Drink Less Water?
Dear Mark,
I always hear that I should be drinking eight glasses of water a day, but it takes a lot of unnatural effort to get close to that. Is it just me? What’s your take on the water rule?
Best,
Jaime
As you know by now, my job is to question Conventional Wisdom. One of the classic health paradigms I’ve always had a problem with is the blanket recommendation by the general health community that we all should be consuming copious amounts of water. It just doesn’t make sense to me and it never has. Face it, Grok did NOT walk around with a canteen or an Evian bottle affixed to his loincloth. He and the Grok family thought Nalgene was the name of the tribe across the valley and they never owned a sippy cup with which to gulp down mass quantities of H20. Day after day it was a drop here and a mouthful there – if a source of water other than a dewy leaf was even available. Since Grok and his cadre probably didn’t spend too much time hanging around the water hole. (All those predators you know…) 8 glasses of water a day is unlikely a physiological necessity, not to mention an evolutionarily relevant model. Grok obtained most of his water directly from the food he ate, and I believe that we probably should, too.
I don’t get thirsty very often. I rarely drink so much as a single glass of water during my normal daily routine. When I was a runner, and later as a triathlete, I would go out for long runs or rides without much water – if any at all. Sure I’d drink a bit to recover lost sweat when I returned home, but if I was riding for less than two hours, or unless it was unusually hot, I didn’t even put a water bottle on my bike. Even today when we take a break playing Ultimate Frisbee on hot Sunday afternoons, I have to force myself to drink sometimes when I might just as easily skip the water altogether. Meanwhile, I see people at the gym with 2-gallon bottles of Arrowhead, fully intent on polishing them off before dinner, thirsty or not. So, am I flaunting conventional wisdom at my own peril? Or am I just doing what comes naturally to a Primal being?
Years ago someone put forth the idea that we all needed to drink 8 glasses of water a day. Perhaps it came from a series of studies in the 1940s after which the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine opined that the “RDA” for water should be roughly 1 ml per calorie consumed. At their recommended 2000 calories a day, that worked out to 2 liters a day, or roughly 8 eight-ounce glasses. Lost in the translation somewhere was an important caveat that much – if not most – of the water we required could actually be obtained from the foods we eat. In other words, it simply was not necessary to actually drink 8 glasses a day. And since the recommended diet at the time included substantial portions of water-sopping grains, maybe that initial recommendation was too high for someone eschewing grains altogether. (On a related note people will tend to drink more if the beverage is flavored. And, guess, what: carbohydrates (particularly sweet tastes) encourage increased fluid intake. So, it’s useful to ask if the hankering is real thirst or a flavor related craving.)
Nevertheless, over the years, this hydration mandate has become burned into the health consciousness of most people. It appears that nearly every health guru (except yours truly) hammers on this point. Food doesn’t seem to count at all anymore. Eight means eight. And forget including coffee, tea, soft drinks or beer because Conventional Wisdom says that these are diuretics and therefore only increase your requirement for pure water. Of course, that’s wrong, because coffee, tea, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages do actually add to water intake rather than detract from it. Alcohol and caffeine only become significantly diuretic in very large and otherwise dangerous amounts. But I really wonder if all that extra water – however you take it in – is necessary or even healthy if you are already consuming lots of vegetables and other healthy Primal Blueprint food. The average person is said to obtain 20% of his/her water from foods throughout the day. If the bulk of your diet is vegetables and fruit, this percentage is assuredly higher.
Contrary to what your neighbor might advise you, there is no evidence that drinking eight or more glasses prevents constipation, kidney stones, bladder cancer, urinary tract infections or that it guarantees you’ll have clear skin and a toxic-free liver. Yet these are often cited as the main reasons to drink so much. And forget the so-called hyper-hydration properties of “clustered water,” “ionized super waters,” “penta-water” and the rest of the scam-waters, about which I have blogged in past posts. Water is water is water.
On the other hand, there are some possible health consequences of overdoing this hydration thing. Chronic over-consumption of water can cause the relative concentration of important electrolytes in the blood to drop, a condition called hyponatremia (Wikipedia), which in turn forces water out of the bloodstream and into cells, causing them to swell. Not a big deal for a muscle cell, but catastrophic when it’s a brain cell and there’s no extra space to expand into. Each year we read about people in endurance contests who sweat profusely, overcompensate by replacing the water but not the salts and wind up with cerebral edema. Last year a woman died in a radio-sponsored “water drinking contest,” drinking only about two gallons in a short period of time. Of course, those are extreme examples, but I do have several readers who have shared with me their intent on getting “100 ounces a day”, and I have to advise them to cut way back.
(The following contains my own personal hypotheses. I would love to see some research done in these areas. If anyone is aware of any please drop me a line.)
Conventional Wisdom suggests that drinking water with your meals is fine – even recommended. But I suspect that some heretofore undiagnosed digestive issues may arise when people drink significant amounts of water or other fluids with their meals. The digestive process starts with, and depends on, a very acidic environment in the stomach (a pH of 1 to 2 ideally). That highly acidic environment also controls the timing of when the stomach empties. When you drink lots of fluid at a meal, you are substantially diluting the stomach acid and diminishing its ability to effectively digest your food. I would guess that many cases of GERD, gas, stomach upset and other common complaints might be addressed simply by NOT drinking so much water throughout the day and refraining entirely from drinking while eating. (Except maybe a little wine, which, having a pH closer to stomach acid has been shown to aid in digestion) This might also explain why some proteins that only break down under optimum acid conditions pass into the intestines only partially digested and thus might be recognized by the immune system as “foreign invaders”, setting up some immune response that gets diagnosed as a food allergy.
Furthermore, unbeknownst to many people, the stomach is one of the first lines of defense in your immune system. Bacteria and yeast that are regularly consumed along with your food can be quickly and easily dispensed with in a very acidic stomach, preventing what might otherwise become a short term bout of food poisoning or a possible longer term GI tract infection. Dilute all your meals with water, however, and the pH rises enough to possibly allow those same bacteria to pass through to the intestines where all hell can break loose. Literally.
Even cold and flu viruses that permeate the air around us are generally rendered harmless when they reach a normally acidic stomach, (after being breathed in and drained with mucous into the stomach). Drinking a ton of water all day long just might disarm that security measure as well.
So how much water does a person need? I think this question exemplifies our tendency to over-think many aspects of our health and well-being. I’ve mentioned on a number of occasions that animals seem to get along just fine on their own instinct. Do we really think we evolved any differently? Thirst is a physiological instinct that is there for a reason. Still, the makers of this bogus rule also tell us that the thirst instinct comes “too late”: we’re already on our way to dehydration once we get to that point! This is where the paleo-perspective comes in handy. Has our “defective” thirst instinct been leading us wrong – for tens of millions of years? I think you know where I stand on this one. So if you actually feel thirsty, by all means have a drink. For anyone interested in a little history of the rule (and confirmation that thirst doesn’t signal dehydration), check this (PDF) out.
Our individual need for water depends on numerous factors. Activity level, body size, environment (humidity level and altitude, most significantly), quality of health, age, and pregnancy/breastfeeding impose the most legitimate variations. In general, we want to replace the fluids we lose in a day, and intensive activity (with its accompanying sweat) will increase the amount of fluid we need. (For prolonged, intensive exercise and/or significant water intake, it’s essential to balance salt/electrolytes with water.) The drier our climate, the more water we tend to lose, but unless you’re sitting out in the blazing sun for hours at a time, it doesn’t make a huge difference. Altitude, because of the body’s more laborious breathing, can increase our need. Those who are ill can require more, depending on their condition and any treatments they’re receiving. (People with kidney disease, kidney stones, a history of bladder cancer, or a tendency for urinary tract infections are usually advised to drink more.) Women who are pregnant or nursing definitely need to drink more. Finally, I mention age not because older men and women necessarily need more water. In fact, if they’re more sedentary, they probably need less. However, some research has shown that as we age our thirst instinct may not be quite as sharp as it used to be.
For most of us, however, we can safely rely on that brain stem of ours to tell us when it’s time to belly up to the drinking fountain.
One final word on water intake:
Bottled water is a joke. If you don’t trust your tap, get a simple Reverse Osmosis filtering system.
Thanks for your questions, and keep ‘em coming!
massdistraction, Snap®, paulbence photography, phoosh Flickr Photos (CC)
Further Reading:
Water is Water is Water. Even When It’s Scam Water.
Would Grok Chow the Cheese Plate?
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Posted By: Mark Sisson
Thirsty person here, too. I used to get horrible headaches in high school, and after some conversations with my mom, she recalled an article about drinking water and asked how much I drank during the day. I was maybe having a drink with lunch and that would be about it.
Started carrying a bottle around with me in high school and I haven’t stopped. I drink quite a bit more than average (I’d guess that I fill a 32-oz Nalgene bottle 6 or 7 times over the course of a day).
I notice a very direct cause and effect when I’m unable to drink the right amount for me – my body will feel more “tight” and “tense” (for lack of a better term) and if I go more than a few (waking) hours, I’ll get a headache. For me, headaches are an extremely rare thing because I’ve been able to identify dehydration as one trigger – and that’s very easy to deal with.
As for bottled water … it’s a rare thing for me to drink it. When I am in situations where I need to buy it, I’ll buy 1- or 2-gallon containers and fill my Nalgene from them. Cheaper and significantly less wasteful than single-serve bottles.
Damn, i have been a slave to the whole “1-2 gallons of water every day” myth since i got into bodybuilding several years ago. Any kind of bodybuilding is LONG behind me, but i still continue to chug water on a daily basis, with meals as well. Now that you mention it, i can’t help but think this might be a cause for my GERD! Im gonna try to stop drinking so much dang water and see what happens, but im pretty confident this will solve it. Great article Mark.
Love that you have the balls to say these kinds of things.
I’ve been telling my health conscious friends this for years as they accuse me of being dehydrated and of dehydrating my son because I don’t force-feed tons of water down his throat. We get plenty in our normal day drinking and foods.
I do occasionally feel thirsty..and when I do…I DRINK some water!
It’s not rocket science..I believe our bodies will tell us when they’re in need of something. (and I’ve always tended be be healthier than my water-chugging friends)
Also, good call on bottled water.
Why pay for something that’s running out your faucet…and it’s an environmental nightmare. The oil needed for the bottle and for shipping this heavy stuff is 100% waste.
I am glad you mentioned that the amount of water needed could be based on the actual foods we eat. I have often wondered if the amount of sodium in one’s diet could contribute to the need for water (or lack thereof). Back in Florida, where the humidity is so high I felt like I needed gills, I also had a very low-salt diet. I didn’t cook with it or anything. Interestingly, at that time, I HATED drinking water. Once I moved out west, with the drier air, I wanted it more. Even in Washington, where I live now, I still like water a little more than I did in Florida (but I still have a hard time with 8 glasses a day, or 1/2 oz for every pound of body weight).
I would also like to know how to replace salts after strenuous activity. My body’s air conditioning works very well (i.e. I sweat a lot) when I exercise. My endurance is higher than many people’s, but I also need to replenish. I drink water because i want to avoid those disgusting sugar-water drinks. But how do I replace potassium and other salts (without ridiculously high-carb options like bananas)?
Thanks!
Dear Mark,
I’ve been trying to research for the amount of water we should drink per day until I read your blog.
The reason for my research is that, I’m visiting one Chinese Doctor( Chinese traditional way of healing ) and the doctor let me drink one Chinese Herbal medicine and inform me that I should drink very less water in one day.
The thought of drinking less water is quite new and strange to me, cos I’ve been told from everywhere that we need to drink at least 6 to eight glasses of water per day.
Anyway, I ask the doctor for the reason of it. His answer is quite similar to your blog. He said that in our daily meals, there’s water every where. We actually don’t need to drink more water. Too much water in our system will be harmful not helpful.
He advise that we should be very careful with what we eat. In Chinese ways food are divided into two categories, the Yin and Yang. Yin is cold substance and Yang is hot substance. We should try to balance our dietary between Yin and Yang.
Today is the tenth day I am trying to practice his eating concept. I found out that I actually don’t feel too thirsty even I don’t drink water the whole day.
I have always felt this way. I drink when I am thirsty. Thanks for your point of view Mark.
Mark,
You are completely delusional in thinking that this is a healthy recommendation at any level. Whether it’s for a triathlete, a body builder, or a kid playing baseball at the neighborhood park, we all need at least this recommended intake of water…unless you are ok with being an average subspecies at any sport or whatever you do in life, best of luck.
Concerned,
James
Throughout the awesome pattern of things you actually receive an A just for effort. Where you actually lost us was first on your particulars. As it is said, the devil is in the details… And that couldn’t be more accurate at this point. Having said that, allow me inform you what exactly did give good results. The writing is incredibly powerful and that is most likely why I am making the effort to comment. I do not really make it a regular habit of doing that. Second, while I can certainly see the jumps in logic you make, I am definitely not confident of how you seem to connect your ideas which in turn make the actual conclusion. For now I shall yield to your point however hope in the future you actually link your dots much better.
Okay, I definitely see the point of both sides, those who say consume and those who say don’t consume much water. My best advice to people is to just take both sides with a grain of salt. Do everything in moderation. No one is God and knows the absolute truth about anything. Evidence is just statistical data that suggests an explanation. We as humans, just use our 5 senses to make sense of the world, but God could easily turn the tables on our “factual data.” We just have a human perception of the world. Now, I might seem contradictory because you might say “Well, your believing the Bible (the inspired word of God) to be absolute truth,” but believe me, no one wants to reckon with God. He loves us; he is also a just and fair God (he must punish us for our wrong actions) If you are doubtful about believing in God, you are better off believing in him, so you are not in a screwed up position once you die. If you believe in Jesus, God promises that your sins are forgiven if you repent. People, I apologize for changing the topic, but it is very necessary for people to hear this “good news” message.
Why do you recommend reverse osmosis water? I have heard drinking RO, DI, or distilled water can cause mineral deficiencies? Is there any truth to this?
I know we get most of the minerals and vitamins we need from food (or supplements in the modern world), but I haven’t accepted the drinking of RO water yet.
Funny… I drink filtered tap water but buy distilled water for my potted plants…
I thought drinking water helps prevent constipation
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Thanks for the article Mark.
I’ve read differing opinions on how much water we should be drinking, and also when we should drink it.
In the book Your Body’s Many Cries for Water, Dr Batmanghelidj says a glass of water 30 mins before a meal will aid in digestion, and then to drink another glass 30 mins after the meal ( http://www.watercure.com/ )
Dr Mercola, someone whos articles I’ve read for the last few years says to just drink enough for your urine to be light yellow in colour and the amount of water needed to achieve this will vary for everyone.
I’m fairly new to Paleo eating, but what you say here regarding our ancestors does make sense to me. Although when you see dogs and other animals in the wild drinking pure water I guess our hunter gatherer ancestors may not have gotten ALL their water from food alone, just the majority of it.
I go through phases of drinking more water and then I soon get bored of it. Before I started eating a more paleo type diet i always had dry mouth, I would try drinking water to fix it but that never seemed to work, and drinking more water seemed to just make me more thirsty and it was a viscous cycle. Only when i drank sweetened beverages did my dry mouth disappear.
I started drinking more water again a couple of weeks ago, what I’ve noticed is I’m more hungry soon after I drink a glass, I saw this is a good thing, stimulating my appetite and helping my digestion, but now I’m not so sure. Also I sometimes suffer from red patches of skin on my face, eating paleo has helped it, I think it might be dairy related, but I have noticed when I suddently start drinking more water the red patches come back the next day and sometimes my skin feels more dry.
Eating paleo has sometimes left me very hungry and now I wonder if it could be due to the extra water i was drinking. When i got back into increasing my water consumption several months back it made me sleepy initially, but that phase passed after a few weeks.
I also liked adding a liberal amount of unrefined sea salt to my food and think this have been another bad practice. I have adrenal issues and am hoping paelo will fix that and figured my salt craving was related to that.
Sorry for the lngthy post, now I’m going to be cutting back on the water I drink for a while to see the effects and redcuing or eliminating the amount of salt I add to my food.
Take a look at this study…(drinking less water leads to high blood sugar)
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/10/25/drinking-less-water-tied-to-high-blood-sugar/
Not sure who to believe, lol.
Anyways, I’ve started drinking 3 to 4 litres a day (while dieting – low carbs, slow carbs, I’m not sure). I’m down about 7 lbs in 3 weeks. (got about 15 – 20 to go).
I am a “thirsty person”, however I don’t drink it all the time; in the morning I guzzle half a liter, then in the afternoon I usually have a couple of glasses, and the evening I might have a glass if I am really thirsty. I drink more if I am fasting, I guess because I am not eating food with water in it? I mostly don’t think at all about it except when I get thirsty. I am trying to cut back, definitely was drinking far too much before. I sort of gauge it on how often I am going to the bathroom. :p
I really don’t think drinking water with meals is a bad idea, and I don’t really get where that idea comes from. Even if it does dilute your stomach acid, your stomach can produce more, plus the water diffuses out of your stomach- it’s not like a water balloon or something.
When I’m eating, I drink lots of water, and it’s not because I’m forcing myself to. If I tried to eat a meal and didn’t have any water, I’d frickin hate it; I’d be so thirsty!
I really don’t think this is unusual- this is why restaurants serve water at meals, and keep coming around to refill your glass. If it was BAD for you to drink water while eating, why would we have an instinctual urge to do it? It seems anti-Primal to claim that.
Also, I want to say that for me, this isn’t due to carbs. Even eating meat and veggies (no grains), I’m still thirsty.