Health professionals have called for giving special attention on health of children to save them from dehydration. As part of a balanced and healthy diet, drinking at least 2 litres of water a day, with the amount varying based on age, weight and lifestyle among other factors, should be a part of their regular routine, they said.
According to them, healthy hydration is an essential part of ensuring the normal functions of the human body. Over the course of the day, our body goes through water loss, water that needs to be replaced for the body to continue to function properly. Even just the act of breathing causes our body to lose water.
They said that water makes up 60 percent of the average adult body and that ratio is higher in younger children. From retaining a normal body temperature through sweating, assisting in digestion and removing waste from the body, water has a range of roles in our bodies. All these activities contribute to water loss, they added.
Children are especially at risk of becoming dehydrated for several reasons. Because they don't have the same impulse to drink when thirsty, their water intake is often insufficient. While engaging in physical activities, your child may easily become dehydrated if their water intake is not kept up. So, it's up to us to ensure that our children stay well hydrated, they opined.
Health professionals said that younger children also have a relatively higher body surface which leads to increased water loss through their skin. And as their bodies have less developed thermoregulatory systems, they are more vulnerable to heat stress than adults.
Summer months can be notably taxing on children as the rising heat outside leads to the body sweating more to regulate its temperature. Even just standing around, your child's body will be losing water, which makes it even more important that you make sure that they stay hydrated to maintain their body water levels, they said. They said that water can be boring, though, especially for children, which makes keeping them hydrated a little harder. We need to try and make things more fun for them. This can be as simple as adding some fruit to the water to add a little extra flavour.
Water intake doesn't just have to be water either. It could be from any source, the easiest of which is, of course, simply drinking water. But foods, too, can be a good source of hydration. Many fruits and vegetables, in fact, have a high concentration of water in them, such as cucumbers, radishes tomatoes and watermelons, they said.
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