8 glasses of water.....??

With up to 78% of our body’s weight being water, it’s a bit startling that with just a 1-2% water loss in the body, dehydration symptoms would begin to kick-in.

What starts out as thirst, discomfort and loss of appetite and energy, turns into headache, dizziness and delirium – eventually leading to unconsciousness and death.

We lose a lot of our water through

• Sweating (significantly more with exercise)
• Urination
• Bowel movements (significantly more with diarrhea)
• Breathing

Needless to say we need to replenish ourselves.

But do we really need 8 glasses of water per day?

It’s a good rule of thumb, but there are a few arguments about this.

Some might adjust this to say “drink eight, 8-ounce glasses of fluid per day”.

Contrary to what many of us have heard, all fluids can count towards the “8 glasses” – juices, coffee, tea, milk, even soft-drinks.

Foods count as well – contributing about 20% of our daily fluid intake.

But before we get too reckless…beer and pretzels are probably not the best option to rehydrate ourselves. In fact, alohol, soft-drinks, coffee, etc. should be taken in moderation.

Water is the wisest choice, as are foods with high water content – like fruits and vegetables.

“We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.” (Thomas Fuller)