Just drinking eight glasses of water daily is not enough. The water should be enriched with essential nutrients, minerals and vitamins that are extremely crucial for one’s growth and development, says Dr Abhay Kumar
Summer is the season for more outdoor fun and leisure activities. It is the time of the year where people plan their vacations to relax, destress from the daily routine work. In addition to refreshing trips, the season brings with it a host of health problems.
Prolonged exposure to sun can cause health issues such as sunstroke, food poisoning, dehydration, prickly heat and skin infection. In fact, it could not only cause extreme stress and irritability but can lead to fatality. In the recent past, deaths due to extreme summer temperature have seen a sharp rise.
With the temperature soaring this summer, one should not remain negligent about one’s health. However, before we offer any solutions or precautionary measures to combat the health risks associated with the inevitable heat, it is important to break certain myths and beliefs that people have about summer.
Myth 1: More than eight glasses of water are a necessity during summer.
Reality: Water is the body’s principal component, which makes up about 70 per cent of the body’s weight and is the most important nutrient of our diet. Most of us believe that drinking 8-10 glasses of water will help in staying hydrated during summers. Although water should be an integral part of our diet, it is important to note that mere consumption of eight glasses of water is not enough. It’s important to ensure that the water you drink is not only safe, but also enriched with essential nutrients, minerals and vitamins that are extremely crucial for one’s growth and development.
In addition to these nutrients and vitamins, human body also requires adequate amount of calcium and magnesium that helps in increasing the efficiency and regulates migraines.
With technological advancements at your doorstep, one can choose optimum purification methods with Mineral Absorption Technology (MAT) that magnetises the water and is able to produce and provide these essentials in water. MAT makes it easy for body cells to absorb the nutrients, thereby helping in energising, activating, cleansing and detoxifying the body in summer.
Myth 2: ACs best way to beat heat, ensure clean air.
Reality: Air conditioners are considered to be an integral part of every household and workplace during summers. People prefer to spend most of their time indoors to enjoy the chilled air and avoid the heat outside. They often believe that air conditioners will help them beat the heat and cool their bodies, thereby also purifying the air.
However, the fact is that air conditioners affect our health negatively in the longer run. Constant exposure to ACs dries out the mucus membranes, causing sore throat and sneezing, and makes us more susceptible to colds and upper respiratory tract infections. Also, natural ventilation is blocked, which further leads to accumulation of contaminated air inside the room. Moreover, air conditioners recirculate the same air over and over again around the room which is harmful for us.
While ACs are inevitable in today’s time and age, one should not be overexposed to them. To breathe cleaner air indoors, one can instead install an air purifier. We often believe that air conditioners have pre-filters in them which can trap pollutants but fail to realise that they are not effective against all micro-organisms.
An air purifier with a high efficiency particulate air filtration (HEPA) filter or a purifier with ultra-precision purification process that has double the efficiency to eliminate sub-micron respirable particles and infection-carrying microbes in the air could be a better option.
Myth 3: Any drink alone can quench your thirst and rehydrate you.
Reality: During summers, most of us tend to rely on sodas and iced water to quench our thirst and feel that they are sufficient enough to keep us rehydrated on a hot day. In reality, this is a myth. It is important to understand that consuming too much of iced water tends to slow down the digestion process. Moreover, the sugary drink that you consume might actually cost your body more fluids and make it work extra hard to metabolise them and will further dehydrate you. The best way to keep yourself hydrated and beat this scorching heat is to drink plenty of water which has the essential nutrients and minerals, keeping you energetic and active at all times.
The writer is with Eureka Forbes Institute of Environment