Ayurveda on How much water do we need to drink?
Ayurveda Blog No 4.
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How much water do we need to drink?
Now let us talk something about on highly debatable issue and that is about water. How much water one should consume in a whole day? You just ask this question to ten different persons and you will get a wide range of answers. It may vary from 1 to 2 liters per day to several liters even up to 7 to 8 liters per day. How we are going to solve this issue. There is a very simple and logical answer for this issue but at the same time I know it will not be easily accepted.
Once again the answer is based upon the laws of nature, the demands of the body. Our highly sensitive body demands water when it needs. So naturally one should have water when body demands it. But I know this is not a very easily acceptable answer. If we accept this answer then what about the theories like excess water helps in getting rid of toxins, throwing out the kidney stones, clearing the motions and so many other things. I know it is very difficult to disprove these theories. These theories are not totally wrong, they may be useful in some situations, can be utilized for some duration of time. But can not be utilized for longer duration of time and by anybody. Once again I would like to draw your attention to your own body, your own experience.
What does one experience when he drinks water unnecessarily ? The first thing he will experience is an increased frequency of urination. Now just think logically why our body is throwing out this water. If our body needs water then why is it throwing water out?
For me the reason is very simple, body does not want this excess water and that is why it is throwing it out. Water even at normal room temperature has an intrinsic quality of being cold. It acts as a coolant for the body. Body’s nature is to maintain its own temperature. That is why in summer body holds water to keep its temperature and in rainy season and winter body throws water out to keep itself warm. Therefore one feels excess thirst in summer and less in rains and winter.
Just observe yourself and you will come to know about your highly sensitive body. If there is change in outside temperature or change in your life style, (as you may be exerting or exercising more on particular day and less on other) or change in your food habits, ( eating very spicy or very dry food on a particular day and less spicy or less dry food on other),you will notice the change in your thirst pattern. Sometimes it may be more, sometimes it may be less.
Further it will change as per every individual. With some exertion or exercise one may feel more thirst and other may feel less. Don’t you think that this highly sensitive body has some role to play? Why is there an inbuilt function inside the body that tells you about the need of water, need of food, need of rest etc. And today we are advised to drink such and such quantity of water everyday. Like a machine. Our body has no say in it. Whether you are thirsty or not, whether your body has demanded water or not, you have to drink the said amount of water. I think we are ignoring the intelligence of nature’s highly evolved super computer.
So many other changes take place in our body due to excess consumption of water. The most important of them is indigestion. The digestive juices are acidic in nature. We call them digestive fire ( Agni in Sanskrit). The nature works in the similar manner outside and inside the body. Outside law shows that the burning fire ceases when water is poured over it. Same thing happens inside. If you drink excess water ( till now it must be clear to you what excess water means, it simply means water that is not demanded by the body) then it will dilute the fiery digestive juices and the digestive fire, Agni will cease.
Here I would like to explain something about digestion. Digestion of food is something like cooking the food. Due to cooking the raw food becomes ripened, the heavy food becomes lighter, gross food becomes subtle. In a same way due to digestion the food gets transformed into ripened, lighter, subtler food juice which is easily absorbed by the body. After some further changes through the liver the food juice gets distributed to the body via blood.
If the digestive fire is not strong enough then the food will remain raw, heavy and gross. Such food is difficult for absorption. It can not get absorbed properly. Even though a part of it might get absorbed, it can get utilized due to its unriped, heavy, gross nature, instead it can create many health problems. As you will start going deeper in science of ayurveda, you will know how much this indigestion is responsible for a list of health problems.
In short,excess water leads to indigestion and a series of problems. One of the sign you should know about this indigestion is ‘ stickiness’ of the stools ( bowels). Such stools are heavy, sink in the water ( Ideally stools should float over the water) and sticks firmly to the pot. Also indigestion brings sticky coating over the tongue. Check out this sign for yourself.
One boy going regularly to gymnasium for building and toning his body came to me with severe depression. He had tried everything under the sun to develop his muscles but he had failed. I examined him, checked his muscle and found his muscles flabby and watery. Even after so much of exercise they were not solid and in tone. I inquired about his water intake and he proudly replied about that, he drinks 5 to 6 liters of water everyday which was not demanded by the body.
Sometimes body can not throw the excess water outside. This causes accumulation of water inside the body leading to flabby,loose muscles. Also when I asked him about his hunger, the answer he gave did not surprise me. His hunger was very low. It was but obvious and natural. If he is consuming so much of water how can he be hungry? As the solid food was not going inside, how his body can become solid. It is a law of nature, you become what you eat. Naturally his body was watery.
He stopped drinking excess water and subsequently his appetite improved, he started eating good amount of solid food and naturally his muscles strengthened . There is lot to talk about water. We will continue that in the next article. Till then check your water drinking habit. Drink only when your body demands it. Water includes all the fluids like juices, coconut water, cold drinks etc.
You can have a glass full of water early in the mornings even though you may not feel thirsty. You can have some extra water during severe attack of renal colic ( pain due to kidney stones). But not otherwise. Do not continue to drink excess water when the attack subsides. Find out other means and ways to get rid of the stones. The wisdom of ayurveda will show the right way.
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