Needing 8 glasses of water a day a "myth"

Honey7o2

It sounds like you just don't want to drink the water and would rather make excuses that it doesn't matter. I also can't believe you are really basing everything off of this one article you read. Really? Do you have any idea how much BS is all over the internet? Come on now.

cranberrycat

It sounds like you just don't want to drink the water and would rather make excuses that it doesn't matter. I also can't believe you are really basing everything off of this one article you read. Really? Do you have any idea how much BS is all over the internet? Come on now.

Honey, have you read this thread? Or just the last few posts?

I have no issue with drinking water. I just finished up a 1 liter bottle of pure water, and plan on drinking more.
My original post was about the fact that drinking 4 glasses of water is better than drinking 8 glasses of artificially flavored beverages. I also pointed out that we get hydration from other sources, including the foods that we eat, and we can also get hydration from coffee and tea.

I have no intention on debating coffee any further. That is not the issue of this thread.

mvl1014

Coffee has about the same diuretic effect that water does.

That's exactly what I posted with the NY Times link.

dogmeat

It sounds like you just don't want to drink the water and would rather make excuses that it doesn't matter. I also can't believe you are really basing everything off of this one article you read. Really? Do you have any idea how much BS is all over the internet? Come on now.

There's plenty of material available that lines up with the article in the original post.

No-one's really claiming you SHOULDN'T drink 8 glasses of water a day. What's being said is basically that it's not necessary for a healthy diet and weight loss. No one even seems to know where the 8 glasses figure originates from.

An average person outputs about 2.5 litres of water a day, and inputs about 2.5 litres a day through food, metabolism and other drinks in an average diet. Forcing yourself to drink water on top of that is just not necessary.


If it helps with avoiding hunger or has some effect on your skin, good for you.

Honey7o2

It sounds like you just don't want to drink the water and would rather make excuses that it doesn't matter. I also can't believe you are really basing everything off of this one article you read. Really? Do you have any idea how much BS is all over the internet? Come on now.

Honey, have you read this thread? Or just the last few posts?

I have no issue with drinking water. I just finished up a 1 liter bottle of pure water, and plan on drinking more.
My original post was about the fact that drinking 4 glasses of water is better than drinking 8 glasses of artificially flavored beverages. I also pointed out that we get hydration from other sources, including the foods that we eat, and we can also get hydration from coffee and tea.

I have no intention on debating coffee any further. That is not the issue of this thread.

My post was not in reply to your's or anything having to do with coffee. I was following the original point of this thread.

arewethereyet

Before we ground beans and poured hot water over it
Before we crushed the leaves of a tea plant, boiled water and steep it
Before we added chemicals to water to make it bubble
Before we added artificial syrup and sugar to that bubbly water

there was


WATER!

We are supposed to drink it and plenty of it. We have gotten so used to NOT drinking water that our bodies have adapted.

I did an experiement. I drank no water for 1 week and then took a test of number memory. Just reading a number, closing the page on the computer, and then transfering that number onto another page. I had to check back 2-3 times to get the number down.

I drank 4 16 oz bottles of water a day for 2 weeks. I just used this as a ref for the purpose of the experiment.

After 2 weeks I could open the page, read the number 298.22 for example, close the page, open a new one and imput the number. My short term memory had increased by at least 50%.

Dehydration is a real. Our bodies adapt, but good clear water is the best beverage for our bodies. I am convinced. :drinker:

cranberrycat

Coffee has about the same diuretic effect that water does.

That's exactly what I posted with the NY Times link.

So, maybe I am not understanding this post, are you saying that water is a diuretic?

ivykivy

Yes water is a diuretic.

BamaRose0107

I see what the original poster is trying to say. While water is good for us and we should drink plenty the idea that 8 cups a day is a magic number may not be true for everyone, I don't drink 64 0z. everyday and it has nothing to do with me making excuses because I don't want to drink it, I am just not going to make myself sick forcing down 64oz. ounces of water just because that is the general number. Myth or no myth I don't know but I know that I drink anywhere from 6-10 cups depending on what I am doing that day and I am very healthy. So I agree 64oz is a gerneral number and might not be what everyone needs to drink to be healthy.
We need to also remember that the article might have just been something they found and wanted to share so I don't feel we judge them personally.

shariguymon

I think we're getting too fussy about the specific 8 glasses, if every guy and every girl ate 2000 and 1500 calories respectively then there would be many people consuming an innapropriate amount of calories yet this is the figure printed on the nutrition information of moat foods. I think the intention is just to impress the importance of keeping hydrated and they probably just picked an amount that would likely nourish most people without being excessive and flushing out all the important electrolytes

I totally agree with you in that the specific amount is variable, but the numbers give a good guide to what is needed on a general basis. On cold less active days I may only need 6-7 glasses of water. Some days, even cold ones when I've been very active I may feel thirsty still after 10 glasses. I don't think you should try to force water down when you feel like you're drowning in it, but the recommendation given is sensible and a very good guide.

shariguymon

Before we ground beans and poured hot water over it
Before we crushed the leaves of a tea plant, boiled water and steep it
Before we added chemicals to water to make it bubble
Before we added artificial syrup and sugar to that bubbly water

there was


WATER!

Interesting experiment!:drinker: :happy:

We are supposed to drink it and plenty of it. We have gotten so used to NOT drinking water that our bodies have adapted.

I did an experiement. I drank no water for 1 week and then took a test of number memory. Just reading a number, closing the page on the computer, and then transfering that number onto another page. I had to check back 2-3 times to get the number down.

I drank 4 16 oz bottles of water a day for 2 weeks. I just used this as a ref for the purpose of the experiment.

After 2 weeks I could open the page, read the number 298.22 for example, close the page, open a new one and imput the number. My short term memory had increased by at least 50%.

Dehydration is a real. Our bodies adapt, but good clear water is the best beverage for our bodies. I am convinced. :drinker:

Interesting experiment! Water is definitely my beverage of choice!

carpediem13

Wow! Originally I wasn't going to post on this thread but now I feel the need to. I don't mean to offend anyone and don't believe that I know everything. This is just what I know and feel strongly about since I teach it and it affects all parts of my work. I do drink coffee in the morning but limit myself to one cup in the morning, after that it's only water.

Plain and simple drink water. How much? An average of 64 oz a day and that can vary per person. I agree with the following statements:
- we put out 2.5 liters of water a day
- we can input 2.5 liters through water and food
- 8 glasses is a guideline - more water per day if you exercise
- Water doesn't have enough electrolytes on it's own and can be supplemented with gatorade etc. (By hydrating and cleaning out your system you clear out electrolytes which need to then be replaced)
- There is a point of excessive water (related to electrolytes, No more than 2 liters per hour max but ideally 1 liter per hour)

I disagree with the following statements:
- Coffee is a good way to add your water intake- Coffee IS a diuretic (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diuretics/HI00030)
- drinking pure water is better than drinking it with artificial sweeteners- if you use gatorade or other sources of electrolytes it's not so bad but if you use crystal light or other types then you are better off with pure water

On the note of coffee- which I'm aware this thread is not about thought I would add anyway
It is a diuretic as well as vasoconstrictor, which means it will make your veins and blood vessels smaller which can increase your blood pressure.

Water is a vasodilator which is why they ask you to drink water before donating/getting blood drawn. It will build up your blood pressure but in a good way and cleans the blood of toxins.

I'm not a doctor but I am an EMT and work in the outdoors. I teach kids how to keep their bodies running well while on backpacking/biking/canoeing trips. ANY place I have worked agrees that 2 liters of water a day is a MINIMUM and that caffeine is a diuretic and can get you in big trouble with dehydration because of it. Just think if you drink only coffee your pee is yellow...if you drink only water your pee is clear...water in water out should be clear!

July24Lioness

Well, I will put my 2 cents in on this subject..............

Water is very important and from someone that has a family history of kidney disease and personally I have had kidney stones, drinking water with nothing added except maybe an orange or lemon slice is very, very important............

My doctors and research I have done says that a person should drink half of their body weight in water, the body is made up of 70% water, so replenishing what we lose everyday is important. So if someone weighs 120 pounds, then 60 oz is sufficient for that person. If someone weighs 300 pounds 150 oz is the recommended amount to consume daily............

Little known fact: High Blood Pressure is not caused from too much sodium intake. It is caused from the body being in a constant state of DEHYDRATION!!!

Honey7o2

Wow! Originally I wasn't going to post on this thread but now I feel the need to. I don't mean to offend anyone and don't believe that I know everything. This is just what I know and feel strongly about since I teach it and it affects all parts of my work. I do drink coffee in the morning but limit myself to one cup in the morning, after that it's only water.

Plain and simple drink water. How much? An average of 64 oz a day and that can vary per person. I agree with the following statements:
- we put out 2.5 liters of water a day
- we can input 2.5 liters through water and food
- 8 glasses is a guideline - more water per day if you exercise
- Water doesn't have enough electrolytes on it's own and can be supplemented with gatorade etc. (By hydrating and cleaning out your system you clear out electrolytes which need to then be replaced)
- There is a point of excessive water (related to electrolytes, No more than 2 liters per hour max but ideally 1 liter per hour)

I disagree with the following statements:
- Coffee is a good way to add your water intake- Coffee IS a diuretic (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diuretics/HI00030)
- drinking pure water is better than drinking it with artificial sweeteners- if you use gatorade or other sources of electrolytes it's not so bad but if you use crystal light or other types then you are better off with pure water

On the note of coffee- which I'm aware this thread is not about thought I would add anyway
It is a diuretic as well as vasoconstrictor, which means it will make your veins and blood vessels smaller which can increase your blood pressure.

Water is a vasodilator which is why they ask you to drink water before donating/getting blood drawn. It will build up your blood pressure but in a good way and cleans the blood of toxins.

I'm not a doctor but I am an EMT and work in the outdoors. I teach kids how to keep their bodies running well while on backpacking/biking/canoeing trips. ANY place I have worked agrees that 2 liters of water a day is a MINIMUM and that caffeine is a diuretic and can get you in big trouble with dehydration because of it. Just think if you drink only coffee your pee is yellow...if you drink only water your pee is clear...water in water out should be clear!

Thank you!

dogmeat

Little known fact: High Blood Pressure is not caused from too much sodium intake. It is caused from the body being in a constant state of DEHYDRATION!!!

Umm, I'd like to leave this topic alone already, but I must address this claim, not only because it's not based on any evidence but because it's the opposite from truth.

One of the side effects of dehydration is DECREASED blood pressure.

There are tons of causes for high blood pressure, from high sodium intake to obesity, but dehydration certainly isn't one of them.

July24Lioness

Little known fact: High Blood Pressure is not caused from too much sodium intake. It is caused from the body being in a constant state of DEHYDRATION!!!

Umm, I'd like to leave this topic alone already, but I must address this claim, not only because it's not based on any evidence but because it's the opposite from truth.

One of the side effects of dehydration is DECREASED blood pressure.

There are tons of causes for high blood pressure, from high sodium intake to obesity, but dehydration certainly isn't one of them.

You are very wrong. I can back up the scientific evidence on this.

My husband started going to the same Endocrinologist as I go to for his HBP and we also see a naturopathic Doctor. Both gave use literature and books regarding the correlation of dehydration and High Blood Pressure.

And HBP is caused from the body being in a state of constant or chronic dehydration.

dogmeat

You are very wrong. I can back up the scientific evidence on this.

My husband started going to the same Endocrinologist as I go to for his HBP and we also see a naturopathic Doctor. Both gave use literature and books regarding the correlation of dehydration and High Blood Pressure.

And HBP is caused from the body being in a state of constant or chronic dehydration.

Well, pseudoscience is not the same as science. Naturopaths, homeopaths and the like are non-scientific practitioners.

I don't think it's right to spread unscientific claims that go 180 against what conventional medicine believes, especially on issues like HBP where mistreating the condition can have severely harmful results.

deedeehawaii

My original post was about the fact that drinking 4 glasses of water is better than drinking 8 glasses of artificially flavored beverages.

Yes, that is what I speaking about in my original post. I'm glad that many of you have seen that.

deedeehawaii

There's plenty of material available that lines up with the article in the original post.

No-one's really claiming you SHOULDN'T drink 8 glasses of water a day. What's being said is basically that it's not necessary for a healthy diet and weight loss. No one even seems to know where the 8 glasses figure originates from.

An average person outputs about 2.5 litres of water a day, and inputs about 2.5 litres a day through food, metabolism and other drinks in an average diet. Forcing yourself to drink water on top of that is just not necessary.


If it helps with avoiding hunger or has some effect on your skin, good for you.

Yep. Drink 8 glasses (or more) if you want, but it is a myth that 8 glasses is "required" for the average person under normal conditions.

deedeehawaii

I see what the original poster is trying to say. While water is good for us and we should drink plenty the idea that 8 cups a day is a magic number may not be true for everyone, I don't drink 64 0z. everyday and it has nothing to do with me making excuses because I don't want to drink it, I am just not going to make myself sick forcing down 64oz. ounces of water just because that is the general number. Myth or no myth I don't know but I know that I drink anywhere from 6-10 cups depending on what I am doing that day and I am very healthy. So I agree 64oz is a gerneral number and might not be what everyone needs to drink to be healthy.
We need to also remember that the article might have just been something they found and wanted to share so I don't feel we judge them personally.

Thank you, it was indeed just something to share. Meanwhile, I stand by my posting that it is healthier to drink less than 8 glasses of "pure water " per day than to force down 8 glasses of "chemically sweetened and flavored water".