Water: an Overlooked Essential Nutrient

Water: An Overlooked Essential Nutrient| Presented by: Your Name | Today I am discussing the importance of water to encourage this office to provide water as the main beverage choice in this office. Water maintains body temperature, maintains blood volume, blood pressure and supports all cell functions. (Cherif, et al. , 2010)Water is a valuable resource even in an office environment. You may not realize that an air-conditioned office is a very dry environment and will deplete your body of water. Working long hours can cause mild dehydration that will affect mental responses.The brain is 80% water. Loss of water will affect concentration and memory. Dehydration can cause headaches, tiredness and loss of concentration, affecting alertness. (European Hydration Institute)No other drink is as affective in hydrating the body like water. Gatorade and Powerade both have high levels of added sugar and salt. These should only be added to water for athletes, extreme heat situations or a sick p erson. | Daily Recommendations Experts vary on just how much water is required for daily hydration. The Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake (AI) for men is roughly 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day. The AI for women is 2. 2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day.† However, most agree that eight 8 ounce glasses a day is an appropriate daily intake. ( Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER), 2011) Gatorade and Powerade are both sports drinks and they have no daily recommendation. They are designed for â€Å"critical fuel during relatively intense (more than 60% of maximal effort) exercise bouts lasting more than 1 hour. (Cherif, et al. , 2010, p. 299) Both Gatorade and Powerade have no evidence of providing a benefit to those who are not exercising. In fact the only affect they seem to have on an un-athletic person is weight gain. (p. 301) Nutrient Content The content of 8 ounces of bottled water includes 23. 7mg o f Calcium, 4. 7mg of Magnesium, 4. 7mg Sodium. Water contains no calories. Calcium and Magnesium are not only good for bone health but act as electrolytes to help regulate fluid balance and neuromuscular function.Sodium needs replaced in modest amounts because a lack of sodium will cause muscle cramps, nausea and possible other affects. Eight ounces of a sports drink has 78 calories. Sports drinks contain 95mg of Sodium, 15g of sugar, 19g of carbohydrates, 40mg of potassium, 24mg of phosphorus and 2. 4mg of calcium. Keep in mind that most sports drinks are in a 20 ounce bottle so most people consume almost three times the amounts I mentioned above. Varieties Water comes in bottles or out of the tap. Bottled water types include.Spring water is a natural source of water that springs from below the surface of the earth; Purified water is water that has been treated to remove the bacteria and dissolved solids removed by some process Mineral water is water that contains no less than 250 parts per million total dissolved solids. No minerals may be added to the water. Artesian water â€Å"comes from a well that taps a confined aquifer-a water-bearing underground layer of rock or sand-in which the water level is above the top of the aquifer. † Well water is from an underground water source. (Nestle Waters North America Inc. Gatorade The G2 series is bottled Gatorade with only 20 calories per ounce. Original G comes in 19 flavors. G Powder is just that powder that can be mixed with water and comes in four flavors. 01 Prime is in a pouch to drink before exercise. 03 Recover is in a bottle to drink after exercise. G Series Natural Thirst Quenchers are the newest and they are the same as the original but they have cane sugar and don’t have high fructose corn syrup. Powerade Powerade offers the original drink and the Powerade Zero with no calories. The flavors are; Grape Orange Lemon Lime Sour MelonFruit Punch Mountain Berry Blast White Cherry Strawberry Lemo nade Cost Water for a water cooler from Ice Mountain will cost $31. 96 a month for five 5 gallon bottles of water. Buying water bottles to stock a vending machine cost will vary according to how much you buy. One pallet has 1,728 bottles and will cost $779. This will be 45? each. Gatorade bottles come in a case of 24 20 oz. bottles for $15. 68. This is 78? a bottle. (www. samsclub. com) Powerade comes in 24 20 oz. bottles of $12. 48. This is 62? a bottle. (www. samsclub. com) Advantages of consumption WaterWater hydrates your body without all the added sugars and salts that may contribute to high blood pressure and obesity. According to the Mayo Clinic, water protects the bodies’ organs and tissue; it helps prevent constipation and lubricates joints. Water helps flush waste from the kidneys and liver. It helps dissolve minerals and nutrients for the body to use and it carries the nutrients and oxygen to cells. ( Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER), 2011 ) Water is essential to keep focused and on task at work. It is the best way to work at a law office that demands so much time and attention to details.Water will help prevent headaches often associated with sugar and caffeine. Sports Drinks I would be to ones advantage to drink a sports drink to restore electrolytes that are seriously depleted. This means that it is ideal for an athlete, someone laboring in heat or a sick person losing body fluids. Both Gatorade and Powerade have low calorie options. Gatorade has G2 that is a 20 calorie per serving solution and Powerade Zero has no calories. If a person is in need to restore electrolytes that water is not able to do, I believe the G2 is the better drink.The smaller amount of calories would be needed to help quickly restore electrolytes. Safety Choosing water means not having to worry about whether or not it is safe to drink. Only one problem is caused by water, Hyponatremia. , Hyponatremia is only cause by over consumption of water and it flushes too much sodium out of the body. The condition is extremely rare and hard to do. Sports drinks on the other hand do cause a safety concern. With the rising epidemic of obesity and diabetes everyone should be concerned about sugar intake. Calories should be mostly derived from food and rarely in our beverage.The high level of sodium is a concern as well. Sodium in high levels will cause high blood pressure and hypertension. In an office situation the ingredients have no chance of being burned off by the body. If sports drinks are chosen in an office environment the best one to pick is Powerade Zero. The sodium is still too high in this drink but at least the calories have been eliminated. In Conclusion I highly recommend that this office choose water as the beverage of choice for your employees and partners. Water is the obvious choice to keep everyone feeling their best and keeping focused on the work at hand.Water is the best choice when considering the overall heal th of this office. Not only will sports drinks contribute to high sugar and sodium levels but is will ultimately lead to high insurance and health costs for this company. Water is the inexpensive solution. As shown in the cost comparison per bottle water is less expensive. Finally, think about the message you want to send to this office and to guests who visit this office. If you want to make the health conscience decision water is the only choice. For clients who walk in the door that you don’t know their specific health condition water is a beverage everyone can say â€Å"yes† to.