Water you can chew
Most people need to take in about two or three liters of water a day to replace what is lost through sweating, breathing, and elimination. (Those who engage in strenuous exercise, eat a high protein diet, and/or spend a lot of time in hot or dry environnments or at high altitudes usually need significantly more.)
But did you realize that food can be a significant source of fluids? In fact, you can meet anywhere from 25% to 60% of your fluid needs without drinking a single drop.
Foods that are especially high in water include:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Juices
- Soups
- Dairy products such as milk and yogurt
- Eggs (especially egg whites)
You might also be surprised to learn that even grains, seafood, legumes and poultry are significant sources of water: All are at least 75% water.
Foods with a high percentage of water are also good foods for weight control because they help you feel more satisfied on fewer calories.
To find the water content of foods here on Nutrition Data, scroll to the bottom of any nutrition facts page and look for the section labeled "Other." Hint: If you select a 100-gram serving size of the food, the water content in grams equals the percentage of water in that food. For example, a 100-gram serving of zucchini contains 95 grams of water, meaning that the squash is 95% water.
You can also use Nutrition Data to calculate the amount of water your diet provides. Enter everything you eat in a single day (including water and other beverages) using ND's diet tracking tools. You can either save your day's intake as a recipe or add it to your running total. Either way, the analysis page will show you the total water content of your diet.
For example, this sample meal plan contains over 1.3 liters of water...and that's before you've drunk a drop! (1000mg of water equals one liter).
Water requirements vary so greatly that the USDA has not established a recommended daily allowance. If you are urinating several times a day and your urine is pale in color, you are probably getting enough fluids.
Many thanks to Colby Golder for her research assistance with this post.
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Posted by: EGGIE! | Aug 25, 2008 12:15:29 PM
I'm a vegetarian and believe it or not, I once went a whole month without drinking a drop of water. This is so true. I saved a lot of money on bottled water (but I spend a lot on Produce).
Posted by: Joan | Aug 25, 2008 1:45:07 PM
This explains why hunger pains are most often a call for water.
Posted by: Salina | Aug 26, 2008 8:43:51 PM
There's that oft-toted "8 glasses of water a day". Do you think that is intended as a bare minimum or is it meant to be in addition to the water you get from food?
I.e. if you don't get 2L from your food, you should make up the difference or, in the above sample meal plan you should also drink 8-8 fl oz glasses of water and total 3.3L of water that day?
Monica's response: 2 liters a day is a minimum but 3 or 3.5 liters a day is probably optimal (more if it's very hot, dry, or you're working out hard.) The point is, you can count the water in your food toward that total. If you're diet supplies a liter and a half of water, then drinking 2 glasses of water a day gets you to the 2 liter mininum. Six glasses a day takes you to 3 liters. You might also enjoy listening to this podcast that I recorded on this topic: http://nutritiondiva.quickanddirtytips.com/how-much-water-should-I-drink.aspx
Posted by: Dori | Sep 2, 2008 2:37:29 PM
May I suggest reading the book "Your Bodies Many Cries for Water" and or look on http://www.watercure.com/ to learn the true use for water in the human body. Yes food has water but it is not sufficient for metabolism nor for purifying the blood. The only time we limit water to that which is contained in food is when there are renal complications.
