Wild about water

Young Chang

Forget turquoise jewelry, slouchy beach hats and the big fake flower

worn by Carrie in “Sex and the City.”

The most trendy accessory -- one moving from trendy to classic, it

seems -- is the water bottle. They’re jutting out of bags, taking up

space on desks, accompanying people in not only gyms, but in malls.

“It’s hard to go anywhere where you don’t see a little plastic

bottle,” said Anthony Monkiewicz, president of Anthony’s Pure Water

Systems in Costa Mesa. “I think people are more conscious of drinking

water than I’ve ever seen.”

With summer three weeks away, area experts emphasize the need to drink

water -- 64 ounces of it a day -- especially during hot weather.

“The heat can be misleading,” said John Blauer, lifeguard captain for

the Newport Beach Fire and Marine Department and community relations

officer for the city. “Sometimes it feels cool because of the wind, but

as the wind blows across your skin, moisture evaporates quickly.”

The danger of losing water, especially after an afternoon of sunning

and sweating and probably not eating, is extreme exhaustion.

Citing teenage girls as a prime example of this habit, Blauer said

“they’ll stand up and basically faint.”

Some quick facts to explain why:

The body is 85% water, so it’s important to keep it that way, said

Monkiewicz, a self-proclaimed water doctor.

Being even somewhat dehydrated can slow down your metabolism by 3%,

according to a University of Washington study provided to the Pilot by

Spa Gregories in Newport Beach.

Dehydration is the leading cause of daytime tiredness.

And despite the ever-presentness of The Bottle, 75% of Americans are

dehydrated, according to the same study.

Linda Viniegra, owner of Water Gourmet in Costa Mesa, says water is

“the little broom” that cleans out your arteries.

Monkiewitz, whose business provides pure water systems for people in

homes and businesses, agreed that water flushes out impurities in the

body.

But both Costa Mesa water experts stressed the difference between

purified water (which is different from filtered water) and tap water.

Water that is unpurified contains mercury and lead, as well as other

minerals that can become harmful if collected in the body over a long

period of time, said Viniegra, whose business sells purified water.

The purified form has gone through a reverse-osmosis process that

rejects 98% to 99% of dissolved solids in the water.

Filtered water is cleaned up water, Monkiewicz said, and is a more

economical alternative to its purified friend.

“The tap water right now, we know it’s cleaned up, but everyone

recommends putting a good filter on your tap water before you drink it,”

he said.

Widely accepted benefits of being generously hydrated include improved

skin, improved kidney functions and decreased risks of colon cancer,

breast cancer and bladder cancer.

But if you don’t like water and prefer the flavors in sodas and

smoothies, try these fun tricks.

Angela Cortright, owner of Spa Gregories, assures us that most

citruses are safe. Just cut up half an orange, grapefruit, lemon or other

citrus fruit and throw the small wedges in a pitcher of ice water.

Mix a fruit -- Cortright’s favorite is orange -- with slices of

cucumber, which “oddly enough has a very sweet taste,” said the owner.

Half a cucumber, sliced very thinly, per pitcher will do.

“Most berries do not work,” Cortright added. “They just get ugly and

mushy and really unattractive.”

And dried fruits, including apricots and plums, are also safe to dunk

for just a hint of that fresh, fruity flavor.

“A lot of people are getting fancy and putting ingredients in the

water, to spice up the water,” Monkiewicz said.