There was an infomercial a few years ago the promoted drinking eight full glasses of water each day. But, what does this really mean? Can you drink too much? Here is the truth about water and how much you really need.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides dietary reference intakes (DRI) for every nutrient that humans need to survive. The DRIs are based on an average, so the intake may vary from person to person, but will be enough for the general population. The general recommendation is that an adult person will need 1.5 gallons of water per day, but not exceeding 2.3 gallons.
This seems like a lot of water to be drinking every single day, but here is the good news, you can get water from many other sources besides drinking it. All of the food that we consume throughout the day has water in it, some more than others, but it counts towards the recommended amount that you need. Also, all of the beverages that you drink in a day contain water, whether you are drinking coffee, tea, soda, juice or milk, it will contain mostly water.
It is recommended to drink water throughout the day. This recommendation help to keep you feeling full, it will help keep your body system working and even provide you with more energy. One easy and quick way to determine if you are drinking enough water is to look at your urine, if it is pale yellow to clear then you are good, but if it is bright to dark yellow then go hydrate.
There is such a thing as water toxicity, which is a rare occurrence but can happen if too much water is consumed. Basically, the body’s cells are drowning from all of the water, which will cause an electrolyte imbalance. This will cause swelling and irregular heartbeat. If this happens then you must go to the emergency room because it can become fatal.
Water is an extremely important nutrient for the body, so make sure to get the proper amount each day.
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