The FAQ on H20: How Much Water You Should Really Drink, According to a Certified Nutritionist
Drink eight glasses of water a day, says every New Year’s resolution list. But it’s an easy goal to fall by the wayside, especially when there are more tempting drinks available (here’s looking at you, grande iced chai with oat milk). Proper water intake is key to healthy living, and we just aren’t getting enough — nearly 80% of working Americans say they aren’t drinking enough water.
Whether you’re a serious athlete or just a recreational exerciser, hydration is the key to performance and recovery. Water helps regulate your body temperature, lubricates your joints. and delivers all the essential nutrients to your muscles when you need them the most during exercise. And without proper hydration, you can experience all kinds of unwanted symptoms such as muscle fatigue, dizziness, and cramping, and you won't be able to perform at your highest level.
We asked Denmark-based certified nutritional practitioner Sarah Britton everything we wanted to know about water — how much water you should drink every day, the best types of water bottles for your health, is all water made equal, and the final word on whether coffee counts as water intake.
How much water should you drink each day?
“We should aim to drink one to two liters a day,” says Britton. That equals two quarts of water or 64 ounces. She recommends keeping a water bottle handy to remind yourself to drink throughout the day.
“Not only is it convenient to drink, but it also helps me memorize or remember how much water I’m actually drinking. I like to choose a 17-ounce bottle or a 500-milliliter bottle, and then I can count throughout the day how many I've had. For instance, if it’s a 17-ounce bottle, I know I need three to four of those.”
For yogis, athletes, and active people, the amount of water you need goes up. For every hour of exercise you do, you need an extra quart (32 ounces or one liter) on top of that.
“Just remember that one hour of exercise equals one extra quart of water,” she says. “So if you're doing a two-hour hike for instance, you know you need to double that up.”
How to choose a water bottle
“It’s really important to get a good water bottle — not only something that’s durable, but that’s made of a really good clean material,” says Britton. She recommends choosing a water bottle made of BPA-free metal, which is nice and light for travel, hiking, and everyday use. She also loves glass, and recommends the kind with a rubber casing that can help prevent breakage.
“It’s a really good idea to know the size, something that’s realistic for you,” she says. “Something you can throw in your bag or keep in your car or at your desk. Then you're always having water nearby and you can constantly be reminded to drink.”
What kind of water is best to drink?
When it comes to the different types of water to drink, there are several options available — but not all water is created equal.
“I like to recommend filtered or pure spring water to most people. You can also get a filter for your tap at home,” says Britton. “I never recommend drinking tap water. Especially in America, the water’s been chlorinated and has fluoride added to it, and these are two things we don't want in our body. Although they might be touted as being really clean, natural pure spring water that's been filtered is the best.”
Britton only recommends distilled water for those doing a cleanse or detoxification program. “Distilled water has had everything taken out of it, including all the trace minerals that are essential for our body’s function. Distilled water is great when we’re cleansing, but not on a daily basis. Stick to the pure spring water if possible.”
Do tea and coffee count as water intake?
In short: no. “Water is not tea, it’s not coffee, and it’s certainly not alcohol,” says Britton. “Even though these things contain water and most of them are made with water, the information that we’re giving to ourselves is not water at all. We need pure, unadulterated water in order to hydrate ourselves the best that we can.”
To make water taste better, Britton suggests adding a bit of lemon juice to your water, a sprig of mint, or a piece of cucumber. But try to stick to plain water as much as possible.
“Adding things like a lot of ginger or sweeteners like honey don't actually give us the deep hydration that we really crave. But a little squeeze of lemon here and there is fine.”
ABOUT SARAH BRITTON
Sarah Britton (BFA, CNP) is a Holistic Nutritionist and Certified Nutritional Practitioner based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Sarah is the creative force behind My New Roots, the award-winning food blog which features original recipes that taste great, look beautiful and boast incredible health benefits. Following her philosophy of “making healthy choices every day” she has been creating recipes for her readers all over the world since 2007.
Winner of the 2014 Saveur “Best Food Blog – Special Diets Blog” Awards, Sarah currently teaches cooking classes, runs workshops on detoxification and cleansing, food as medicine, and nutrition fundamentals. She creates exclusive menu plans and recipes for various media and gives lectures and speaks in public forums such as TEDx.
Winner of the 2014 Saveur “Best Food Blog – Special Diets Blog” Awards, Sarah currently teaches cooking classes, runs workshops on detoxification and cleansing, food as medicine, and nutrition fundamentals. She creates exclusive menu plans and recipes for various media and gives lectures and speaks in public forums such as TEDx.