreases the production of saliva and disrupts the digestion process.

Enjoy a glass of water at break time instead of coffee. And don’t depend on a drink from the water cooler. You will get only about one ounce of water when you drink from a fountain. Instead, fill up your glass or pitcher and take it back to your desk. Then you will know exactly how much water you are consuming.

Continue to drink water throughout the day until you have consumed your full six to eight glasses. But stop within two hours of bedtime. That will save you getting up in the night!

Tap water: Is it safe?
Americans spend over $1 billion on bottled water every year. But the fact is, most tap water sampled in North America proved to be as good or better than most bottled water. In one comparative taste sampling, water from New York, Los Angeles, Tucson, Memphis and Atlantic City tasted better than most “mountain spring” bottled water sold over the counter.

Yet some water supplies have been chemically contaminated. In extremely rare cases, outbreaks of infectious diseases have been traced to tap water. So how can you tell if your tap water is safe?