Water

[tiggerblue10]

It is often reported that you should drink 6 - 8 glasses of water a day, but I can't drink that much. I love water but at the most I can only drink around 3 - 4 glasses. Is there anyone on AB who does drink 6 - 8 per day?

I think the only time I have ever drunk more than 4 glasses is when it has been really hot or if I've had salty food.

[pink-kittens]

most of your fluid intake doesn't come from food, however a largish proportion can do assuming you are eating a balanced diet

Averagely we all loose around 10 cups of fluid a day and we make up 4 of those via out food, therefore generally speaking of course, 6 cups should taker us up to the recommended hydrated level - 1 cup is equal to 8 oz

As a guide your urine should be the colour of straw if you are properly hydrated

[tiggerblue10]

I drink plenty of coffee (decaff) but I didn't think that counted as coffee is a diuretic. Or is that caffinated coffee?

[karenmac60]

It all counts Tigger - when mr mac was on kidney dialysis he was only allowed a litre of fluid per day and that included tea, coffee, soft drinks, alcohol, soups, sauces, desserts etc. If there is a liquid content then you are getting fluid from it. I wouldn't recommend 6 - 8 glasses of vodka a day though :)

[ummmm]

It doesn't matter how much you drink. You should go by the colour of your wee.

[bushbaby_de]

I probably drink 2-3 litres a day if I include juice, tea, water, squash etc. And ummm is right... it means my wee is nearly completely water coloured!!!!

[grasscarp]

There was an experiment with twins and one drank just when she wanted water and it wasnt that often. The other did the 6-8 glasses in a day. They then did loads of tests on the both of them and found absolutely no difference, so I just drink water when I feel I want to.

[nohorn]

Uhuh What is barley water?

Just wondering. I also have a terrible time drinking water. However, when I can/do get it down, I think I feel better in this sub-arctic climate. I try and try. I think my best bet is to do very diluted juice.

[tiggerblue10]

I usually dilute fresh fruit juices as I find them too sweet. Apart from grapefruit juice which I love.

[bushbaby_de]

barley water is a type of squash drink

[nohorn]

Thank you Bushbaby, that is interesting, never heard of that before. How do you make it?

[karenmac60]

Robinson's make it nohorn - or there's lots of supermarket own brands too. You'll find it with the other diluting fruit juices.

[DaisyNonna]

As a female it is difficult to colour match one's urine.

[JonnyBoy12]

Yes, I do drink that amount and more, though I am a large male with extreme thirst. I would advice eating some salty food to make yourself feel thirsty. You could try drinking other things, though this is not as good as water.

Any other ABers feel thirsty all the time, or is it just me?

[Marijn]

It's not a good idead to eat salty food to make yourself thirsty. I also read it is not beneficial to drink plenty of water, according to the most recent studies.

[karenmac60]

Surely upping your salt intake is defeating the purpose. Remember also, that you can drink too much water
http://en.wikipedia.o...ki/Water_intoxication

[JonnyBoy12]

I stand corrected, and apoligise to tiggerblue then! Could you not just drink even if you do not feel thirsty, as this is what we were told to do at work? If you feel thirsty this means you are already dehydrated.

[karenmac60]

Jonny, if you feel thirsty all the time it might be an idea to see your GP as it's one of the main signs of diabetes.

[boxtops]

Jonnyboy, have you been checked for diabetes? a principal symptom is continued thirst.

[boxtops]

^ snap. Karen ;-)

[THECORBYLOON]

This is the link about the twins http://www.bbc.co.uk/...orryabout/water.shtml