In our last post about whether or not we need to drink
8 glasses of water, many of the commenters said 8 glasses of water is not needed.
Strangebrain@xanga - I'm not surprised by this at all. I've been saying the same thing for awhile now. Unless you're doing a lot of strenuous activity (like when you exercise) you can get most of the water you need from your food.Dargon@xanga - considering how much water goes to waste when I drink that much, not surprised at all. I drink when I'm thirsty, that's a good enough sign that the body needs hydration.What I want to know is what are you drinking if you're not drinking water? I usually have juice and coffee and lots of fruit throughout the day. I still manage to get in 5-6 glasses of water per day.
So what are you drinking if you're not drinking water?
Comments (23)
i drink a cup or two of coffee a day, and usually a glass of milk. i eat a lot of raw foods so i get a lot of water in my food, but i still find myself perpetually thirsty if i do not drink a substantial amount of water. so i don't really know what is right.
I pretty much only drink water... but I sometimes have a cup of green tea. RARELY [it's usually when I feel sick] do i have a glass of orange juice.
I don't even drink 8 glasses of liquid a day period. My doctor told me to drink enough water to keep my body hydrated. I have no signs of dehydration. I drink about 1-2 glasses of water when I exercise, 1 glass of soda or Stevia, and a glass of juice. If I drink more than that I feel sloshy....very, very sloshy.
Plus, I hate water. It tastes funny. No matter what kind, so I avoid it when it isn't necessary. Haha.
It's true... you can get enough water from your food. If it's the right kind of food, of course.
I tried a raw vegan diet a while back. It's almost 100% fresh fruits and vegetables. I wasn't drinking copious amounts of water, and yet I was still peeing quite a lot. Fresh produce contains a lot of water, so I'm not surprised.
You can't live on a diet of cooked meat, bread, and dry snacks and expect to stay hydrated, though. That kind of diet would probably require quite a bit of extra water.
Personally I drink a cup of coffee in the morning as well, and throughout the day I will have a glass of water with all of my meals. However I usually don't drink that much of it (1 glass --about 350mL--combined maybe), and sips when and if I'm thirsty. When I'm working out I drink quite a bit more, but typically no more than 2 glasses.
My advice, drink water when you're thirsty. And if you need some sort of indicator look at your urine. If it is a dark yellow your probably not drinking enough, if it is clear your probably drinking too much.
Also @LadyLibellule@xanga - is only partially correct. Fruits and vegetables do contain a little bit more inert water. But most of the water obtained from food is done on a molecular level. As we build the molecules that make us (proteins, DNA strands, etc.) we form molecules of water for each bond that is made. We also produce about 6 molecules of water for every 1 monomer (molecular sub-unit) of glucose (sugar) that we eat through cellular respiration, the process that produces the energy we need for life. So you could eat, for example, the driest piece of toast on earth and you would still get 6 molecules of water for every one monomer of sugar, plus a molecule of water for every monomer of DNA, every amino acid, etc. etc. you use for growth.
@Strangebrain@xanga - The molecules have to come from somewhere. Is there a danger of becoming dehydrated if you rely on your body to create its own water?
Water is mostly all I drink. I have some rice milk in my cereal (which is what I eat almost every morning), and the extremely occasional glass of juice, chocolate soy milk or tea.
@LadyLibellule@xanga - The molecules do come from somewhere, your food. Perhaps it's my fault, but I thought I made it clear that they come from the formation of polymers (DNA strands, proteins, etc.); the monomers that make up the polymers come from your food. Yes there is a risk of becoming dehydrated if you do not drink any water, but I never said that there wasn't; I simply said that you get most of what you need from the food you eat.
I drink water and chocolate milk and white grape peach juice.
about twice a week, i'll have a mocha from caribou coffee.
Vitamin water, mango juice, milk, grape juice, orange juice.
I don't drink soda anymore because of my health problems.
at home i only drink water, milk, and either the water that was used to boil vegetables, or blended up raw vegetables themselves lol. obsessive much? and i do drink quite a bit of water on a regular basis, mainly because i though it was good for me. plus like water anyway... :/
@Strangebrain@xanga - so why is it bad when your urine is clear? is it an indication that you're "over-hydrated"?- because at that point, you're only peeing water? lol! i always thought that drinking a lot (but not excessive amounts, of course) of water was good for you...
I usally drink tea, but on Saturday's I buy a huge bottle of watter that could fill at least six of the eight glass of recommended water.
You only need what you lose in sweat. However if you want to lose weight, drinking large quanities helps halter your appetite before meals and afterwards as well. If you are drinking gallons of water and are still thirsty, you might need to see your doctor.
Hot green tea works well, maybe better than water.
I only drink water, sometimes (rarely) milk. By doing so, I lost weight, my skin cleared up and the only time I get headaches is from sleep deprivation or the time of the month. I think 8 glasses is VERY important for everyone. All you need are 4 16.9 oz water bottles and you're set. :P The Daily Plate also helps me track my water intake.
i actually do the same as you- juice, coffee and fruit. my day starts with a glass of juice, i'll usually have water throughout the day, when im hungry i'll have a fruit, and at night when im doing my work, i have a mug of coffee beside me.
I drink water mainly now, soda once a week (maybe a can size) I have really could down on the soda intake and few better for it.
I do have milk on my cereal in the morning.
I rarely drink orange juice because of the levels of citric acid and sugar in them, plus I dont drink tea or coffee.
if someone gave me a glass of water for the day, i couldnt even finish it by the end of the day. i just dont get thirsty. i just need a little here and there to wet my whistle. that probably explains why i always have so many headaches.. =l
nothing o_o
@KrazyAMANDA@xanga - Yes clear urine is a sign of "over-hydration" (though the actual term is known as hyponatremia --insufficient salt in blood). When blood sodium concentration falls below 135 millimoles per liter cells in the body begin to swell. While this is fine for most of the body it is very bad for neurons as they don't have room to swell in your skull. In its mildest set of symptoms hyponatremia can produce headaches, in its rarest and most severe... death; but you have to drink a whole lot of water to get to that point.
Thats not true at all.. your body needs plenty of clean water everyday. Only 30% of daily intake of water should be takin in thru food. The other 70% needs to be from water and only water. Drinks high in sugar (punch, fruit juice), caffeine or alcohol will actually deyhydrate you. You need to piss out a pure white stream at least once a day to ensure elimination of acid waste from your body.
dont believe these fools.. clean water is essential to good health! drink at least 3-4L and day
Most of the foods we eat contain water. So, no it's not really needed, but it's good for the body. (Well, that's a DUHH. LOL)
I had all these conflicting pieces of information too about drinking water too, like the water in coffee and food counts - until I researched it. We do need about 8 cups of water a day because the body uses that much for a number of bodily functions, not just urinating - breathing and digestion are just two processes that require water!
The blood stream is something like 70% water. Most folks actually are dehydrated and don't know it - "being thirsty" is a sign that shows up well into dehydration, not at the beginning. And you lose your natural sense of thirst if you don't regularly drink water!
Anyway, if you really want the skinny on how important water is to your health and what "counts" or doesn't count, check out this easy-to-read and understand article on the health benefits of water improving-health-and-energy.com.
Cheers!
Many people believe that just because you urinate more frequently when drinking excess amounts of water that it must be unnecessary. Unfortunately, that's completely the wrong way of thinking.
1) Water is necessary for a whole host of chemical activity in our bodies- it's split apart, occasionally put back together, but regardless, we absolutely need it for those reactions. Without enough water for that, we will die- it's as simple as that. Organs will fail and we will die.
2) Water is a lubricant and a transport vehicle. Water is used to move stuff around in our bodies; our blood, intterstitial fluids, and within our cells, electrolytes dissolve into the water and affect all sorts of processes. Without enough water, concentrations would shift drastically which results in.... well, disfunction and death.
3) Imagine a dirty skillet that you've just used for cooking. How do you clean it? Do you just take a dry sponge to scrub off the gunk? No, you wash it- in water. We use water to reduce friction and to dissolve certain substances in order to clean more effectively. Our bodies do the same thing with urine. All of the gunk that's in our urine dissolves in water, and water is necessary to get rid of it. Lots of water. The more water, the more waste that goes out and doesn't stay in. You want thee waste to go out, so put in more water to 'wash out' your body.
You need to be drinking water, and lots and lots of it, regardless of your level of activity. Every person is unique, and the other aspects of your diet can affect how much you need, usually negatively. A lot of popular beverages, such as soft drinks, are actually dehydrating, increasing the necessary intake.
Drink water! Lots of it. 8 glasses is a bare minimum.