Why I Don’t Drink More Than 8 Glasses Of Water A Day Anymore

MAKE SURE YOU DRINK 8 GLASSES OF WATER A DAY!

It makes your skin glow, you will have more energy, it helps flush out toxins, your headaches will stop…and of course, it’s great for weight management!

Teenage me did just that, some days I even drank 10 glasses! But…my skin wasn’t glowing (teenage acne was a bane) and I don’t remember it eliminating any extra toxins. But who was I to question the many authorities that claimed otherwise. Maybe I still wasn’t drinking enough water.

I never thought to debate this rule, and pushed myself to guzzle as much water as possible, sometimes with some added lemon or cucumber slices. I couldn’t see or feel any significant changes despite the buckets of water I was consuming. However, I thought it best to do as I was told.

Without understanding my body better, I didn’t feel equipped to question this theory. It was many years later, when I embarked on my personal wellness journey, that I gradually uncovered my answer. Let me share it with you.

I want to start by asking isn’t it strange to have guidelines on how much water we need to drink in a day? Shouldn’t a basic human requirement be driven by intuition? By how thirsty we are. Each one of us leads very different lives, consumes very different foods (especially cross country), and lives in very different conditions: weather, financially, and even the nature of work.

So how can 8 glasses of water work for everyone…even as a rough guideline? 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not disputing the importance of hydration, it is essential. However, I don’t believe it needs to be limited to water.

When discussing hydration, the real protagonist is ‘electrolytes’: minerals that carry an electrical charge when dissolved in water. So, by definition, it seems water is just the carrier, or, at best, the catalyst. 

That begs the question

What is a better source of hydration?

One that contains more than just water, something that is charged. The good news is there are many options to choose from, such as fruits, coconut water, vegetables, and vegetable juices, and they aren’t all necessarily liquid in form. Overall, a well-balanced, nutritionally dense diet will naturally ensure your machine is well “oiled”. Now, this definitely made more sense to me than competing with myself day on day on how much water I have drunk.

I no longer go through my day mindlessly chugging water, trying to hit the 8 glasses or 1-litre milestone.

• I drink it mindfully; when I exercise, I naturally feel thirstier so drink more water.

• After a workout, I rely on my trusted coconut water to truly satiate my thirst (read electrolytes here, as that is what we lose when we work out), before eating more fruits.
• If I know I’m going to be out in the sun I will ensure I load up on vegetable juice before heading out.

• I will take a bottle of water with some soaked sweet basil seeds (aka as sabja seeds) to sip on (not gulp). This adds to the mineral content and keeps you better hydrated.

Not only did these minor changes help me stay more hydrated, but those recurring headaches weren’t as frequent and my energy levels increased.

Whole, natural foods very rarely only tick one box- they provide nourishment for the whole body, and hydration is always one of the many boxes it ticks.

Why don’t you try including more water-based foods in your diet to see if that helps quench your thirst while providing more support to your body overall?