This story starts a long time ago, in a small town where families had dozens of kids. Her name was Monique, and she was a bright eyed bushy tailed girl, who liked to draw horses and sometimes people too.
Monique liked to dance, and she hid stacks of love letters under her mattress. As she grew older, she did what most young girls do. She settled down and got married. Then Monique started a family of her own.
Somewhere along the way she stopped being a bright eyed bushy tailed girl. Not that she wasn’t happy, because clearly she was. She had all that a woman could hope for, and she was content.
But somewhere along the way, she stopped doing the things that had kept her healthy and shiny-eyed.
She stopped drinking water.
As Monique grew older, she watched her children move out on their own and start families. She even taught some of her grand children how to draw horses and sometimes people too.
When one of her bright eyed bushy tailed grand daughters asked Monique why she didn’t drink water, she replied: “Because I don’t want to go to the bathroom too often.”
How Much Water Really Affects Us…
We all think that wrinkles are normal, and that it’s age that makes us sick and weak. But what if it was just a matter of keeping your body fully hydrated?
Monique was my grand mother. She passed away when I was a young girl, suffering from bladder and kidney issues and later on cancer.
I’m sure there were other contributing factors, but from my research and experience I know that drinking more water could have helped keep her healthy longer.
How Much Water Should You Drink a Day?
We’ve all heard something about drinking 8 eight ounce glasses per day. But the amount of water you drink should really depend on the individual, as well as your lifestyle.
If you exercise and sweat a lot, then you would need to drink more water. Also, it’s important to note that drinking liquids other than water are not a good substitute.
Even changing the amount of minerals the water contains can change how your body absorbs it. So think twice before drinking anything other than pure water, and counting it toward your total.
My recommendation for figuring out how much water you need to drink in a day, is to look at the color of your pee.
Yes, it might seem silly, but it’s a great way to get immediate feedback on how dehydrated your body is. If your pee is dark or yellow, then you aren’t drinking enough water. It’s only once your pee is clear that you know you’re getting enough water.
Notice that most mornings your pee is dark, whereas throughout the day it is more clear. That’s because our bodies get dehydrated during the night from exhaling, sweating, and because we aren’t drinking any water during the night.
Should You Drink Less Water if You’re Eating Raw?
Recently, I was talking to a client about green smoothies and he mentioned that he had to go to the bathroom more often after drinking a smoothie. Since green smoothies are high in fiber, that made sense to me but he was more worried about having to pee more often.
A lightbulb went on in my head, since I had heard the whole “I don’t want to pee too often” excuse somewhere before.
The truth is that high water content fruits and vegetables are good for you. They help flush out toxins in your body, and they keep you hydrated with the most purely filtrated water available – from plants!
I recommend you use the same strategy of looking at your pee to determine if you’re drinking enough water.
How Much is Too Much Water?
With every recommendation there’s always a caveat, and this one is the possibility of drinking too much water. I remember hearing about a case where people drank so much water while fasting that they experienced major problems, and some even died.
Clearly, it’s a case for listening to your body. If your pee is clear, then don’t try to force yourself to drink too much extra water. Just to be on the safe side.
And remember that going to the bathroom often is not a bad thing! If you are worried about an elderly person, why not bring a bedside commode for them to use, so they can get the health benefits of drinking enough water.
Tricks to Keep Hydrated
If you really don’t like the taste of water, try adding a slice of fresh ginger, or cucumber, or a lemon or lime. This adds flavor, it’s inexpensive and can make drinking water a little more enjoyable.
Another tip is to have water with you where ever you go. That means bringing a water bottle, or knowing where the water fountains are.
If you need more tips, check out the follow-up article all about how to drink more water every day!
What other tips do you have for keeping hydrated?
Share in the comments below!
November 24th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
I sometimes have to be reminded to drink water. I do best at a gallon a day – especially when I work out (4 days a week). I get sluggish and headaches when I don't drink enough (for me).
November 24th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Yes! I've definitely seen it happen, if you don't drink enough water headaches tend to happen more frequently.
Thanks for sharing you tip, I think reminders are super useful!
November 30th, 2009 at 7:03 am
Go clear pee! I've definitely found that I hardly have to drink any water at all on days where I eat 100% raw. When I eat even one big cooked meal I have to drink 1-2 quarts of water to feel good. Also make sure you drink pure water and not tap, but we all know that I think ;)
November 30th, 2009 at 8:05 am
I can definitely vouch for a similar experience. I do think it's important for people who are raw to drink water too though, although it might not be as much as for others. :)
December 5th, 2009 at 2:09 am
I get 60 grams of fiber a day from eating veggies and I'm not a vegetarian. I just like them. Unfortunately, I eat pee too much because of that. Since eating veggies is the purest way to get your water, I never get thirsty; thus, I do not drink water, unless I need to swallow a pill. I need a way to cut down on peeing and it is always clear. Can't find anthing on the internet regarding this. I did see that exercise and a high protein diet makes you pee more. I do both but I wonder if that advice is correct.
December 5th, 2009 at 2:11 am
Sorry about the mistake in there. “I PEE TOO MUCH”. Not “I eat pee too much”. It's early in the morning.
December 5th, 2009 at 9:02 am
Don't worry, I edited your comment so it's been fixed. :)
December 5th, 2009 at 9:10 am
Hmm… I'm not sure about ways to cut down on peeing so often. I always saw it as a good thing to go to the bathroom often. One thing that came to mind was how much sea salt you eat? Salt is useful for balancing the saline levels in your body, and in your case might help with keep some water.
That being said, I can see how eating a lot of animal protein could also impact how often you pee. You are essentially releasing some of those purines through your urine.
I'm not really an expert when it comes to peeing too often and the major causes, but give the sea salt (not iodized table salt) a try and see how it goes. (Or if you already eat a lot of salt, take it out.) Experimentation is your friend.
December 5th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Thanks for replying Nathalie! I don't eat salt of any kind. I do not eat processed foods or fast foods. Any protein I have is salmon (4 times a week), tuna (2 times a week), and chicken (1 time a week). How is this protein packaged before I eat it? I buy those tear open packets and pour the product into a fine collander, and then rinse them well to get the salt out. My sodium intake is extremely low. Any sodium I do accidentally get is revolting to me and I have to spit it out. I walk 6-8 miles a day and have issues with having to go to the bathroom in the middle of my walks (this is the reason for this whole subject). Many times, it's “go find a tree”. Thanlfully, the police have never observed me. I would probably have to explain myself if they did. I eat, on average, 2 slices of whole grain bread (the first ingredient is Whole wheat flour) per day. The bread is for the salmon, tuna, and chicken. I'll also add a slice of Yarlsburg Lite cheese too to add some protein. The cheese is kind of low sodium but is spread out over the entire piece of bread, so I don't taste the salt too much. I also eat an apple, orange, and some other fruit after all of my walks (which are in the mornings). So I can't just add certain foods to my diet. Adding sodium is a difficult task for me. I did notice that if I “fast” the day before a walk, I don't have to pee during my walks. Obviously, it's obvious why… But I do need to eat, right?
December 5th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
I'm sorry but I don't think I can help with your issue. I would recommend you to move toward a raw food diet, since that's what I talk about here on the site… but beyond that I don't think I can really recommend anything.
Good luck solving your issue!
December 6th, 2009 at 2:26 am
Thanks for trying Nathalie. The issue stated when I found this site talking about how much water to dirink. I don't drink any water and have a problem with going to much. I guess I was just letting folks know of the opposite problem. Have a great day!
December 6th, 2009 at 2:28 am
Again, it's too early. The sentence should have stated: “The issue STARTED”, and I put the post in the wrong place. I'm going for a long walk….
December 6th, 2009 at 10:26 am
Thanks for trying Nathalie. The issue stated when I found this site talking about how much water to dirink. I don't drink any water and have a problem with going to much. I guess I was just letting folks know of the opposite problem. Have a great day!
December 6th, 2009 at 10:28 am
Again, it's too early. The sentence should have stated: “The issue STARTED”, and I put the post in the wrong place. I'm going for a long walk….