Written By: Julia Semaan
Water is one of the only necessities of life where there is not much room for variation. Protein can be found in a variety of different forms like chicken, beans, or pork. Carbohydrates can vary in sources from fruits veggies, rice, or pasta. And fats can be consumed by incorporating oils, meats, and nuts in your diet. Water is a fundamental component of our everyday lives. We can survive several weeks without food, but only one week without water.
The amount of water we need to drink everyday changes with age. To find out how much water is the right amount for you and your dietary needs, try discussing with your physician what would work best for you. Some general recommendations by age range are:
- Kids 4-8 years old should aim for about 7 cups of water per day
- Kids 9-13 years old should aim for 9-10 cups per day
- Teens 14-18 years old should aim for 10-14 cups of water per day
- Adult women should aim for about 12 cups per day
- Adult men should aim for 15 cups per day
But what does that really mean? 15 cups of water can mean very different things in different households. 15 cups is equivalent to 120 ounces, 3.5 liters, or almost 1 gallon. This means that an adult male should aim to drink seven and a half 16 oz. water bottles, or 1 milk jug filled with water per day. For women, this would mean 96 o.z of water per day, which is 6 plastic water bottles or 2.8 liters.
This may seem like a lot especially if water isn’t your favorite drink, but there are ways to add flavor to a seemingly flavorless beverage. If water isn’t your favorite drink, and lemon water is getting boring, here are some other options to help you increase your intake!
- Add Fruit! Fruit is a great way to sweeten up your water and give a hint of flavor. Some options could be oranges, strawberries, blueberries, watermelon, raspberries, kiwi, pineapple, grapefruit, apples, pears, pomegranate, or any other fruit that you would like to try.
- Add Veggies and Herbs! They’ll give you a change of taste from fruit and still provide more flavor than just plain water. Some options being cucumber, mint, lime, parsley, celery, ginger, and basil.
What is the best method for infusing your water? Whatever works best in your household. Whether that be pouring yourself a glass and popping a few blueberries in your cup, or cutting up cucumber and putting them in your water bottle overnight, the best method is whatever works to get you drinking more water.
The amount of water that you need in a day is not likely to change, so it is important that you take the right steps in order to help your body and your mind.
References
https://www.eatright.org/food/nutrition/healthy-eating/how-much-water-do-you-need