When we speak of water rich foods, were talking more about fruits and vegetables.

Other foods do contain varying amounts of water, but not in amounts large enough to be considered water rich. Milk, for example, consists of mostly water, but does not behave in the body the same way water from fruits and vegetables does.

First, lets discuss what water actually does in the body. Think of each cell in your body as a house. This means that a patch of tissue would be like a neighborhood. By the way, the human body contains 50 trillion cells. Thats 50 million million.

Each one of these cells, or houses is healthy, and theres lots of activity going on in them, because much like our homes, cells have many different activities going on inside them all the time. Cells have little organs called organells, each with a specific function.

Cells undergo respiration where they use glucose, amino acids, fatty acids and other elements. There is something that takes place in these cells or homes, no matter what kind, size, or shape. The trash has to be taken out.

Even though your cells may be healthy, waste products do accumulate, and we need to get this trash out of there. The way we do that, is with water.

Now while drinking water is important, its not enough. The way I explain it to clients is this. Just drinking water is like having a thirsty pet, and instead of offering it water, you hit it in the face with a garden hose. Your pet may get some water in it, but it will get more water on it.

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. When this happens the cell takes more water in with it. This makes it easier for the cells to get rid of their wastes.

One thing is very important. Make sure you chew your fruits and vegetables very well, even more than you think you should. The reason for this is that 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 thats inside them.

I recommend that a persons diet consist of 65% to 70% 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 drinking through the day, just make sure to get adequate electrolytes like potassium, calcium, and some sodium, because too much water 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 &bsp;

David Crocker of Landrum has served as strength director of the Spartanburg Y.M.C.A., strength coach, S.C. state champion girls gymnastic team, USC-Spartanburg baseball team, and Converse college equestrian team. He taught four semesters at USC-Union. David is also a regular guest of the Pam Stone Show. David also served as lead trainer to L.H.Fields Modeling Agency.