4/22/05 Show 20/20 H2O myth

Nurses General Nursing

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I have been watching tonights 20/20 on food mythis. They just debuncted the fact that we need 8 8oz glasses of water a day. Their expert says you get most of the H2O you need from the food you eat and then your body will tell you when you need more by thirst.

Do you agree or disagree? Personally I disagree. I DO think our bodies need way more water than we normally get. In my nutrition class we were taught that by the time you feel thirst you are already mildly dehydrated. I agree I think thirst is a symptom of needing more water. I can agree with what the expert said about people being different and therefore need different amounts of water. However I do think 8x8 is a good rule of thumb. I try to drink roughly that much. What say you??

I'm a coffee sipper... but I like it so dang weak others can't drink it...LOL. I figure its good for me...more water, less caffeine.

When I'm making coffee for a group, I have to make it regular/strong and dilute mine. I've had too many complaints about my 'pizzwater coffee'...hehe.

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
I drink 64 oz. cold green tea with ginseng and honey a day. By drinking green tea, cutting out Pepsi, and making no other alterations to my diet, I have lost 25 pounds in the past couple of months and my urine is running clear. I called my urologist (I too am a kidney stone survivor) and was told that this beverage was just as good as drinking water because it was made mostly of water and contained no caffeine. So, I don't necessarily believe it has to be water itself specifically, just 64 oz. of sufficient water from beverages or foods.

Congratulations on cutting out Pepsi!

Just for clarification green tea does indeed contain caffeine, I can't remember the milligrams but it does. I think about 1/4 the caffeine as coffee, not nearly the same. But green tea has a host of other benefits because of it's antioxidants, it's a worthwhile drink to add. :)

Congratulations on cutting out Pepsi!

Just for clarification green tea does indeed contain caffeine, I can't remember the milligrams but it does. I think about 1/4 the caffeine as coffee, not nearly the same. But green tea has a host of other benefits because of it's antioxidants, it's a worthwhile drink to add. :)

Ah, green tea was one of the myths that was talked about too . . . .I think the jury was out on that one because that is where I came in . .

steph

Specializes in Pediatrics.
Congratulations on cutting out Pepsi!

Just for clarification green tea does indeed contain caffeine, I can't remember the milligrams but it does. I think about 1/4 the caffeine as coffee, not nearly the same. But green tea has a host of other benefits because of it's antioxidants, it's a worthwhile drink to add. :)

:) Thanks for the clarification. We thought there was no caffeine, but a small amount is still acceptable to me. I am just happy that I am losing weight and I don't seem in danger of passing another stone in the near future. :chuckle

I think it really depends on how active you are as well. If you are doing heavy exercise you are going to need more water than if you are a couch potato. The way I look at it is, are 8 glasses of water going to hurt you? Unless you have serious retention problems and are on a fluid restriction, probably not. So why not drink the 8 glasses? Couldn't hurt.

Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatric, Behavioral Health.

Each person's body is different, but some indicators of poor hydration that has stood the test of time is skin turgor and the color of one's urine. Good skin turgor and light colored urine might be the way to go here as a personal benchmark.

There are days when I crave a big glass of ice water. If I have been doing serious cardio I can drink a bottle and a half of water in thirty seconds.

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