 possibly energy expenditure.
Water from beverages and foods also takes up room in your stomach and can make you feel fuller. Foods with a high water content tend to be low in calories and often high in volume and fiber. (Think melon, apples, tomatoes and most other fruits and veggies.)
5. Improves the Appearance of Your Skin, Eyes and Hair
To make your skin glow, your eyes look brighter and your hair shinier, drink up. Dehydration can lead to bloodshot eyes, dried and lackluster skin, and brittle/weak hair.
How Much You Should Drink
How much water should you drink a day? While “eight glasses per day” has been the standard recommendation for adults for some years, the actual amount that you need depends on factors like your body size, activity level, age, diet, and how much alcohol, coffee and other drinks you consume.
Because not everyone agrees about how much water you should drink each day, here are recommendations from a few major health authorities:
- The Institute of Medicine recommends between nine and 13 cups per day for adults.
- Harvard Medical School tells us that four to six cups is a standard recommendation for generally healthy people.
- Studies conducted by the National Institutes of Health suggest between six and 10 cups per day is adequate.
Here are some tips for getting into the habit of drinking more water:
- Start your day with a big glass. Before having coffee or eating breakfast, down some water to get things moving. When you drink water in the morning you start off the right foot, giving your body H2O that it needs after a long night without anything to drink.
- Get into the habit of bringing a water bottle with you whenever you leave home, including in the car, to the office and gym, etc.
- Have a glass with each meal or afterward, as well as when you complete other tasks throughout your day, such as taking medicine or supplements. This association will help you remember to drink more water.
- All beverages containing water contribute toward your daily needs. To keep things interesting, mix it up with different types of water (see below), plus sneak more into your diet via hydrating fruits and veggies. In the U.S., it’s estimated that about 22 percent of adults’ water comes from their diets and likely even more in European countries. Some of the most water-rich foods include cantaloupe, strawberries, watermelon, lettuce, cabbage, celery, spinach, cucumbers, squash, yogurt, apples, grapes, oranges and pears.
- When drinking alcohol, take it very slow and have a glass of water between drinks (or ideally stop at one drink).
- Drink more when exercising or when spending time in hot, humid climates that make you sweat.
- If you’re sick, recovering from an illness, pregnant or breastfeeding, be sure to consume even more water since your needs will be higher.
Types of Water
There’s more than one way to drink more water and get the benefits of drinking water, which is good news if you don’t necessarily like sipping on plain, unflavored water all day.
Try these variations on plain water. They can help you to meet your daily H2O needs and enjoy the benefits of drinking water:
- Lemon water — Add a slice or two of lemon or lime to your water to increase its flavor and also make it more alkaline.
- Sparkling water — This is water combined with carbon dioxide, which makes it bubbly but doesn’t add calories or salt.
- Fruit-infused water — For added flavor but minimal calories, try water infused with fruits like watermelon, berries, oranges or even herbs like mint or lavender.
- Other hydrating beverages that offer some benefits include cold-pressed juices (made with no added sugar), herbal teas, unsweetened coconut water, bone broth and unsweetened almond/coconut/nut milks.
- Raw water is a form of water that has not been filtered, processed or treated in any way. The idea is that unprocessed water preserves many of the beneficial minerals and compounds found in H20 sourced from natural streams.
- Alkaline water is produced through a process called electrolysis, which splits the water into hydrogen and oxygen 