There’s no easy answer to this question. What is unquestionable is that the body needs water to survive.
Your body weight is composed of 60% water. Water is vital to your health in many ways. Vital organs need water to flush them of toxins. Water also carries important nutrients to the cells of your body to keep them healthy. And water keeps the tissue in your nose, ears, and throat moist for proper functioning.
Every day, the body flushes itself of water from your system. When you breath, you exhale mist produced by your body processing water. You also lose water when you urinate, defecate, and perspire.
In order to maintain a healthy body, you must replenish the water you lose through natural systems.
You’ve likely heard that you should drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. It’s often quoted as “8 by 8.” This is catchy and pithy, making it easy to remember, but that’s only 1.9 liters of water. The Institute of Medicine recommends 3 liters for men and 2.2 liters for women. You could say that everyone should drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water each day. That’s minimum.
Know Your Own Body
It’s important to know your own body. Everyone is different. If you do a lot of physical exercise – working out at the gym, running or jogging, or manual labor – then you’ll perspire a lot and lose more water. You should drink enough to replenish what you lose as a natural result of your exercising.
If you in a hot, humid environment, you’ll sweat more. You’ll lose more water due to sweating and the affect of heat on your body. Drink more water.
Illnesses can also have an effect on your body’s ability to process water. Diarrhea causes you to lose more water, as does vomiting. Pregnancy and breast feeding also cause you to lose more fluids than normal.
Drinking water is good for you, but you can get water from other sources. For instance, many fruits are composed mostly of water. Oranges, watermelons, and tomatoes all consist primarily of water. You can also get water into your system by drinking water-based drinks like tea, coffee, or fruit juice. Still, straight water should be your primary means of hydration.
