How Much Water Should You Drink Every Day?

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Some of us know the answer to this question – how much water should you drink a day. Sixty to seventy per cent of our body is water. And water is one element that we lose the most in a day – either through sweat or urine. Health authorities advise us to drink 2 liters of water a day or eight 8-ounce glasses (the 8 X 8 rule). But there are other health gurus who advise us to keep drinking water even when we are not feeling thirsty.

Easier said than done, right?

How Much To Drink Water Daily

Coming to how much water to drink a day, or how much water should you drink a day in litres, it is 6-8 glasses (1.2 litres) a day.

However, remember that some of this daily water intake is through FOOD too, not just water as water.

Mathematically, what is 1.2 litres equal to? It is equal to 1200ml or 2.1117 pints.

Tea And Coffee Included?

Valid query when you want to know how much water should you drink a day in litres. And the answer is YES.

Tea and coffee intake is also included in the daily water tally (despite the caffeine content in these beverages).

Since tea and coffee have health benefits, they can’t be ruled out.

But yes, both tea and coffee are dehydrating since they are diuretic. Meaning, they make you pee a lot. Relax, they have enough of water to make up for the water loss in your body too.

This brings me to Green Tea. How?

• Green Tea is known to speed up metabolism and help in weight loss.

• Theoretically, fruit juice and fizzy drinks are also part of daily water intake (if both consumed daily). But since they have added sugar and calories, it can reduce their health benefits too.

It means green tea (though it is not milk-based tea) increases the urine output soon after you have had it. Which is why, drinking 2 to 3 cups of green tea on a daily basis puts in its part to getting your body the water component.

Scientists Say

Now this section is important. Because everything can’t be left to assumption unless not approved and endorsed by the scientist community.

a/ Myths Debunked: Here is “DEBUNKING” some of the myths associated with how much water per day;

Aaron E. Carroll, Professor of Paediatrics and Assistant Dean for Research Mentoring at Indiana University School of Medicine writes in an article for The New York Times “If there is one health myth that will not die, it is this: You should drink eight glasses of water a day.”

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b/ Eating Vegetables Counts: Prof. Carroll says that the original thing going was that people needed the equivalent of 8 glasses of water a day.

Then what happened? Scientists included the amount of fluid taken through other food and veggies in this daily water intake. And never meant people to drink 8 glasses of water in addition to their daily food and drink. Ah! What a relief.

How To Tell If You Are Drinking Enough Water

Easy to guess –

It is the number of times you urinate in a day that determines how much water you have consumed a day.

Says Dr Sarah Brewer “The best way to tell if you’re drinking enough water is to look at the colour of your pee.”

“A pale straw colour shows you’re drinking enough – if it’s darker than this, you should aim to drink more.”

Point taken, but please note –

Do not count the first pee of your day. It is naturally “darker” because you have been asleep the previous night and haven’t had any water to drink in your sleeping hours (unless you have another ailment of frequent urination or something).

Tiredness is also another factor of dehydration. Added factors like fatigue, headache, lack of concentration are earlier signs of dehydration. A good sign is to increase your daily water intake.

Can You Lose Weight By Drinking Water?

According to a research carried out in 2010, drinking water before eating is one of the simplest ways of losing weight.

A 12-week study, reported to the American Chemical Society, involved 48 people in the age bracket of 55-75. One group drank 2 cups of water before each meal and the other didn’t. Water drinkers lost 15.5 pounds on an average, whereas the others (meaning non-drinkers) lost just 11lbs.

How To Increase Your Daily Water Intake

Tough thing to do for some, but it is the easiest too. Now that you know how much water should you drink a day, here is how to go about it.

• Add flavour to your water pitcher

• Have a glass of water after every time you go to the washroom to urinate

• If you are not a fan of water, infuse water with lemon or fresh fruit flavours. If you don’t want to work hard at this, then buy bottles of infused water.

• Half an hour before your meal (and every meal -whether lunch or dinner), have a glass of water

• Make use of an ‘App’ to keep a track of your water consumption.

• Get a hi-tech water bottle for yourself. This way, you can sport Fashion while drinking water.

• Dilute sugar-based drinks with water and ice. This way, you won’t run into a risk of adding calories and weight.

• Keep a filled water jug next to you. This will increase your tendency to keep drinking water and help you address the issue of how much water should you drink a day.

• Invest in a water filter. It will boost up your daily water intake.

• Be sensible by choosing “sparkling” or “mineral water” over soda drinks. PEAUR from Hielo Beverages India is into high-grade Natural Mineral Water, Natural Sparkling Water and Natural-based Fruit Juice.

• Make a mind-shift to eating water-rich foods (read fruits, soups etc.), instead of oilyyyyy foods.

I hope readers of this blog have been suitably conditioned to increase their daily water intake – a take-off from how many bottles of water should I drink a day. Type “Yay” for Yes or “Nay” for No in the comments section below. And yes, do share this piece on how much water should we drink on your social networks too.

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