Water Water Everywhere, But How Many Drops To Drink?

23 October 2008

Do I drink enough water? That is the question I'm pondering this morning. We've all been told in recent times that there is no scientific validity to the old adage to drink 'eight glasses a day'. So much for that advice. And, then of course scientists started telling us stuff like 'if you're thirsty it's already too late, you're dehydrated'. Great. So if I'm not meant to drink eight glasses and I can't use thirst as an indicator of when to drink, how on earth do I know if I'm drinking enough fluid?

When it comes to actual water-water, the stuff out of the tap - I'm not sure I get through enough nowadays. I used to be very diligent and drink two 750ml bottles everyday (before my herbal tea phase). Then our cold winter came and the last thing I felt like doing was slurping down freezing cold water to further chill myself from the inside out. So I started drinking cups of herbal tea: peppermint, strawberry, chai - you name it. I probably get through around 4-5 cups a day at the moment. Anyway, the weather is starting to warm up now so I figure its time to look at my consumption of water-water, which is my name for the stuff running out of the tap as opposed to the fancy stuff everybody is selling in bottles and which I refuse to buy - why pay for something that is running out of our taps?

Functions Of Water In Our Body

Understanding what water does in our bodies is a great point to start in our understanding of our water needs. Functions of water in our body include:

• Regulate body temperature
• Lubricate and cushion joints
• Protects organs and tissues
• Moistens tissues in mouth, eyes, nose
• Helps promote transit of food through the gut and prevent constipation
• Works through kidneys and liver to flush out waste products
• Helps dissolve nutrients in our body and carry them to cells

So it seems that water has a busy old time of it!

Where Do We Get Our Water From?

Most of us get the vast majority of our water requirements from our fluid intake (be that glasses of water, cups of tea or coffee, glasses of milk or juice) - in the order of 80%. The other 20% comes from the foods we eat. Many fruits and vegetables are over 90% water by weight, so they can make a helpful contribution to our fluid needs.

How Much Water Do We Need?

Our bodies lose water every day through some of our obvious physiological functions - the average urine output for an adult is around 1.5 litres per day. Add to that the water we lose through breathing, sweating and bowel movements and it adds up to around 2 litres a day. Of course if we start exercising then we'll lose more fluids (and minerals) through perspiration. Hot weather, altitude, illnesses, pregnancy and breast-feeding all increase our fluid needs further - but "how much" I hear you say. Well I'm wondering the same thing.

I found some very helpful advice on the mayoclinic.com website. They suggested that if we are producing about 1.5 litres or more of colourless or slightly yellow urine each day our fluid intake is "probably adequate". Well, I don't know about anyone else but I don't take a measuring cup into the bathroom to measure how much urine I produce. And frankly I have no intention of starting now. Nor am I any good at estimating how much I have produced. Which means I have to either measure what I consume or find some other way to judge if what I'm doing is good enough.

The Ministry of Health's Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Healthy Adults says an average man requires 3000ml of water and an average woman 2200ml per day. They reckon that we get around 300ml or so of water from our foods, so the remainder needs to come from our fluid intake. That equates to around six to eight glasses for an average woman, and eight to ten glasses for an average man. How do we know if we're "average"? That I don't know. If you check other Ministry of Health resources you will find them recommending that everyone consume around six to eight glasses a day. That works for me, I know I'm part of "everyone", but I can't be sure if I'm "average" by New Zealand standards.

So I can only conclude from all of this, that even though scientists are saying there is no justification for the 'eight glasses' a day recommendation, there really isn't any better option for measuring or judging how to optimise our fluid intake. If you're everyone, then like me you should aim for around six to eight glasses a day and keep an eye on the colour of the urine you produce - if it's colourless or pale yellow you're probably drinking enough. If it's darker yellow then you'll need to up your intake.

Exercise is another thing altogether. We need to hydrate before, during and after exercise - 400-600mL for short exercise durations; if we're undertaking longer, more intense bouts of exercise then we should choose a sports drink containing sodium and consume more fluid - the amount will depend on duration, temperature, exertion etc. To be safe keep drinking fluid while exercising and then ensure you have at least 2-3 glasses of fluid after completion.

Practical Tips For Increasing Fluid Intake - With Bonuses!

Creating a routine or set structure is a great way to ensure we meet a goal that we've set ourselves. Here are some ideas of ways to get yourself consuming more fluids:

• Drink a glass of water with each meal and between each meal (that will get you consuming at least 5+ glasses per day)
• If you're watching your weight try drinking a glass or two of water about thirty minutes before your main meals - that way you're getting your daily fluids and the bonus is it may decrease your energy intake at that meal-time according to research published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association
• Carry a water bottle for easy access and count how many bottles you consume each day (ensure you keep the bottle and lid clean so there are no greeblies hanging around)
• Freeze water bottles every night - so the whole family has ice-cold water the next day for school bags and office desks
  
• If you're not a fan of water - try adding a wedge of lemon or lime, or throw some fresh herbs into the glass/bottle such as mint or basil for a more savoury flavour that's refreshing
• Try a cup of herbal tea at morning and afternoon tea time - something hot without any calories!
• Don't like herbal tea? Why not just try a hot cup of water at break-time - it's refreshing and warms you up on a cool day

I plan to dig out a water bottle and fill it every morning as soon as I get up and then keep an eye on how much I consume each day. My goal will be to consume at least one 750ml bottle of water-water as well as 3-5 cups of herbal tea each day. If I do that I'll be achieving six to eight glasses of fluids a day - and as the weather warms up I can trade hot cups of herbal tea for cold water with herbs as I feel inclined... I'll keep you posted on my progress.

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