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How Much Water Should You Drink Each Day?

How much water should you drink each day? Did you know that a dry mouth is the very last sign of dehydration. This means that if your mouth is dry, you’re not just thirsty - your body is telling you that you are experiencing extreme dehydration!
How much water should you drink each day? This topic is discussed constantly and before we answer how much, I think it’s important that we understand just how incredibly important water is to the body.

Water is the most important “nutrient” in the body. It makes up about 55-60% of our total body mass and is found in all tissues. You can go about eight weeks without food, but only a few days without water.

The roles of water in the body are pretty incredible.

Here’s a list of some of the important things water does to support the body:
Improves oxygen delivery to the cells
Transports nutrients
Enables cellular hydration
Cushions bones and joints
Regulates body temperature
Removes wastes and flushes toxins
Prevents tissues from sticking
Lubricates joints
Improves cell-to-cell communications
Maintains normal electrical properties of the cells
Empowers the body’s natural healing process

How much water should you drink each day? Did you know that a dry mouth is the very last sign of dehydration. This means that if your mouth is dry, you’re not just thirsty - your body is telling you that you are experiencing extreme dehydration!

As you can see, daily water consumption is essential for a healthy body.

Did you know that a dry mouth is the very last sign of dehydration? This means that if your mouth is dry, you’re not just thirsty – your body is telling you that you are experiencing extreme dehydration!

“The pains of dehydration include dyspeptic pain, rheumatoid arthritis pain, anginal pan (heart pain on walking, or even at rest), low back pain, intermittent claudication pan (leg pain on walking), migraine and hangover headaches, colitis pain and its associated constipation, and false appendicitis pain.” Dr. Batmanghelidj

So how much should we drink?

A good rule of thumb is to drink half of your body weight in ounces of water each day. So, a person weighting 150 pounds should drink at least 75 ounces of water each day. Keep in mind that alcohol, coffee, tea and caffeine-containing beverages don’t count as water.

Here’s an easy way to get in the habit of drinking more water:

  • Drink a cup of water as soon as you wake up.
  • Drink 1-2 glasses of water about 30 minutes before breakfast.
  • Drink a cup of water about 2 1/2 hours after breakfast.
  • Drink 1-2 glasses of water before lunch.
  • Drink a cup of water about 2 1/2 hours after lunch.
  • Drink 1-2 glasses of water about 30 minutes before dinner.
  • Drink a cup of water before going to bed.

A good way to tell if you’re getting enough water is to look at the color of urine. “A well-hydrated person produces colorless urine—not counting the color of vitamins or color additives in food. A comparatively dehydrated person produces yellow urine. A truly dehydrated person produces urine that is orange in color.” F Batmanghelidj, M.D.

Don’t underestimate the power of water for your health! Water is the cheapest form of medicine for a dehydrated body.

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13 Comments

  1. Michelle

    Firstly, let me say, I respect you immensely and agree with most things you have shared. (I think I've yet to disagree, or question until now.) Your cookbook was the beginning to our whole food life. And I'm so glad and thankful for people like you and resources that have helped us along this journey. Thank you!! I'm commenting here however, because for every article I've read about water consumption, I've read another countering the arguments. In all due respect, I just can't imagine drinking this much water. I think I average 30-50 oz a day, not including what comes from our food intake. (And I only drink water...no coffee, soda, or tea or anything else.) And my urine is pretty clear! (This article would say I should drink 70 oz of water.) What I'd like to know is where the seemingly arbitrary rule of thumb that we should consume half our body weight in ounces originated? I do believe it'd be easier to consume a higher amount when one's body is clearly calling for it (in working out, hot weather, etc.) But aside from this...I just can't see it. I do understand its benefits, but I feel so much better listening to my body than following a guideline that leaves me feeling water logged. So, in all honesty, do you follow this "rule of thumb" or do you rely and trust your body to commmunicate it's need? Just wanting to know sincerely & respectfully. Thank you again for your work in the cause for our health & quality of life. :)
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    • Deliciously Organic

      This advice was first given to me by my nutritionist (she's a CN), and I have followed this rule for many years. I've also read this on many medical websites. I'm also currently studying to be a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and this is also what they teach in their course. Much of what I discussed in this post can be found in the book, "Your Body's Many Cries for Water". It's a required book for the course I'm taking and honestly, I thought it was going to put me to sleep. :) But, as I read I was amazed at how little I actually knew about the importance of the right amount of daily water for the body. The book is written by an MD and has sold over a million copies. He states several times throughout the book that this concept of keeping the body fully hydrated isn't the most popular in the medical community, but that he had actually cured over 3,000 of his patients who suffered from stomach ulcers JUST by increasing their water intake. After reading his book and listening to the lectures from the NTP school, I now understand why such a large amount of water is indeed needed for the body each day.
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  5. Cyndi

    I have to say I love your blog and read it faithfully. Like the other woman who commented I disagree for the first time. Toxic filled water is pushed on Americans continually while history and modern cultures show that Americans are alone in this obsession. Many years ago as I had my health crisis then began to heal I started to drink more water. I drank the amounts you recommmed and it nearly killed me. As I became sick all over again no one knew what was wrong. Not until I found a naturopath who advised me to only drink what my wise body asked for. Within days my symptoms were gone. Water intoxication is real and the symptoms can mask dehydration. Please do some serious research on this. Thank you for all the wonderful things you share.
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    • Deliciously Organic

      To clarify, I'm not saying we should drink toxic water each day. I definitely think we should drink filtered water that is free of choline and other synthetic chemicals. I'm sorry to hear you struggled with past health issues and am glad you found the help you needed. There are many reasons why one would have issues if they drank too much water for their body, but it isn't always necessary the water itself that can cause an issue. We are all biochemically individual, so it's important to listen to your body, just as you did. This amount was what was prescribed to me by my CN, it's a common "rule" published on dozens of medical sites, and I'm currently studying to be a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and this is what they prescribe as well. I have done my research, but I understand everyone is different and might need to drink a bit less or even a bit more depending on the needs of their body.
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  6. Ivana

    This is completely not true!!! My grandparents and my parents are not drinking the amount of water you are recommending and they are perfectly healthy with no medications in their bathroom cabinets. My grandparents in their late 90s are working in the garden every day, sweating, and eating meat, wheat, eggs, etc. and are vibrant and happy. When I told them they needed to increase amount of water they were drinking, they asked me if that was a joke and we're laughing. I am going to continue to listen my body.
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  8. Leann

    I work in the health field....Urology to be specific and what Carrie shared in reference to the amount of water to take in per day is spot on. And of course one would not consume "toxic water" but filtered water. For older parents / grandparents whom are not accustomed to this amount of water per day should try to increase their intake by a glass per day until they are urinating clear to pale yellow urine and continue with that amount. Many times patients will say to me "but I am not thirsty"; the key is to not wait until you are thirsty by then you are already on the dehydrated path. Another common response is "I do not like the taste of water"; we recommend filling mason jars with fresh fruit/herbs that you like and add filtered water, store in the fridge and you have naturally flavored water. IE: watermelon & mint; lemon & lime slices; orange & tangerine slices; cucumber & lemongrass; lemon & basil; the combinations are endless...
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  9. Kimberly

    From my understanding, this is old information that has since been debunked countless times. Common sense will tell you that your body isn't too stupid to let you know when you're thirsty in time for it to matter. And of course moisture from other sources counts. If you eat lettuce, melons and cucumbers all day, you won't need to drink as much as someone who doesn't. We sure are good at trying to make things more complicated than it needs to be. There are plenty of things we should be worried about, water isn't one of them. I weigh over 200 lbs. (some excess skin after major weight loss) and there's no way that I'm drinking 25 cups of water a day. That's ludicrous. Common sense.
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