How much water should you drink per day?
The answer to the question ‘How much water should I drink per day?’ is neither simple nor straightforward. While the common response would be ‘eight 250ml glasses’, in reality the need for water varies from person to person, based on factors such as gender, age, activity level, health, diet.
For example, the recommended average water consumption of about two litres per day may be insufficient if you are:
Pregnant
Breastfeeding
or if you:
Exercise strenuously
Sweat excessively
Live in a hot, humid climate
Have fever, diarrhoea or vomiting
Suffer from kidney disease
Some experts say the best way to determine your water need is simply to listen to your body and drink water when you are thirsty. Also, a more visual way to tell if you’re drinking enough fluid is to examine the colour of your urine – if it is light yellow/colourless, you are meeting your body’s needs. If your pee is a darker shade of yellow or brown, you need more water.
The recommended daily water intake for children
Typically, men need more water than women and adolescents need more than children. Singapore’s Health Promotion Board recommends the following average daily water consumption for children and adolescents:
Age Glasses of water (1 = 250ml)
1-2 1-3
3-6 3-5
7-12 6-8
13-18 8-10
Fruits, vegetables and fluids can help meet your water need
If you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, your need for water may be reduced because of the high proportion of water they contain. For example, strawberries and watermelons are about 90 per cent water.
Milk, juice, soup, tea, coffee, beer also contain water. In fact, the food and beverages you consume can meet up to 20 per cent of your daily water needs. But, since many beverages are high in sugar and calories, water is the recommended thirst-quencher.
As your kidneys can only eliminate about 800-1000 ml of liquids per hour, beware of drinking too much water at one go, though, as in rare cases this could adversely affect your sodium level, causing swelling and headache, among other symptoms.