I've heard some different theories lately as to how much water a person actually needs to drink in a day as well as whether or not coffee and liquid foods such as soup count. Anybody have any ideas as to how many ounces a typical person should really shoot for in a day?

shfiven252,

I think a more important question than how many glasses of liquid a person is drinking a day is: how often a person is peeing. It is not true that the world is undergoing an epidemic of dehydrated people who are about to dry up and blow away on the wind. This bit of "wisdom" to aim for 8 glasses of water a day has been blown out of proportion by the media because it makes for a simple "solution" for everyone. (eight 8-ounce glasses per day equals 2 quarts or about 2.24 liters)

You need fluids for all your bodily functions. You lose fluids through sweating, breathing, urinating, defecating. Our foods contain moisture -- unless you're chewing nothing but dried oatmeal and crunching dried pasta all day :) , you're getting a fair amount of moisture from your foods. Some people do fine drinking very little in addition to whatever moisture they get from their foods. Some of us find that we need to drink lots of fluids during the day in order to avoid constipation and salt-imbalance.

One of the most important organs in the body is the kidney. It filters toxins and waste products that accumulate because of our normal life functions. It requires fluids in order to do its function properly. If you are not consuming enough fluids (whether from food or an obvious liquid source), then your kidneys will suffer because they cannot function without having fluids pass through them.

So, back to the question, are you peeing several times a day? And, is your pee, after the first pee in the morning, clear, or is it a dark yellow? If it's a dark yellow, then your urine is too concentrated and you need to consume more fluids -- for the health of your kidneys. If it's mostly clear throughout the day, then you're consuming enough fluids. Of course, if you're taking a Vitamin B supplement, then your first pee after taking that pill will be a bright neon yellow, but then your pee should start being clear again.

For people who are not used to caffeinated beverages, then coffee and tea will increase the amount of fluids released from the tissues of the body, thus acting as a diuretic. So the conventional wisdom has been to advise that coffee or tea not count towards the magic number of 8 glasses of fluids a day. If you are a hard-core caffeine drinker (that is, if you get a splitting headache when you go without your cuppa for a day) then your body is used to it, and it no longer acts as a diuretic, and then yes, coffee or tea do count towards your fluid intake for the day.

Does this answer your question?

--Rheanna

Wow, Rheanna, I wish there were a thumbs up button on here because I think you're my new hero! That was a splendid response and it completely answered my question. For the record, I am a regular coffee drinker and I had no idea that it *stops* acting as a diuretic once you become a regular drinker. Wonderful, thank you so much for the great response!

shfiven252,

Thank you, and you're welcome! :)

--Rheanna