You don’t have to drink so much water…!!!

....I remember as a child, whenever I had stomach problems or skin related problems, all that my mum used to tell me was to drink lots of water. I have read numerous articles where celebrities tell you that the secret to their clear and glowing skin is because they drink lots of water. I have also read somewhere that you should at least drink 6-8 liters of water everyday. Really???? Isn’t that too much to drink??

So, I decided to try it. To be honest, I do try out most of the things I read (yes, I’m my own guinea pig). I once ended up drinking so much water that all I ended up doing was visiting the loo too many times. That’s it… did it help me in any way?? No, is the answer.

I am a kind of person who drinks water only thrice a day (sometimes, 4 or 5 times depending on whether I’m thirsty), once after every meal I have. You need water to digest the food that you had. Trust me that is enough.

I came across this article today on the Times of India website and thought that I should share this with everyone… Below are some excerpts from it… :-

• Excessive water in your system can dilute your body fluids so much that the sodium levels become life-threateningly low.

• Due to excessive water consumption, people have died of overhydration, which goes by the name of Exercise-Associated Hyponatraemia (EAH). In simple terms, it means that you have drunk too much water and the excess has diluted your body fluids so much that the sodium levels have become life-threateningly low, causing cells to swell. That includes brain cells leading to loss of consciousness, seizures and even coma and death.

• The common belief that people should drink eight glasses or two litres of water a day is a 'myth' that needs debunking, a Melbourne academic says. The new Australian recommendations suggest that an adequate daily fluid intake is about 2.8 litres for women and 3.4 litres for men.

• "If you're feeling thirsty then drink by all means a beverage. It doesn't have to be water"

• Says an expert, "I'm not saying you shouldn't drink water. I'm saying the need to drink two litres of water on a regular basis is a complete myth."

• La Trobe University lecturer Spero Tsindos said "Water is important for health, however, the recommendation of eight glasses of pure water a day appears an overestimation of requirements".

• While there are some conditions that do benefit from drinking increased water, such as in people with recurrent kidney stones, other evidence for preventing disease is conflicting, says McCartney, a medical practioner in NHS.

…..I sign off here saying “drink water only when you are thirsty”…After all, only your body knows what it needs when… :)