We’re always being told to drink plenty of water, 6-8 glasses (1.5 – 2 litres) per day which can seem like a mammoth task. How on earth do you manage to drink that much in a day? And why should you drink that much water?
The good news is that it isn’t as difficult as we think to fit 1.5 – 2 litres of water in a day because tea, coffee, milk, soft drinks, fruit juice, smoothies, (remember to be watch the sugar content) all count. Did you know that up to 20% of our fluid comes from our food? So, you’re probably nearer to your 6-8 glasses a day than you realised.
Our bodies are about two-thirds water which is why we need to take in fluids to stay healthy and hydrated.
The NHS says
“Dehydration occurs when your body loses more fluid than you take in.
When the normal water content of your body is reduced, it upsets the balance of minerals (salts and sugar) in your body, which affects the way it functions.
Water makes up over two-thirds of the healthy human body. It lubricates the joints and eyes, aids digestion, flushes out waste and toxins, and keeps the skin healthy.”
Dehydration will affect your performance because of symptoms such as tiredness, feeling dizzy as well as headaches a general sluggishness. It can also causes some skin conditions.
The British Nutrition Foundation asked
“How can I tell if I am getting enough water?
Your body has special mechanisms to make sure you stay hydrated. Feeling thirsty is your body’s way of telling you that you need to drink more. However, the easiest way to spot that you might not be getting enough water is if your urine is a dark yellow colour during the day. If you are getting enough water your urine should be a pale straw colour. So if it is darker than this or if you are urinating infrequently or passing very small amounts of urine, then you probably need to drink some more fluid. You also need to drink more if it is hot, or if your temperature is high due to physical activity or illness.”
We can see that water is important for a healthy and glowing body. But what if you don’t like the taste of water or are being careful about the amount of caffeine so don’t want to drink loads of tea and coffee. You could try flavoured water or to make sure you don’t have too much sugar why not add your favourite fruit to water and let it infuse in the fridge. It’s easier that we think to get our 1.5 – 2 litres of water a day but unfortunately, that glass of red wine or Prosecco doesn’t count.
