How much water!

(Paula) #1

I have always been told that you should be drinking half your body weight in ounces. So if I weigh 140 pounds, I should be drinking 70 ounces of water a day. I normally drink a gallon of water a day. But then I ran across the YouTube video below made by Dr. Berg saying that we shouldn’t be drinking that much and that it’s totally a myth. What? So, how much is good and how much do all of you drink a day?

(Athena) #2

Listen to your body. Drink when you’re thirsty.

(Allie) #3

As much as you need to stop yourself being thirsty. That’s it.

(CharleyD) #4

I have a gallon jug (an old Milo’s sweet tea jug, for the southerner’s here) at work here and almost finish it every day. But my taste buds are funny and don’t mind the taste of salt and even ACV mixed in. (I tell them it’s medicine and to shut up)

(Candy Lind) #5

If I don’t drink 100 oz I get cramps. I shoot for a minimum of 140. I weigh 245, though.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #6

Professor Tim Noakes was big on hydration until runners started to overdo it and a couple almost died. Now he advises everyone, athlete or not, to drink only when thirsty.

#7

I don’t measure what I drink, but I have some basic routines (morning, midday, and evening mugs of water - and extra water on hand if on a long walk in hot weather or away from my good home water). I also make a point to keep enough daily salt intake going (via saltwater added to my morning water mug, lots of salt in my meals, or an additional bouillon mug) so that the body is able to hydrate. I’d guess I drink around 40 ounces of water plus coffee/tea per day.

While it’s critical to drink water to truly hydrate, the kidneys can only process about 4-5 ounces of water at a time (I think it’s per 30 minutes) to be taken into the body cells - the rest gets automatically bypassed and sent to the bladder.

So, the water-chugging mythology of industrial carbo culture can become problematic outside of heat/stress conditions. Drinking too much water just makes for more work for the body and less actual hydration than drinking proper amounts of water in relation to salt.

What helped me on this was contemplating the pre-industrial/pre-history cultural traditions related to water, and the hard work often involved in collecting, transporting, and storing water! Water in baskets and jars is heavy! For this reason, salt was the most prized trading item among ancient peoples, due to how it helps us feel better on a cellular hydration level, as well as its wound healing and general energizing. For folks navigating a bad cold - or for otherwise healthy females navigating the optimal biology of physiological childbirth - salty broths can be a huge boost.