How much water is really good for you?

THE first word in fashionable health is staying hydrated with a recommended daily allowance of 2.5 litres of water. Want great skin, clear eyes, good digestion, bouncy hair and even bouncier energy levels? Then you’ll have to knock back eight glasses of H2O every single day.

Or will you? Where exactly does this magical water quota come from, and how can a onefits-all prescription suit all shapes, sizes and lifestyles? We spoke to three experts ready to debunk the eight-glass rule.

Fitness expert and founder of 22 Training, Dalton Wong:

“To say we all need 2.5 litres of water per day is a shot in the dark. There is, in fact, a better equation we use to work out our clients’ basic water intake requirements: that is, to take your weight in kilos, and multiply it by 0.03 for your daily quota in litres.

“Your personal quota has variables: how active are you? Are you drinking a lot of coffee, or more hydrating herbal teas? How much water-based fruit and vegetables are you eating? In my opinion, the best indicator as to whether you’re hydrated enough is still the colour of your pee; it should be strawcoloured. Any darker and you need to refuel.

“And while dehydration can affect your energy levels, and in particular how well you work out, so does drinking too much – especially if you’ve knocked back an excess immediately beforehand, leaving it all to slosh around in your stomach while you’re on the treadmill. My advice is to drink little and often, and at least 250ml an hour before exercise.”

Expert in evidence-based medicine and British Medical Journal contributor Dr Margaret McCartney:

“We have a fantastic physiological system that is much more sensitive than any onefitsquota, it’s called ‘thirst’. Drinking to quench thirst is always a good idea, but drinking on top of quenching that initial sensation has no proven benefits.”

Nutritional therapist Kalinik:

“Our body is 60% water, so I tell all my clients to drink at least 1.5 litres of water a day to keep the body functioning properly. The main obstacle is usually a lifestyle issue, as we’re almost becoming too busy to notice we’re even thirsty, until we have that classic headache – and that’s on top of the fact that we drink too much coffee, which dehydrates us.

“And it’s not remedied by chugging back two litres at the end of the day if you haven’t met your quota; too much too late keeps you up at night.

“But don’t get fixated by your water intake – if you’re eating a diet full of fruit and vegetables, and herbal tea, that all counts towards your fluid intake.” — The Daily Telegraph

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