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SHUTTERSTOCK
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HEALTH
Do I really need to drink eight
glasses of water every day to
be hydrated?
The Institutes of Medicine recommends about
nine cups of total beverages a day for women,
and about 13 cups for men. So if you're looking
for a hard number to hang your hat on, the old
adage about drinking at least eight glasses of
water every day will likely get you there.
But keep in mind that all of these numbers are
just guidelines, says Penn State sports nutrition
director Kristine Clark. The best way to know if
you're staying adequately hydrated is to make
sure your urine is clear to lemon yellow.
The real truth
about how much water
you should drink
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Can't I just drink when
I'm thirsty?
Thirst is not an especially reliable indicator
of whether your body is hydrated enough, so
don't wait for a dry, sticky mouth to tell you that
you need fuids. Stay ahead of your thirst by
drinking regularly during the day.
Does it have to be water, or can
I drink other beverages instead?
Fluids whose No. 1 ingredient is water, such
as coffee, tea, juice, milk, soda and soups,
will all contribute to your overall fuid intake,
says Clark. The fuids in fruits and vegetables
you eat count too.
"But the general population would probably
do themselves a favor by drinking more water
[rather than other beverages]," says Clark. "Diet
soda [for example] has myriad additives and
chemicals, and you may not need the [extra]
calories in fruit juices or drinks."
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What about caffeinated drinks —
won't they dehydrate me instead?
Not unless you're consuming excessive amounts,
such as starting the morning with an entire pot of
coffee or pounding down high-caffeine energy
drinks all day. If you're drinking caffeinated
beverages in normal amounts, your body will
still retain most of the water from them.
Why does being hydrated
matter anyway?
"[Consuming] adequate fuids, along with
a high-fber diet, keeps your intestinal tract
operating at its peak performance," says Clark.
"And since the gut is probably the main infuence on your total functional health, you want
to have a highly effcient gut."
To send a health question to "Sharing Health Secrets," please e-mail
plawrence@spiritofwomen.com or write to Sharing Health Secrets, Spirit
of Women, 2424 North Federal Highway, Suite 100, Boca Raton, FL 33431.
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