You might think I'd have little in common with a camel, but we do share one useful skill: both of us can go for a very long time without water. Usually I start my day with a cup of tea, and then I might have a glass of water with my lunch and one with dinner, that's about a liter of liquid in 24 hours. It feels like plenty, but apparently it's not nearly enough. After years of suffering headaches and poor digestion I spoke to a neurologist about my regular headaches and a nutritionist about my poor digestion, and both told me I should be drinking up to three liters of liquid a day for my body to function at its best. I decided to conduct an experiment. What would happen if I drank the recommended amount every day for a month? The photograph of me taken the day I started this trial demonstrates perfectly and rather frighteningly what a lack of hydration does to a face. I am 42, but have to admit I look more like 52 in this picture, which is shocking. There are dark shadows under and around my eyes, which make me look exhausted, a profusion of wrinkles and strange reddish blotches, and my skin lacks any luster . It looks dead. Even my lips look shriveled . This is all classic evidence of poor hydration, apparently. Every system and function in our body depends on water. It flushes toxins from the vital organs, carries nutrients to cells, provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues, and eliminates waste. Not drinking enough means all these functions becomes damaged. So I decided to see how I would look and feel if I drank three liters of water every day for 28 days. The results were astonishing. Why did the author decide to drink the recommended amount of water?
Because she was very fond of doing experiments. Because she was informed of the importance of drinking enough water. Because her doctors forced her to do it. Because she wanted to be cured of her stomachache.