Healthy Diet And weight Control
Beverages
Beverages are liquids that quench the thirst and whose basic component is water alone or accompanied by other substances.
Water
The body of a normal adult contains approximately 60% water. At least 1,500ml should be taken daily to balance the losses. This water can be obtained by drinking a daily average of 6 to 8 glasses. In hot climates double the amount or more water may be necessary.
1. When is the best time to drink water?
• A good time to drink one or two grasses of room temperature water is when you wake up in the morning. In this way secretions retained in the stomach overnight are removed and the kidneys are activated.
• It’s ideal to drink water 15 to 30 minutes before meals, and not during or after.
*If you drink water with or after food, it increases stomach volume, makes its contractions
More difficult, and dilutes gastric juices all of which slow down digestion.

• It is preferable not to drink water 2 to 3 hours before bedtime particularly for men suffering with prostate enlargement to avoid interrupting one’s sleep to urine in the night.
2. What are the benefits of drinking enough water daily?
• The function of the kidneys improves
• There’s less risks of kidney stones
• The faeces are less dry and are eliminated with less effort
• The blood is less concentrated so there is less risk of thrombosis
• One will not get tired easily and will be able to achieve more physically
3. How can I know if I am drinking enough water?
• If you are in good health, the appearance of your urine will be pale yellow if you are drinking enough water and golden or intense yellow if you don’t drink enough.
4. Is taking soft drinks as good as taking water when one is very thirsty?
• No! It’s better to drink water, soft drinks provide water and momentary satisfaction but in the long run the substances in it apart from the water are harmful to health.
5. What are the disadvantages of taking soft drinks?
• Adds no value to the body but rather contribute to the excess calorie intake which promotes obesity and upsets metabolism.
• Causes stomach irritation
• Causes tooth decay
• Contains inorganic acid such as phosphoric acid which is highly acidifying to the blood or organic acids.
• Causes allergies
• Some soft drinks contain caffeine usually 0.02%, an amount similar to that found in a cup of coffee and which is additive.
6. Can “no sugar drinks” such as “diet soft drinks” substitute for soft drinks since they have little or no calorie?
• No. The problem with soft drinks is not only the sugar but also the acidification of the body. These “no sugar” drinks make the body acidic and this poses a lot of health problems including obesity which may not be experienced immediately but later in life.
7. What can I use to replace soft drinks if it has become a habit and it’s difficult to stop?
• You can take fruits or natural fruit/vegetable juices or healthy milk e.g almond milk. Pineapple juice, banana juice, almond milk etc are very interesting and refreshing. These can be prepared and stored in the freezer or fridge to be taken later if it can’t be prepared at the time needed.
• Note however that it’s always better to take the fruit as a whole as nature has designed it; thereby getting the fibre needed by the body for proper digestive movement.
8. Is water alone sufficient to replace the fluid loss during exercise?
• Water alone is not enough to replace salts and water lost in exercise, a beverage such as fruit juice is necessary to replace the salts. The industrially prepared beverages often contain chemical sweetener, they lack vitamins which are essential for converting carbohydrates into energy. They supply more salt and sodium than fruit juices but are not as effective in supplying the energy needs of athletes.