FINALLY THE REAL DEAL ABOUT WATER INTAKE
There’s so much information out there about how much water we should be drinking that it gets quite confusing. Here is some research that will help point you in the right direction!
WHY DO WE NEED WATER? Water makes up approximately 65% of our body weight, we need to drink water daily to replace water lost due to body functions such as perspiration, breathing, urinating, and bowel motions. It is essential to keep our skin, hair and nails moisturized, it’s used to regulate our body temperature and heart rate, it transports nutrients around the body and helps the kidneys and liver break down toxins for elimination.
SO WHAT COUNTS TOWARDS WATER INTAKE? DO TEA AND COFFEE COUNT? Black tea and black coffee actually do count towards water intake however a 20081 study indicated that caffeine results in a mild increase of urine production so for every cup of coffee/tea drunk you’re probably only getting the benefit of ½ a cup or less of water. And remember this only counts if they are black! Broths, some herbal teas, vegetable juices, smoothies, fruit and vegetables also count towards water intake but not the full one cup. Watery fruits and vegetables e.g. melons, oranges, grapefruit, tomatoes, lettuce, celery and cucumbers are over 90% water so they count more.
SO WHAT TAKES AWAY FROM MY BODY’S WATER LEVEL? Alcohol is a huge dehydrator so when you’re out drinking try and alternate every second drink with a glass of water, or alternatively go for a drink with a water component e.g. Vodka and Soda. If you eat a high protein diet then you will need to drink more water as it’s needed to break down the nitrogen content of protein. Some herbal teas, such as celery seed, dandelion and parsley seed, are diuretics which means that they expel more urine, so you’ll need to drink a little more water to make up for the loss. Canned and packaged foods, take-away foods, soy sauce, stock cubes, cured meats, sauces and salad dressings, just to name a few, are high in sugar and salt which reduce the body’s water levels significantly.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SIGNS OF DEHYDRATION?
Yellow urine, Fatigue, Poor concentration, Constipation, Increased hunger, Headaches, Dry skin, Chapped lips, Saggy skin, Dizziness
DOES WATER HELP WITH WEIGHT LOSS? Yes, yes and YES!! A 20082 study showed that an increase in drinking water was linked to a decrease in body weight and a study conducted in 20103 revealed that 500 mls of water (2 cups) consumed before meals showed a 2 kg greater weight loss over a 12 wk. period.
SO HOW MUCH WATER SHOULD YOU BE DRINKING? An Article in the 2012 Journal for Drugs and Medicines4 recommended that water intake for those between the ages of 19-75 is as follows.
Males need to drink 3.7 L/day (approx. 15 glasses)
Females should be drinking 2.7 L/day (approx. 10 glasses).
But because we are all different shapes and sizes the best way to work out how much you should drink is by this simple equation. 1 litre of water for every 30 kg of body weight. However, remember to increase your daily intake under the following conditions…
During and after exercise
In warmer weather or after a saunas
Working or sleeping in an air-conditioned/heated room
When suffering from a cold or flu
When experiencing diarrhoea or vomiting.
HERE ARE SOME TIPS TO HELP YOU REMEMBER TO DRINK ENOUGH WATER
Start your day with a glass of warm water with ½ lemon juiced into it. You get a glass of water, that’s one down, and the lemon helps to alkalise your body.
Attach drinking a glass of water to an action e.g. every time you go to the toilet drink a glass of water – I call this the Wee, Water, Wee method. It’s one of my favourites!
Set a reminder on your phone to go off during the day every hour on the hour. Or set a reminder on your outlook calendar to go off every hour while you’re at work.
Wear 8 bracelets or 8 elastic bands on your arm. Every time you drink a glass of water move the bracelet/band to the other arm. Every time you look at your arm you’ll remember to drink. 8 x 250ml glasses of water = 2 litres.
Carry a water bottle with you (preferably metal or glass) and put 5 elastic bands around it. As you finish each water bottle, move up one of the elastic bands. That way you can monitor your water intake.
There are apps for your phone that help you remember. ‘Waterlogged’ for iPhone or ‘Water your body’ for Android.
If you do drink a lot of tea and coffee ensure you drink a glass of water while you’re making it, and then have another glass of water once you’ve finished it!
Use a straw in your glass, funnily enough we tend to drink more when using a straw!
Every time you feel hungry have 2 glasses of water. Thirst often masquerades as hunger.
If you sit at a desk all day, buy a 2 litre jug and fill it up at the beginning of the day and drink throughout the day.
Freeze the peel of lemon, oranges or limes and then pop them in your glass.
If you feel like something sweet, mix a teaspoon of honey into your water.
30 minutes before a meal or snack, drink 2 glasses of water.
Try herbal teas, they count as a glass of water.
Buy one of those camel bags that fit into your backpack and sip water throughout the day.
I hope this helps… And… if you want to know more about how to IMPROVE your Gut Health then head HERE or if you want to eat your way back to health — one meal at a time — check out my Gut Health Recipe Compendium. Nat xx
REFERENCES
Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Is Caffeine Considered a Diuretic and Should My Clients Increase Their Fluid Intake to Compensate for This Effect? (2008)
Stookey JD, Constant F, Popkin BM, Gardner CD. Drinking water is associated with weight loss in overweight dieting women independent of diet and activity. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2008;16(11):2481–2488.
Dennis EA, Dengo AL, Comber DL, Flack KD, Savla J, Davy KP, et al. Water consumption increases weight loss during a hypocaloric diet intervention in middle-aged and older adults. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2010; 18(2):300–307.
Philip, Subash (07/12/2012). “Water Cure”. Hygeia, journal for drugs & medicine (0975-6221), 4 (2), 1a.
Clark, William F (2014). “Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day to be healthy”. Home healthcare nurse (0884-741X), 32 (4), 237.