Daily water consumption

[steelyman]

I was trying to find the recommended daily water consumption and found this at the Mayo Clinic:

So how much fluid does the average, healthy adult living in a temperate climate need? The Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake (AI) for men is roughly 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day. The AI for women is 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day.

I thought, "man, if I drank that much I'd be running from fire hydrant to fire hydrant like a hound dog!". But it turns out not to be bad if spread out throughout the day.

Here's the article:

Water: How much should you drink every day? - Mayo Clinic

 

[aaronc879]

Tap water is horrible where I live so I buy water by the gallon. There are approx. 3.8 liters per gallon. I make sure I drink half a gallon per day minimum even if I don't feel thirsty. Three liters every day seems like a lot to me even though all I drink is water.

 

[razztazz]

I think that old "you need xx glasses of water per day" thing was debunked some years back as a "well known medical myth". (Used to be 10, now it's 13?) Now, it looks like the swing back until somebody discovers it's crap again.

Forget about pissing. Unless you're just going to sit there and slam water all day I don't see where there's time to drink that much

 

[steelyman]

Our water is very good here, but I still filter it (Brita). I started doing that when I noticed the coffee tasted better (I don't drink much coffee anymore - used to be a fiend - but still filter).

 

[braumeister]

One thing most people forget is the water content of the food we eat. That amounts to quite a large quantity in some cases, and definitely counts in the total you need (whatever that may be).

 

[NW-Bound]

For someone with kidneys with propensity to produce kidney stones, I normally try to drink up to a gallon a day.

Yes, the frequent trip to the bathroom might be a nuisance, but it beats trying to "oust" a kidney stone.

 

[MichaelB]

Can I count tonic water as part of the total? Also fermented beverages? If so, I'm not at the 3 liters, but at least a bit closer.

 

[AllDone]

Can I count tonic water as part of the total? Also fermented beverages? If so, I'm not at the 3 liters, but at least a bit closer.

Yes indeed you can! Coffee and tea are just as hydrating as plain water too! Solid food is mostly water, so it counts also.

There is no "right" amount of water. The amount of water that you need depends on ambient temperature, humidity, activity level, and intake from other food sources. An office worker in Seattle needs less than a landscaper in Phoenix. If you aren't prone to kidney stones and you pee nice light colored urine every 2-3 hours, you're doing fine. If you are prone to kidney stones or taking some type of medicine that induces them, then what comes out should look about like the tap water that goes in.

 

[Midpack]

I try to drink a lot of (tap) water and I can see 3 liters/day if you're engaged in physical activity on hot days. I force myself to drink too much water on those days, being dehydrated sucks big time and it takes 6-8 hours to rehydrate, me at least. But I am sure I average closer to 1 liter/day.

 

[Walt34]

There is no "right" amount of water. The amount of water that you need depends on ambient temperature, humidity, activity level, and intake from other food sources.

Exactly. In HS in the summer at my gas station job I would bring a gallon jug of water and drink the entire gallon in eight hours, hitting the head just once or twice.

Drink that much in an office and you're not going to get much work done. Might even make you sick.

 

[splitwdw]

I got a lot of migraines and they just discovered I'm dehydrated all the time. I'm suppose to drink 4 pints of water on top of normal beverages. Only trouble is I don't drink much of anything during the day or eat much. I have 1 or 2 cups of coffee and oatmeal and banana (or some fruit) for breakfast. I take a bottle of water to work but get busy and don't drink much. I don't eat lunch. Drink some of the bottle of water that I take to work when I go jogging after work. Then have something to eat for dinner and maybe 2 glasses of juice or ice tea. I have a hard time drinking much and if I force drinking I feel sick. Got to say I've been trying to drink more water and my migraines have almost gone away.
They use to think that coffee and tea dehydrated you but just heard there's new evidence that it doesn't.

 

[Walt34]

Exactly. In HS in the summer at my gas station job I would bring a gallon jug of water and drink the entire gallon in eight hours, hitting the head just once or twice.

Just remembered something else about that. I put ice in the jug, and when I turned legal age I'd put a can of beer in the jug. The first time I pulled one out at closing time the looks from the other guys was priceless.

 

[CoolChange]

I am generally on the high end of water consumption, all sources (tap, iced tea, coffee, fruits, beer, etc.) as braumeister mentioned, generally in the range of 4L to 5.5L / day. I don't really push to get this, I just always have a glass of something next to me: Coffee on my desk, water bottle when out, beer winding down on the couch, etc.

I do notice that I feel slightly worse on days with under 3L of water consumption; but, that is probably just because I am used to so much more. I have not found credible studies attempting to identifying the optimal water intake; I do look every so often since I seem to be well on the high side and worry a bit about flushing too many vitamins and minerals out of my system.

 

[scrabbler1]

I drink a lot of water with my meals, especially lunch and dinner. I have a large 1/2 gallon (~2 liters) pitcher which I will often drink more than half of with some meals. If it is not water, then it will be soda or chocolate milk. Throw in the water bottle I keep in my car and with me when I am out dancing, and I surely drink a lot of water every day.

 

[easysurfer]

I'm definitely a water (pitcher filtered) drinker. I don't know exactly how much but probably more than the eight 8 ounce glasses recommended.

In younger days, I used to not be much of a water drinker, but that would lead to too much sodium and then to bouts of vertigo (no fun). So now, I drink water, and floss all that boring stuff