When you eat “water rich” foods though, your cells undergo something called “endocytosis.” This is just a fancy word for the cell membrane engulfing large food particles and bringing them inside. When this happens the cell takes more water in too. This makes it easier for cells to get rid of their waste products. One thing is very important.

Make sure you chew your fruits and vegetables very well. Even more than you think you should. The reason is fruit and vegetable cells have something around them called a cell wall. These cell walls are made up of something called cellulose. Cellulose is microscopically like wood. We can digest it some, but not very well. By chewing more, we break open these plant cells so we can get the nutrients, and more of the water that’s inside them. I recommend a person’s diet consist of 65 to 70 percent fruits and vegetables, and because of the amount of sugars in fruits, most should come from vegetables. When it comes to drinking water, there is a caution. Drinking a very large amount in one sitting can be very dangerous.

If you were to sit and drink two gallons of water at one time, it could kill you by making your brain swell. You could break up your water intake throughout the day, just make sure to get adequate electrolytes like potassium, calcium, and some sodium, because too much water consumption will flush these out. These electrolytes carry the electrical charges that enable muscles to contract, and without them muscles can miss fire, and cramp. I suggest adding an extra fruit or vegetable to each meal a day. It will definitely improve your health.

Fitness or nutrition question? Email me at dwcrocker77@gmail.com or visit fitness4yourlife.org. David Crocker of Landrum has been a nutritionist and master personal trainer for 26 years. He served as strength director of the Spartanburg Y.M.C.A., head strength coach for the USC-Spartanburg baseball team, S.C. state champion girls gymnastic team, and the Converse college equestrian team. He served as a water safety consultant to the United States Marine Corps, lead trainer to L.H. Fields modeling agency, and taught four semesters at USC-Union. David was also a regular guest of the Pam Stone Radio show.