Do You Need 8 Glasses of Water Every Day?

How much water do you need?

Everywhere you turn, you are advised to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. That’s the equivalent of 2 liters of water.

Additionally, people will tell you that you have to drink pure water; soda, tea, coffee, beer, and sports drinks don’t count, they say. These people claim that cola, coffee, tea, and alcohol are diuretics: they cause you to excrete water. Therefore, these sort of drinks don’t count towards your daily water intake.

This advice is not only erroneous, it’s an underhanded attempt at separating you from your hard-earned money.

8 glasses of water daily is an unfounded rumor

According to the National Institute of Health, you need around a liter of water daily. If you are in a hot, dry climate, or if you exercise heavily, you might need 2 liters of water per day.

However, you get a lot of water from the food you eat. The fruits and vegetables which should make up the bulk of your diet are mostly water, and even “dry” foods like bread and baked snacks are around 30% water by weight.

Furthermore, the claims that coffee and tea are diuretics and therefore they don’t count towards your water intake, are unfounded. While it’s true that caffeine is a diuretic, the “doses” provided by these beverages are so small as to be insignificant. A glass of pure water and a glass of cola are equivalent as far as your kidneys are concerned.

How much water should I drink?

It is very simple: drink when you are thirsty. Drink pure water if you wish, but don’t feel like you can’t drink tea or coffee. As long as you quench your thirst, you will be fine.

You begin to feel thirsty when your body loses between 1% and 2% of its water. Drink until you are satisfied and you will suffer no ill effects.

The American Society of Nephrology (which supports the study of the kidneys) states that there is no benefit to be had from drinking more water than you really want. The supposed health benefits of a diet that includes excess water are apparently false: no scientific evidence exists to back up these sorts of claims.

Where did these rumors come from?

In 2005, the bottled water industry in the United States raked in $14 billion dollars. There is big money to be made convincing people to pay for water in a plastic bottle.

Bottled water is much more expensive than gasoline. But in most cases, it is nothing more than municipal tap water. The vast majority of bottled water sold in the US is simply purchased in bulk from municipal water systems, and then resold.

Is the bottled water industry responsible for these rumors? I’m not sure. but one thing’s for certain: it does nothing to dispel them.

Be smart: drink when you are thirsty. And drink whatever you want, as long as it fits in with your goals.