Diet, body size, amount of physical activities, and the amount of sleep are just a few factors that make it so difficult to make a “one fits all” recommendation of how much water one should drink a day.

Drinking water is essential to your health but you don’t get all your fluids from just water. Other drinks and food also provide plenty of essential nutrients your body need for daily activities as well as to replenish the amount of water lost each day. Fluid losses occur continuously and in many different forms such as sweating, breathing, and urine. If you don’t replace these losses, dehydration may happen when your water intake does not equal your output.

Drinking water can help maintain the balance of body fluids but it’s important to remember that other drinks such as milk, juice, and even coffee (after all it’s made from water) also count for your fluid intake. Additionally, you can add to your hydration by simply eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, reducing the amount of water you need to drink every day. Cucumbers, watermelons, melons, oranges, and many other fruits contain excellent amounts of water as well as impotent vitamins and minerals. Research suggests that about 20% of our fluid intake comes from foods. Since the human body is composed of about 60% water, the functions of these bodily fluids include digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients, and maintenance of body temperature.

Water offer many other health benefits as studies have shown that it helps energize muscles, promote healthy kidneys, support weight loss, and maintain healthy skin.