According to the United States Geological Society (USGS), a scientific agency of the United States, as much as 60 percent of the human body is water. If you think about it, we are kind of a walking lake with all the water than we have inside of us and it is that very water that is important, yet dangerous to us at all times. If we do not have enough water in us, we can become dehydrated. If we take in too much water, we can kill ourselves as documented by Dr. Ben Kim on his blog when he stated that:
“On January 12, 2007, a 28-year old Californian wife and mother of three children died from drinking too much water. Her body was found in her home shortly after she took part in a water-drinking contest that was sponsored by a local radio show. Entitled ‘Hold Your Wee For A Wii,’ the contest promoters promised a free Wii video game machine to the contestant who drank the most water without urinating. It is estimated that the woman who died drank approximately 2 gallons of water during the contest.” As for dehydration, it should be noted that if someone is either out in the heat or taking part in a physical activity and you start to feel thirsty, dehydration is in its premature stages. Water should be consumed at a steady pace prior to going out in the sun or working out in order to avoid the quickness at which dehydration can set in. Once dehydration has in fact set in, some symptoms can range from mild (including but not limited to headaches, decreased blood pressure, unforeseen tiredness, muscle cramps, and lack of ability to concentrate), to severe (including but not limited to constipation, loss of appetite, unconsciousness, swelling of the tongue, and dry skin), and in the extreme cases, death. The human body is made up of many different minerals, which are called essential minerals. The reason why those minerals are so essential to the human body is because an imbalance of too much or too little of the essential minerals can be harmful to the human body. According to WebMD.com, essential minerals are broken into two categories; major (macrominerals) and trace (microminerals) minerals. Sodium, potassium, chloride, phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur and calcium are among those macrominerals that our bodies need to properly balance fluids, for muscle contractions, nerve transmissions, important to maintain healthy bones and teeth, and the regulation of the blood to name a few. The sources of those macrominerals range from table salt, to milk, breads, vegetables, meats, beans, and legumes among others. Microminerals in the human body are iron, zinc, iodine, selenium, copper, manganese, fluoride, chromium, and molybdenum. Microminerals are known as microminerals because the body only needs them in smaller amounts, but they are just as important as the macrominerals. Most are part of many