When we think about nutrition, we tend to think about vitamins and minerals—or about protein, fats, and carbs. But guess what: The most important nutrient of all is water! You can go for a long time without food, but cut out water and you’re in big trouble.

What’s more, you need plenty of water to feel good AND look your best. Here’s why drinking at least eight glasses of water a day—and more if you exercise or you’re out in the heat—should be part of your health and beauty regimen:

• It makes your skin smoother. Dehydrated skin cells are flabby, deflated, and wrinkle-prone, while hydrated skin cells are plump and “bouncy.”
• It keeps your skin healthier. Dry skin leads to itching, and itching can lead to infections. Dry skin also puts you at greater risk for flare-ups of eczema and psoriasis.
• It helps you avoid cravings. Thirst often leads to “signal confusion,” making you think that you’re hungry instead. So before you reach for a snack, drink a glass of water and see if you’re satisfied.
• It keeps your breath fresh and your teeth healthy. Each time you drink a glass of water, you whoosh away loads of mouth bacteria and pesky food particles that can cause plaque and make you unkissable.
• It optimizes your performance. If you’re an athlete, as little as a 2% decrease in your body’s level of water can hurt your performance. Even if you’re a desk jockey, mild dehydration can make you cranky and tired and give you a bad case of “brain fog.”
• It revs up your metabolism. When you drink water—especially ice water—your body needs to warm that water. As a result, you burn off a few calories, and that can add up over time.
• It keeps your muscles and joints happy. Do you frequently fall prey to painful leg cramps? If so, drinking more water can help prevent them. In addition, water keeps your joints lubricated so you can move more easily.
• It keeps you regular. When you’re dehydrated, your body needs to shunt water away from your GI tract to keep other tissues healthy. As a result, it’s harder for you to “flush the pipes.” That’s why one of the easiest cures for constipation is simply to drink more water.
• It keeps your electrolytes balanced. Electrolytes are minerals in your body that carry an electric charge. They affect everything from your heartbeat to your muscle function, and when you’re dehydrated, they can get out of whack. It’s especially crucial to drink plenty of water if you’re sick and suffer from diarrhea or vomiting.
• It helps prevent kidney stones. If you’ve ever suffered from kidney stones, you know how excruciating they are—and if you haven’t, you don’t want to find out. Drinking plenty of water helps to flush out the crystal-forming substances that create these nasty little stones.

These are plenty of good reasons to reach for that glass of water—and maybe you’re ready to do that right now. But before you do, let’s talk about one more thing: the quality of the water you’re putting in your body.

What’s in your water?

A few months ago, I wrote about the terrible tragedy in my own back yard—in Flint, Michigan, near the town where I have my medical practice. The water in Flint is heavily contaminated with lead, a toxin that can cause catastrophic damage to a child’s developing brain.

While the danger in Flint is extreme, I have bad news: No matter where you live, your tap water is toxic. The EPA has identified more than 100 chemicals and microbes that can be present in tap water, from perchlorate (rocket fuel) to MTBE (a gasoline additive). Your water even contains traces of pharmaceuticals like Prozac and birth control hormones! And the chlorine in tap water, while it kills lots of bad bugs, is bad news itself if you drink it. It’s linked to higher rates of everything from cancer to birth defects.

Filtration pitchers and refrigerator filters will remove some of these toxins, but not all. Bottled water isn’t the answer either, because those bottles are terrible for the environment. And under-the-counter systems are a pain, with their installation and maintenance costs. I’ve used all of these, but I’ve been looking for something better for my home and my office.

So I was excited when I learned about something entirely new: a countertop reverse osmosis (RO) unit called AquaTru that’s a fraction of the cost of other RO units. It doesn’t require any installation fees, and maintenance is minimal. (The filters last for two to three years.)

What’s more, it really works. Mike Adams at Natural News tested it in his own lab and found that in addition to getting rid of chlorine, it removed 100% of cadmium, cesium, mercury, and uranium, and 99.9% of lead and arsenic. It also removed 98.8% of strontium, 99.79% of copper, and 92.99% of aluminum.

Overall, the system removes 128 toxic chemicals and heavy metals from your water. Faucet filters remove only about 58, and typical pitcher filters remove only about 13.

Keep thinking Big and living BOLD!