How much water do you need to stay healthy? (2024)

FAQs

How much water do you need to stay healthy? ›

About 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men. About 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women.

Adults. The current IOM recommendation for people ages 19 and older is around 131 ounces for men and 95 ounces for women. This refers to your overall fluid intake per day, including anything you eat or drink that contains water, like fruits or vegetables. Of this total, men should get around 13 cups from beverages.

Drinking a gallon of water a day is usually safe for most, but drinking too much water can be risky for those with certain health conditions like kidney disorders or heart problems, says Ellen Landes, RDN, CPT, a registered dietician based in St. Charles, Illinois, and owner of The Runner's Dietitian.

Women should have about 2 litres (8 cups) of fluids a day, and men about 2.6 litres (10 cups). People who are pregnant or breastfeeding need more fluid each day than usual. Dehydration can happen when the body's fluids are low. It can be life threatening, especially to babies, children and the elderly.

Weight-based Water Intake

Some people may need less, while others need far more. The general rule is to drink one ounce of water for every two pounds of body weight. All you have to do is weigh yourself, then divide the number of pounds by two to figure out your needed water intake.

In general, it is safe to drink 100 ounces of water per day, but it is important to listen to your body and adjust your water intake as required. Drinking too much water can lead to a condition called hyponatremia, which occurs when the level of sodium in the blood is too low.

With insufficient fluid intake, the kidneys struggle to remove waste from the blood, and wastes that should have been expelled via urine continue to circulate throughout the body. As a result, waste products can accumulate in the joints, blood vessels, tissues and organs.

Here is one more reason to enjoy that morning cup of joe: “Coffee counts toward your daily water intake,” says Lauren DeWolf, MS, RD, a registered dietitian with Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Centers. The water in coffee, tea and other caffeinated beverages helps us meet our daily fluid needs.

Water aids the digestive system, helps prevent constipation, flushes toxins from the body, promotes good kidney function, keeps your joints and muscles lubricated, supports healthier and younger-looking skin, and helps regulate body temperature.

You can have large amounts of water at least an hour before and after meal times but not during the meals. Having too much water near your meal times can dilute the digestive acids and mess up the proper digestion of foods. If you must drink then you can take a sip or two at most during your meals.

How much water should I drink to lose belly fat? ›

Hydration is key for many factors involved in weight loss, including digestion and muscle function. To stay hydrated, females need around 9 cups of water per day and males need around 13 cups. Drinking adequate water may help people lose weight.

Water can be a helpful part of a weight loss journey. It's 100% calorie-free, may help you burn more calories, and may even suppress your appetite if consumed before meals. The benefits are even greater when you replace sugary beverages with water. It can be a simple way to reduce sugar and calorie intake.

A: It's easy to determine how much water you should drink based on your weight. A good rule is to drink somewhere between half an ounce and an ounce of water for every pound of body weight. That means that a 200-pound person should drink about 100 to 200 ounces of water a day.

Drinking water can help burn calories and reduce hunger cravings. Replacing sugary drinks with water can also lower caloric and sugar intake. But there isn't enough evidence that water itself can help you lose weight. For a long time, drinking water has been thought to help with weight loss.

MYTH: Everyone should drink 8 glasses of water a day.

While drinking 8 glasses (64 ounces / 2 liters) is an easy goal to remember and can certainly be reasonable for some, many factors affect individual hydration needs.

“Aim to drink half an ounce for every pound of body weight,” she says. “In other words, divide what you weigh in half and aim to consume that many overall ounces of water daily from a variety of sources.” For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, aim to drink 75 ounces of water a day, which is around nine cups per day.