10 August, 2007

How many glasses of water do I really need?

I have read in gazillion publications, newspapers, articles on water that we need to drink about 8-10 glasses of water daily (some say even more) to regulate elimination of waste & toxins.

In actuality, our body is about 70% water. It is entirely self cleansing. Water is used for transportation of nutrients, regulation of temperature, cellular reproduction, elimination etc. The body decides in what way is the water ingested by you going to be used. Also water is only one of the requirements. We need to drink water when we are thirsty. Our body gets overworked when we consume water beyond the demand of thirst. Excess consumption of salt, spices, fried foods also heightens the demand for water. Salads, fruits, nuts & sprouts, provide all the nutrients and water which are required.

I have experienced in the past few weeks that as I eat more fruits, salads, sprouts & nuts, my requirement for water has gone down. I have less water then I used to. So the fact that you require 8 glasses of water is a myth. Try it yourself & experience.

7 comments:

Deval S said...

i will try it of taking more fruits,salads for one weeks...& then get the result of it.thks.

Salomi Shah Sheth said...

yes try & have fruits as snacks. have a gap of atleast 30 min after u have fruits to have your lunch or dinner & after that wait for at least 2-3 hours before you have fruits again. this is because fruits take very little time to pass through the stomach so its better not to mix them with anything else. cheers!!

Durgasankar Mandal said...

hmm, interesting observation.

Directly quite opposite to some other body water intake requirement logic.

There's another question however, that's back of my head, "How do you know if your body water requirement is up or down." More thirst or less? That's would be a very inexact instrument... won't it?

Salomi Shah Sheth said...

hi durgashankar, i feel there is no exact barometer to gauge ones water requirement except being self-aware. the thirst too depends on the consumption of food, water plus daily activities (including exercising). but i have experienced it myself that the more fresh fruits you have the requirement of water in terms of thirst decreases as fruits themselves are 80-90% vital water. i have yet to go through the website you have given here and will comment if i have some other viewpoint as well. thanks for taking interest...

Salomi Shah Sheth said...

also i dont think we need to put numbers to nutrition. it should be much simpler than that. i am going to blog about it shortly.....

Durgasankar Mandal said...

I agree for aware people such as yourself the method of recognising body signals such as thirst etc. works well.

Unfortunately, most of us human beings are not so aware. For them numbers are a relief. Numbers do not lie.

Quite amazing that they still rely on untrustworthy body signals - and see the result!!! lot of us don't take water as much as they should - jeopardizing their digestive system and paying penalty in form of colon cancer, dehydration,damaged lever or damaged kidney.

Hospitals by dozens are growing in every city to cater to the vast majority of such people - who self inflict such damages.

Salomi Shah Sheth said...

well you might be right but nutrition is much more holistic than just x gms proteins, carbs, y mgs of vitamins, 8 glasses of water etc. its also a balanced lifestyle, relaxation and much much more. and being self aware not only helps in keeping a good health but also saves a lot of trouble in life. the people today are so much engrossed in the material world that they are going farther & farther from their true selves. one cant be truly happy if not in tune with oneself. moreover the numbers also add on to the stress by reminding one that they have not taken in their required quota. no one element can work independently. but again those who are comfortable with nos. may do so!!