The Food I Drink!

May 22, 2014 By Anita R
Anita R's picture

Did you know that 75% of our body is made up of water? That's right. Our bodies are walking reservoirs.

Meanwhile, 70% of our Earth is water. Perfect, that means we are more or less in balance, right. Except there is a slight problem! Nearly 96.5% of the water on earth is in the oceans. It is salty and not fit for human consumption.

Another 2.5% is frozen in glaciers and on the poles. That leaves just about 1% of water as surface and groundwater available for humans to consume.

Our world's freshwater resources are running dry.  At the same time, our water needs are increasing at a rate that may not be sustainable. We need to find better ways to manage this precious resource. Wondering how much water we really consume? Read on, and you will be surprised!  

Water & Food Security

With our world's population racing towards the 9-billion milestone by 2030, the need to feed everybody on the planet is becoming more pressing. But wait a minute - what does food have to do with water? 

Each of us drinks between 2 and 3 liters of water a day. However most of the water we “drink” is actually hidden in the food we eat. Did you know that a large quantity of water is required to produce the food we eat every day?

The statistics are stunning. Did you know that -

  • 1 kilo of wheat, drinks up to 1,500 liters.
  • 1 kilo of beef consumes 15,000 liters of water!
  • To produce food for one person’s daily meal, it takes about 3000 liters of water.

If we stop to take a look at how the world uses water, agriculture “drinks” up 70% of all water consumed; 20% is used by industry and 10% is spent for domestic activities such as washing, cleaning, drinking, etc.

What Can We Do?

Well, we need to get smarter about how we use water.

And here's how --

  • Protect water from pollution
  • Preserve forests to reduce the effect of floods and drought
  • Follow sustainable conservation agriculture
  • Reuse and recycle wastewater from domestic use after proper treatment for agriculture
  • Produce more food, of better quality, with less water.

As individuals, we can make a difference by the choices we make. Here are some things you can do.

  • Follow a healthier, sustainable diet
  • Consume less water-intensive products; meats “drink” up more water than vegetables
  • Reduce food wastage. You may not be aware, but nearly 30% of all the food produced worldwide is never eaten. Imagine the colossal waste of water that is used to produce it.

The world is thirsty because it is hungry. Now you know why it takes one thousand times more water to feed the human population than it does to quench its thirst!

 Critical Thinking: Think of the food you eat and consider how much water you are actually drinking when you are in fact eating. What are some of the ways in which you can bring awareness about water to people in your community? 

cc: UNwater.org

Comments

Adyanthekid's picture
Adyanthekid April 22, 2021 - 10:38am
Oh nice. I can believe our body has 75% of water and there are more water than land.
El-Miracle Akpan's picture
El-Miracle Akpan October 10, 2014 - 11:41am

So much water!

cassiew's picture
cassiew September 2, 2014 - 8:31am

interesting...

aguion's picture
aguion June 9, 2014 - 3:17pm

supposedly,there was a girl who was allergic to water.she didnt live long.

Tressa's picture
Tressa June 24, 2014 - 6:24am
I wonder that a lot too. And if it was, well, they probably wouldn't live a very long life. Its sad, but that's the reality of it. Sometimes when I drink water (but I think its only a certain temperature) my throat feels all tight, and then its fine. Its really weird, so I have no idea what it is. :|
Sindhu's picture
Sindhu June 7, 2014 - 9:25am
I don't think that's possible...but if it is...
angelinag2's picture
angelinag2 June 4, 2014 - 5:56pm
So much water.
Shravan's picture
Shravan June 1, 2014 - 9:17am
That is a lot of water
Naia.'s picture
Naia. May 30, 2014 - 5:22pm

It seems like everyone says your supposed to dink 8 cups a day.
I think you should just drink when your thirsty

Sindhu's picture
Sindhu June 7, 2014 - 9:25am
Haha, that's exactly what I feel! :D Though a deficiency of water leads to several problems.
OliviawithDogs's picture
OliviawithDogs May 27, 2014 - 9:43am

My mom always says you have to drink eight cups of water per day!! It kinda hurts to look at that scale. In my neighborhood you HAVE to have a green lawn (and a bunch of other wasteful requirements that is bad for the environment!) but from the scale the most water is used for agriculture use. I'm so glad when it rains so we don't have to use all our water on the lawn! Yesterday our neighborhood flooded and we were having family over but they couldn't come because the water was up the headlights! I was so glad we didn't have to water for the week!!! YEAH!!!

matthewx's picture
matthewx May 27, 2014 - 6:43pm

my mom says that you have to eight cups a day to!!