> Isn't it beneficial not to carry around extra fluid?

According to Elson Haas (False Fat Diet), extra fluid (i.e., "false fat")
could be caused by
food "reactions" (allergens) in the standard diet.  Fluids -
mainly water - flood the cellular sites of the irritating food particles in
an effort to remove them from the body safely.  This is a standard
inflammation type reaction that many people describe as "bloating".

Rob