What percentage of the human body is composed of w...

In general, our bodies are made up of about 2/3 water (about 60%). But, in actuality, different people have different percentages of their bodies made up of water.

“Babies have the most, being born at about 78% water. By one year of age, that amount drops to about 65%.”

In adult men, about 60% of their bodies are water. However, fat tissue does not hold as much water as lean tissue (and men have more lean tissue than women). Thus, since fat makes up more of the female body, their bodies are made up of less water, or about 55%. Fat men also have less water (percentage) than thin men.

“In general, the higher the percentage fat tissue an individual has, the lower the percentage total water content in the body.”

Rule of thumb for discrepancies in percentage water in the human body:
1) Babies and kids have a higher percentage body water than adults.
2) Women have a lower percentage body water than men (due to having more fat tissue).
3) The more fat tissue someone has, the less percentage body water and vice versa.

Fiber versus Fiber?

There are two primary types of dietary fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fibers are the fibers that bind dietary cholesterol and carry it out of the body as well as help to stabilize blood sugar by slowing the release of sugar into your bloodstream. Soluble fiber-rich foods include oatmeal, oat bran, flaxseeds, beans, strawberries, psyllium seed and fruit pectin (citrus fruits, apples).

Insoluble fibers provide roughage that speeds the elimination of feces, decreasing the time that the body is exposed to harmful substances. Normal transit time is health-promoting because environmental and dietary toxins have less time to come in contact with the colon lining and therefore have less of a chance to be reabsorbed into your blood stream. Insoluble fiber is found in wheat bran, whole grain products, brown rice, nuts and in cellulose’s from vegetables and fruits.

Therefore, a fiber-rich diet (> 25 grams) can help prevent constipation, and may decrease the risk of developing diseases of the colon, including colon cancer. Dietary fiber may also help protect against diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.

What’s a calorie?

A calorie or kilocalorie, is a unit used to measure energy. A calorie, by definition, is the amount of energy needed to raise 1 kg of water 1 degree celsius. Calories in our diet come from macronutrients or energy-yielding nutrients, which include fat, protein and carbohydrate. Carbohydrate and protein each offer 4 calories per gram while fat is much more energy-dense, providing 9 calories for every gram. Alcohol is not a nutrient but it does contain calories, specifically 7 calories per gram.

The body uses energy, in the form of calories, to perform all of its functions. If you consume more calories than your body needs, the excess may be stored as fat – leading to excessive weight. On the other hand, if/when a food shortage exists, your body can break down stored fat for energy. Losing excess body fat successfully is achieved by creating a (calorie) energy defecit. You can do this by consuming fewer calories than you need daily to maintain your weight or burning off more calories than you take in daily. Eating less through portion control, behavior modification and eating low-caloire, filling foods while increasing your level of physical activity is the best strategy for losing weight.