I was introduced to the importance of drinking water by Dr. F. Batmanghelidj who discovered the consequences of dehydration while a political prisoner in Iran. The inmates persuaded him to treat them for various illnesses, including peptic ulcer. He prescribed water for sick prisoners because nothing else was available. With water alone his patients were cured of peptic ulcers and other conditions. The prisoners were not sick, they were suffering from dehydration.
The usual recommendation is to drink 50% of your body weight in ounces. If you weigh 100 pounds, that would be 50 ounces. Note that this is a rule of thumb, a place to start. You may need more or less water depending on what you eat, where you live, how much you sweat, etc. If you eat foods that are dry, you will need extra water to rehydrate them. You can use the color of your urine as a guide: too dark indicates not enough water; clear may mean too much water.
Here’s what I do now. I use distilled water which I make myself from a counter top distiller, the Pure Water Mini-Classic. I have Nalgene bottles (white, wide mouth) made of HDPE plastic that I fill each night with my water for the next day. I drink my water in several small doses throughout the day, starting first thing in the morning.
How much water do you drink?
Resources:
Your Body’s Many Cries for Water: You are not sick, you are thirsty! Don’t treat thirst with medications
by Dr. F. Batmanghelidj
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