Drinking water: an important way to stay properly hydrated! Humans, and especially children, have to drink enough water to keep their bodies working well. Find out more inside Anna Liebiedieva - Fotolia.com
Water makes up around 60 per cent* of the body. You lose water when you sweat, urinate and even breathe. To maintain the balance of water in your body, it is important to drink enough water to replace the water you lose.** Did you know? The percentage of your body that is water decreases as you get older. New-born babies are 75 per cent water, adults are 60 per cent and old people are only 50 per cent. Water in the human body Kidneys: the main regulator of water losses. Make sure that you maintain your water balance. When you urinate, it is your kidneys getting rid of water and toxins that your body does not need. Les mots difficiles Digestive system: drinking water helps your digestive system work properly. Water output l urine l sweat l breathing l faeces Water input l metabolic water* l water in foods l water we drink *Produced by the body Skin: water evaporates through the pores in your skin when you sweat, lowering your temperature. Sweating is the body s way of keeping cool. Lungs: you lose water through your lungs when you breathe. Drinking and eating: drinking water and eating fruit, vegetables and soup are good ways of making sure your body meets its water needs. Even if some foods are rich in water, from 40% to 80%, the water provided by food is not sufficient to meet our daily water needs. Tip of the day Wake up to water You lose water in your sleep by breathing and sweating. It s a good idea to have a bottle of water beside your bed so that you can drink water as soon as you wake up in the morning, or even if you wake up during the night. Drinking water in the morning hydrates your body and gives you a good start to the day. Drink water as part of a healthy breakfast every day. Milk gives you calcium and different nutrients, whole cereals give you energy and fibre and fruit give you vitamins. Test your water knowledge 1/ Which organs work as your body s filter? 2/ True or false? You lose water just by breathing. Kidneys. * Body of an adult. ** Jéquier et al. Water as an essential nutrient: the physiological basis of hydration. Eur. J. Clin. Nut. 2010: 64, 115 123.
Advice for healthy hydration Drink regularly throughout the day* Children especially need to drink regularly because they have a larger surface area in comparison to their body weight than do adults, allowing for greater water losses from skin. Children are less tolerant of high climatic heat stress than adults. 8 good moments* to drink a glass** of water 11 12 With breakfast. During the morning. 13 14 *Casa et al, 2005; 4: 115-127. Current Sports Medicine Open your eyes Only one shadow matches Nina drinking out of a bottle. Which one? As soon as you wake up. Before you go to bed. And don t forget to pee before going to sleep! Gradually over the afternoon. With lunch. 15 With dinner. When you get home from school. 18 Illustration: Maëlle Cheval * for a sedentary and healthy child living in a temperate climate ** 1 glass = 15 cl 17 16 Illustration : M.-H. Tran-Duc Answer: A
Keeping enough water in your body Drink water while you exercise Don t let yourself get dehydrated if you re a gymnast, a football player or a ballerina! Athletes make sure they drink water before, during and after training. The muscles rely on minerals, too, which water helps to transport around the body in the blood. Even joints need water to function properly Put in order! The images and the descriptions have been mixed up! Which description do you think goes with which image? Each image is a clever tip for drinking all day long. 11 B/ Don t forget to drink water when it s hot, because you lose a lot of water by sweating. On the way Find the path Alex needs to follow to get to the bottle of water. Be careful: he must pass through the 8 glasses* of water. This is what you need to drink** each day to stay in good shape. Water plays a lubricating role for your joints. A/ Drink water before going to bed and when you wake up in the morning because your body loses water while you are asleep. 14 13 12 * 1 glass = 15 cl ** Daily water intake (from drinks) depends on your age and sex: Life stage Adequate intake of water (l/day) group US Europe Boy Girl Boy Girl 6-8 y.o. 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.1 9-13 y.o. 1.8 1.6 1.5 1.3 for a sedentary and healthy child living in a temperate climate, within the framework of a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Jéquier et al. Water as an essential nutrient: the physiological basis of hydration. Eur. J. Clin. Nut. 2010: 64, 115 123. Answer: C Illustration: Maëlle Cheval C/ Don t forget to drink before, during and after playing sports or games. Don t wait until you re thirsty. D/ The three meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) are good moments for drinking water. Fruit and vegetables also contain a lot of water. Make the most of them! Answers: 1/B, 2/C, 3/D, 4/A.
Low hydration spotting the signs Water is vital for life Humans can last between 3 and 5 days without water*, but you can get hypohydrated much more quickly than that. Here are some signs showing you that you might not have had enough to drink recently. The first sign is, of course, feeling thirsty. But feeling thirsty means you are already hypo hydrated. Drink regularly, in small amounts, throughout the day. This is especially important for children because children don t have the same impulse to drink when they re thirsty as adults do. Illustration : M.-H. Tran-Duc Investigate! It s recommended to drink 8 glasses** of water per day*. Unfortunately, they all disappeared. Help Harry find them. Other signs of low hydration* If you feel tired even when you think you ve had enough sleep, it might be because you are hypo hydrated. Not drinking enough water can also cause dryness of mouth, headaches, lower urination. You may also feel weak or have muscle weakness. Dizziness is another sign, and, in serious cases, some people even faint. Do a test! You can check up on how well you are hydrated. Look at your urine. If it is dark-coloured, rather than pale yellow, that might mean you are not drinking enough. Picture Partners - Fotolia * Daily water intake (from drinks) depends on your age and sex: Life stage Adequate intake of water (l/day) group US Europe Boy Girl Boy Girl 6-8 y.o. 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.1 9-13 y.o. 1.8 1.6 1.5 1.3 for a sedentary and healthy child living in a temperate climate within the framework of a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Jéquier et al. Water as an essential nutrient: the physiological basis of hydration. Eur. J. Clin. Nut. 2010: 64, 115 123. ** 1 glass = 15 cl
Make sure you stay well hydrated Keep your water balance Think about how much water you re losing; if you re taking exercise or if it s hot, you ll sweat more so you ll need to drink more to replace the water you lose. Drink when you sweat Whatever sport you re doing, intense or more gentle, every activity makes you lose water. Make sure you drink some water before, during and afterwards even a game of hide-and-seek or running a race with your friends can make you sweat! Altitude makes you thirsty If you re up a mountain, aim to drink more water than usual. You breathe more deeply, which means you lose more water than when you re at sea level. Marta - Fotoliaa Plan ahead When you go to school, or to play sport or even for a walk bring a bottle of water with you. This will help you make sure you always have enough to drink. Drink some water before you leave. This way, you re making up for the water you ll lose when you sweat before you ve even started! Drink more when it s hot When it s hot and sunny, you ll lose more water from sweating. Even when you re not running around, you will lose water, so make sure you keep topped up by drinking water regularly during the summer or if you visit a hot country. Stepanov - Fotolia Sandrine Alouf The tip of the day How to taste water? Pour water into a clean glass. The glass should be about a third full. Discover the pleasure of drinking water You might think water is boring, but if you pay close attention to it, you will be surprised to see that all waters don t taste the same at all! There are even people whose job it is to taste water. Try it yourself and discover the pleasant taste of Nestlé Pure Life water. Now you know how pleasurable and easy it can be to drink water! 1 2 3 4 Check that the water is clean by looking at it from above and from the side. The photo of the day Place the glass under your nose and breathe deeply several times. Your sense of smell works better if you close your eyes. Take a mouthful of water. Move it around inside your mouth, stop, wait and swallow. Now pay attention to all the sensations you have in your mouth and enjoy! Nestlé Pure Life water is bottled under strict hygiene conditions: controls and analysis are performed every year to ensure the quality of the water is preserved. The bottles of Nestlé Pure Life water exist in many sizes: small bottles with playful labels and sport caps have been specially created for you, so that drinking water is fun and easy!
True or false? 1 Water helps transport vitamins around your body. 7 Professional water tasters exist. 11 Drinking water makes your teeth sharper. 14 Your body doesn t lose water when you re asleep. False. 2 Your cells shrink if you don t Some food is up to 80 per cent 8 drink enough water. water. 15 Dark-coloured urine is a sign you re not drinking enough. 3 4 5 6 The water found in food provides enough to keep you well hydrated. You lose 10 glasses* of water a day from breathing. New-born babies are 75 per cent water. You need to drink more water when you re up a mountain. 9 10 It s better to wait until you re thirsty before drinking water. The percentage of your body that is water increases as you get older. 12 13 Water helps your joints work well. Children need to drink more water than adults in proportion to their body size. 16 17 18 Water is present in all your cells. False. False. False. stephy - Fotolia choucashoot - Fotolia Fotolia False. False. pressmaster - Fotolia SergiyN - Fotolia.com Old people are only 10 per cent water. False. The daily water needs of girls and boys are different according to age. * 1 glass = 15 cl
Yummy How many snacks (2 biscuits, an apple and a glass of water) can Alex prepare? Puzzle A piece of the puzzle has been lost. Which one is it?? 1A 1B 1D 1C Answer: B. Answer: 9 complete snacks.
Open your eyes! What is the one object that s in all of these sports bags? Answer: the bottle of water.