March 7, 2018 is the 21st Healthy Eating Day. The latter should actually apply to every day of the year. But good intentions are a tricky thing – impulse days such as the Healthy Eating Day are intended to regularly help with this. Vegetarian or vegan, organic or sustainably produced, consciously enjoyed – preferably in company – food is on everyone’s lips.
Many people are concerned about their diet. It should be healthy, wholesome and tasty. This is well compatible with the social component of eating. We learn that food is not only for satiety, but also for communication. This is where the health aspect of food comes into play. If you eat in company, the food should be particularly tasty and varied. High-quality food tastes better, so you combine enjoyment with a healthy diet. What is left out is that drinking is just as much a part of nutrition.
Drinking more important than eating?
How and what you drink is rarely scrutinized. And wrongly so. Drinking is essential and necessary for survival. People can survive for several weeks without eating, but if they don’t drink anything, the situation becomes critical after just a few days.
Most adults drink too little. You should drink 1.5 – 2 liters to provide your body with sufficient fluids. This should ideally just happen on the side without you having to think about it. Drinking is essential for the optimal functioning of almost all bodily processes. Two thirds of the human body consists of water. Blood, urine, lymph fluid, sweat, body cells – all of these contain a lot of water. But that’s not all: the blood and lymphatic fluid transport oxygen to the cells and supply them with nutrients. Degradation products and toxins are filtered by the kidneys and excreted in the urine. Body temperature is also regulated by the body’s water balance.
Quite high demands for something that is supposed to work on the side. Why not make drinking a ritual like eating is? Consciously enjoying a glass of water first thing in the morning after getting up is a good start to the day. It balances the fluid balance, which can easily slip into a deficit at night. Water also stimulates digestion and metabolism and is also easier on the stomach than coffee on an empty stomach.
If the day has started so well, there’s nothing to stop you sticking with it and thinking about something for the rest of the time. Because then perhaps the focus will also shift to what we (should) drink.
What we drink
Not entirely insignificant, the what. However, it receives even less attention than the amount we drink. People arrange to meet “for a beer”, meet “for coffee”. Healthy drinking is hardly ever discussed, yet it is so simple. Coffee, which for some time was suspected of dehydrating the body, is now included in the daily intake. However, it should not be used to cover your daily fluid requirements, just like tea or alcohol. The body consists largely of water – so I drink water to keep it well hydrated. The incentive for this may not be too great, “bland and always the same”, some will think. But here you can apply what has long been a rite of passage when it comes to healthy and enjoyable food: it’s the ingredients that make the difference. Water can be refined as infused water with all kinds of fruit and herbs, a drink that you can also offer your guests beautifully presented and garnished. Fruit cocktails are a great way to celebrate conviviality, provide your body with healthy vitamins and plenty of fluids and treat your eyes at the same time. It is helpful here to provide your own drinks for the day, be it water, juice spritzer or coffee. This means that bottles, mugs and cups can be used in stylish designs and made from sustainable raw materials, because:
The eye drinks with you
This is an aspect that the advertising industry also makes use of. A drink that is colored, as most soft drinks are, simply promises more. More taste, more ingredients, more enjoyment. When you go to the canteen, you should take a closer look at the bottle on the tray, namely at the ingredients. Perhaps the bottle of clear, empty water – free of unhealthy additives such as sugar or colorants – will suddenly seem even more attractive.
What people need
Eating and drinking are basic human needs and play a key role in determining how vital and healthy we spend our lives. We should devote appropriate attention to both. If food is traditionally celebrated, less attention tends to be paid to healthy drinking. There should be a rethink here, because drinking is essential for the body and almost more important than eating. With just a few ingredients and utensils, a simple drink can be turned into a delightful experience for the senses that you can enjoy sharing with others. In between meals, less is sometimes better for your health – so stay away from colorful foods. One thing is clear: drinking water is the better alternative.
