Just Drink Water!

LeadWhen you stop by the corner grocery on your way home from school, you can see the bottles of sports drinks lining the shelves. The candy-colored liquids catch your eye—bright blue, orange, neon green, and ruby red.Beginning Paragraph The labels promise you all kinds of benefits—vitamins, minerals, and, above all, extra energy. However, if you look at the main ingredient, you’ll see that it’s water. So why not just drink water? Many doctors now think that water is the best thing for you. Opinion Statement If you want a pure, replenishing, and healthful beverage, you should drink water instead of sports or energy drinks.

First of all, water is pure and natural. It’s all around you in rivers and lakes, and it’s inside you, too. A large percentage of the human body is water. It’s true that there are lots of other things in the human body, like minerals and salts. It’s also true that you need them. But you can actually get enough of what you need from a balanced diet and plenty of water. A lot of sports drinks and energy drinks have all kinds of chemicals in them that can actually harm you. You take a big sip, and you take a big risk. Why bother when you can have a glass of water and know exactly what you’re getting?

Reasons Water is what the body needs during workouts and heat waves. When you work out or spend time outside when it’s hot, your body sweats and loses a lot of water. That’s why you need to drink water before and after any exercise, especially in the heat. Sports drinks claim to have salts and electrolytes that get lost when you sweat. But doctors at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center say only super athletes and marathon runners lose significant amounts of those things. Most people can get those things from the food they eat. They say that water is just what people need.

Water doesn’t have sugar. Sugar is one of those things that you can get too much of. Eat too much sugar, and you’ll gain weight. Drink too much sugar, and you might damage your teeth. Sports drinks are loaded with sugar. That’s where the energy comes from. But, if you notice, the boost doesn’t last long, and you are actually more tired than before you quenched your thirst. Water will never give you cavities, and it will never make you tired.

Objections Addressed Of course, water has gotten a bad rap lately. The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, shows what can happen when public officials fail to ensure the purity of water. That failure, though, should only underscore how critical water is to all of us, and how we must insist on a clean, safe source. Bottled water can provide that safety, but many people do not recycle the bottles that water comes in, creating an environmental hazard that, ironically, can threaten the quality of ground water supplies. So cities must carefully monitor and purify their water for residents, and those who live in the country should use filters and other devices to safeguard their water supplies. These measures just show how important water is to all of us.

Ending Paragraph Drinking enough water is one of the best things that you can do for yourself and your body. It’s pure, and it’s natural. It doesn’t have junk in it that your body doesn’t need. In addition, it’s free. You just turn on the faucet. So, the next time you are tempted to buy a sports drink, remember that it’s candy-colored sugar-and-salt water. Save your allowance for something really great—like that new video game download you’ve been wanting—and drink water instead. Your wallet and your body will thank you for being so smart.