Water is the most important nutrient for the human body. Most average people might to able to live for around forty to forty-five days without food but could only survive three or four days without water.

Your body is made up of 70 per cent water and it likes to stay that way. A lot of water is used daily to maintain most of your bodily functions as well as getting rid of toxins out of your body, rather than being re-absorbed and recirculated. Sign of dehydration include dry skin, headaches, constipation and hard stools together with poor concentration and bloating. As with weight gain, if the body feels starved of water, then it will hold on to the little it has which can lead to water retention.

Water is lost through the bowels, urine and sweat and needs to be continually replaced. The average requirement is eight glasses a day. You can also help to make this up with non-caffeinated teas and diluted fruit juices. Like everything, balance is important and there is a level at which anything becomes toxic. Drinking five times this amount of water has been shown to be dangerous.

If you are very dehydrated, build up your water intake slowly or you can shock the body. Diluting apple juice with the same amount of water can help to get water into your cells, but be careful not to drink too much as it is high in sugar.

Water is important for weight loss as it promotes the removal of toxins and acts as a temperature regulator. It assists in the function of enzymes and proteins, which work better diluted, and helps the body to reach its optimum fat-burning function.