To say you don't need to drink a certain amount of water every day to be healthy

[marymarkle]

How much water your body needs varies depending on how hot it is, how active you are, the food you eat, and any medical needs. The idea that you need to drink a certain amount of water every day was dreamt up by a beauty magazine and has been repeated so many times since, that a lot of people believe it is true.
Unless you have medical needs, drink when you feel like a drink.

I agree. Was recently told by urologist not to drink gallons when you have a UTI either. He says water can’t flush out an infection and chugging back loads of it will dilute the effect of any antibiotics you’re prescribed.

I didn't know that about a uti. I had wrongly thought you should drink more,so thanks for that.

Also, any other liquids you consume, such as soup, porridge etc., will contribute to keeping you adequately hydrated.

YANBU

I’m tired of the obsession with “hydration” as a goal. People literally track how many cups of water they drink in their bullet journals.

It really shouldn’t be something you need to track. Drink when you’re thirsty. Simple.

Hmmm, whilst I agree the 2l a day/8 glasses a day is not essential, I need to drink with meals, because it's the only way I actually drink.
I just dont feel thirsty - and on days where lunch doesn't happen, I can easily go from breakfast at 6 til dinner at 5 without drinking (and then nothing again til breakfast the following day). That isnt healthy either!

Dunno but not sure it can do much harm either. I drink a fair bit - it's just part of my life style- i am slim healthy and rarely ill - so who knows

Villains I would bet that you are aware of your health and so do things to keep yourself healthy. The water will not be doing any harm, but it will literally make no difference if you are tracking how much you drink.

It's made a difference to my skin

I tried the eight glasses of water a day thing a few years ago. The only difference it made was in how many trips to the toilet I took.

Scientifically, there is no way drinking more water can make a difference to your skin. If you drink more water when you are not thirsty, your body just pees it out.
The exception is if like the above MNer you never ever feel thirsty.

I agree with Imsosorryalan1. My skin approved so much when I started tracking my water intake.

Drinking a lot definitely helps with UTIs. Often lots of water can keep you from needing those antibiotics in the first place.

Also just a quick search in a scientific paper database found a few articles saying water consumption as a positive impact on skin physiology.

I agree the only liquids I drink are milk teas and water.
A normal cup of tea containing mostly water still counts as water I feel.
I don’t drink 2 liters a day I’m never sick

I was told by a dr that I was dehydrated. He had me POAS. He said it was why my ears are itchy.

I drink gallons of decaf coffee, but he said it's a diuretic. I'm really struggling to switch to water or squash.

If I drink the recommended amount I need to go to the loo every half an hour. Which is great for getting my steps in, not so great for my productivity.

I think you have it spot on - if you're dehydrated, more water will make you feel better and look better. If you're not it just goes down the toilet.

Yes not sure if it is the water per se that keeps me healthy but it's part of a healthy life style. Maybe I eat less in general - who knows? But here I am fit and healthy and full of vim and vigour - so I may as well continue my ridiculous habit

i tend to only drink water no other reason other than i enjoy it and fizzy juice hurts my tummy and ive gone off tea since falling pregnant. I do generally feel better when i drink lots of water but dont know if thats just coz im use to it. tend to keep generally clear skin also.

and im not goin got lie, i do "think" that drinking water is healthy but now this post has me thinking that ive been brainwashed. haha

I’ve been drinking 2-3l of water a day since new year and the difference to my skin has been amazing, I still get the odd spot but nothing like I used to so there must be something in it

Water is my favourite drink. So...you are all being unreasonable. 😂😂😂

I think for young, healthy people then no, it's not an issue. But I work in a hospital and it is so so common to see elderly people with kidney damage because they don't drink enough. I think for that generation it was never really part of the culture to drink water, so they often only drink tea, and tiny amounts of it.

So I do believe that getting into the habit of drinking water regularly is a good idea.

Off at a complete tangent but... my father was a great worrier, and when I was a child he worried constantly that I drank - literally - nothing. I hate tea, so wouldn't have it. Didn't like water. He'd clutch his head and say "that child drinks nothing, she's going to damage her kidneys". My poor Da. Still don't drink much, but on the other hand I hate dry food, like soups and sloppy stews so I think I'm getting the liquids in other ways. My total liquid intake is three cups of espresso in the morning, and about a quarter of a litre of bottled water. Boosted by sloppy food

Interested in the remarks about skin - I'm going to put in a proper effort and start drinking a lot of water.

My weight is easier to keep stable when I drink plenty of water. My skin is better and my brain "hurts" less!

You need to drink enough water to stay hydrated. I am sure different people need different amounts of water but personally I often don't notice that I am thirsty so an app reminding me to drink is quite useful. I was very dehydrated during pregnancy and I did try to drink even if I was not thirsty (which was most of the time). So "drink when thirsty" isn't as helpful for me as a guideline for how much I should be drinking even if it isn't personally bespoke as it were. The recommendation of 8 cups of water a day takes into account that you're getting fluid from other sources I believe. And yes, like others I notice an improvement in my skin if I drink more water.

That's it! I'll be visiting tesco and buying a huge bottle of water later. A new me is imminent.