The question of what counts as 'water' has often been asked.....

[wovenwonder]

I've heard that it is best for us to intake 1/2 of our current body weight in ounces of water --- especially during 'dieting'. I never quite understood 'why'. I found this on another message board. Please note that I don't know if all of this is 'true' or not --- but it does make alot of sense to me.

I know that I will be working harder on getting in my water for awhile ---- to see the results!

The question asked was - Can fluids that are mostly made of water such as crystal light and fruit 2-o be counted as part of your water intake for the day? The answer was NO.....

Okay, here are your reasons:

1. (the most important reason.) Water mixed with other substances takes a different metabolic pathway than pure water. The body recognizes a non-pure water as a food. It must be digested before it can be absorbed. Fluids and the substances dissolved in these drinks are not emptied from the stomach until the mixture is isotonic, the same concentration as body fluids.

Because these drinks are more concentrated than body fluids, the body actually draws water from the system into the stomach to process and dilute them. You've just ROBBED your body of fluids rather than replenishing them. Once processed, the body sends most of the fluids directly to the bladder to be excreted. That water was not used to replenish and hydrate cells as needed.

2. Many of these drink additions contain caffeine and/or phosphoric acid. Both cause a diuretic effect, and for every 16 oz of fluid consumed with 1.17 ml/mg of caffeine for example, 6 oz of needed water is wasted just to the diuretic effect.

Also know that 7.0 to 7.5 is the pH of neutral water, below it acidic, and above it base. But a cola's pH is about 2.5. That's impressively acidic. Acids actually slow the body's absorption of water (both the water in that cola, and any other pure water you drink.) So they work against you, making your body require even more water to try and "break even."

3. Many of these drinks (some sodas, Crystal Light, Kool-Aid, etc) contain citric acid (or sodium citrate.) These serve to stimulate the salivary glands, giving a temporary feeling of not being thirsty, but in reality making the problem worse.

Citric Acid causes the kidneys to excrete more fluids. You will lose more water than the drink provides, dehydrating you still further.

So... if you want to get the real benefits to staying hydrated, make your water intake plain water. And ingest it separately from meals and food as well. It's absorbed best when not overly cold, and when taken in 1 cup or less portions per 15-minute periods.

Lastly, remember one of the best reasons to get plenty of water is fat loss. Here's why: The kidneys can't function properly without enough water. When they don't work to capacity, some of their load is dumped onto the liver. One of the liver's primary functions is to metabolize stored fat into usable energy for the body. But, if the liver has to do some of the kidney's work, it can't operate at full throttle. As a result, it metabolizes less fat, more fat remains stored in the body and weight loss stops.

 

[glo]

Thanks for posting this...it does make sense. I will have to be more vigilant about my water intake.

 

[anniet]

Jody, weight watchers allows 1/2 of your daily water intake to come from other sources that do NOT include caffeine (crystal lite, decaf diet soda, juice, even milk)

I however, agree that your water should come from WATER!!!! Thanks for the explanations of how those other things react in our systems! Very interesting and helpful.

 

[dmslush]

Thanks for posting this. I don't drink ANY water (hanging my head in shame!). I keep telling myself that the other fluids that I drink are fine, of course they aren't! To drink half of my weight in ounces in water a day is going to be difficult, but I am going to start today trying to get it done!!

 

[PRINCESS VIJA]

Interesting article! thanks for posting it, I will have to try and limit my soda. Even if I am getting in all of my water, it is probably not as good because of how much soda I drink. (caffeine free diet coke)

 

[mowsie dreamer]

Thanks for posting this information, Jody. It does make a lot of sense. I wouldn't have thought about the body seeing other drinks as food and needing to process them differently. I've been using decaf tea as part of my water intake, but now I'm going to limit that and drink more "real" water.

 

[bicker]

Thanks for posting this. For all we know, what the article says could be true, but the studies just don't exist to support an assertion that the distinctions mentioned are significant. Many people do just-fine getting their hydration from sources other than pure water. There has to be an explanation for the fact that many people don't suffer from the afflictions that the article implies are destined to occur if people don't drink pure water.

 

[wovenwonder]

Bumping for those asking the water question.

 

[bicker]

Good thing you bumped this, since the first scientific studies on the subject have now been completed, and the good folks at the National Academies of Science have released the results, hopefully putting this "must be plain water to count" urban legend to bed, for good:

-------------------------------------------------------------------


Date: Feb. 11, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Report Sets Dietary Intake Levels for Water, Salt, and Potassium
To Maintain Health and Reduce Chronic Disease Risk

WASHINGTON -- The vast majority of healthy people adequately meet their daily hydration needs by letting thirst be their guide, says the newest report on nutrient recommendations from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.

. . .

"We don't offer any rule of thumb based on how many glasses of water people should drink each day because our hydration needs can be met through a variety of sources in addition to drinking water," said Lawrence Appel, chair of the panel that wrote the report and professor of medicine, epidemiology, and international health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. "While drinking water is a frequent choice for hydration, people also get water from juice, milk, coffee, tea, soda, fruits, vegetables, and other foods and beverages as well. Moreover, we concluded that on a daily basis, people get adequate amounts of water from normal drinking behavior -- consumption of beverages at meals and in other social situations -- and by letting their thirst guide them."

. . .

While concerns have been raised that caffeine has a diuretic effect, available evidence indicates that this effect may be transient, and there is no convincing evidence that caffeine leads to cumulative total body water deficits. Therefore, the panel concluded that when it comes to meeting daily hydration needs, caffeinated beverages can contribute as much as noncaffeinated options.

. . .

Dietary Reference Intakes for Water, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride, and Sulfate is available on the Internet at http://www.nap.edu.

. . .

INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
Food and Nutrition Board

 

[WDWLVR]

Thanks Jody for the reminder on how important water is. While I've been drinking a lot of it I haven't been drinking as much as I should!