How Much Water Should We Actually Be Drinking?

You know the saying “Too much of a good thing, turns into a bad thing”?

Well, that surprisingly also goes for drinking water.

Experts say our obsession with carrying reusable water bottles wherever we go (I’m guilty) might be causing us to drink more water than our bodies actually need.

How much do we need then? Haven’t we always been taught it’s no less than 2 liters per day?

Apparently, this 2-liter rule isn’t actually backed by scientific findings. What?

Then where did the rule come from?

According to Business Insider, it most likely comes from the misinterpretations of two pieces of guidance – both from decades ago.

In 1945 the US Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council advised adults to consume one milliliter of liquid for every recommended calorie of food, which equates to two liters for women on a 2,000-calorie diet and two-and-a-half for men eating 2,500 calories. Not just water, that included most types of drinks – as well as fruits and vegetables, which can contain up to 98% water.

Ah ha… makes sense. I guess.

But so, how much water should we then actually be drinking?

1.5 to 1.8 liters, according to the latest research.

And we should also keep in mind the temperature of where we live, as well as our activity levels.

Those who live in hot and humid environments and at high altitudes, as well as athletes, and pregnant and breastfeeding women, need to drink more water than others, experts say.