Water - An elixir of life

How much water does the human body really need? Find out if you drink enough water.

Are you drinking enough water? Many people drink only when they are thirsty. Others stick to the recommended eight glasses of water a day. Find out here how much water your body really needs to function properly.

Water is a fundamental part of all life. Even though it does not contain many vitamins and minerals, it is still an essential component of our diet. 60 to 70 percent of the human body consist of water - and in order to function properly, this water depot needs to be filled up every day.

Water keeps your body healthy

Water ensures that nutrients are transported to our cells, and it plays an important role in digestion. Water 'lubricates' our joints, keeps our ears, nose and throat moist, and nourishes our vital organs.
Besides, water ensures that toxins are excreted from our body; it keeps our blood clean and makes our skin soft and supple.
Water is thus a true miracle therapy! In order to keep our body in great shape, we need to drink plenty of water every day. But which is the right amount? How can we calculate it? How much water should we drink daily?
Many people drink only when they are thirsty. Others stick to the recommended eight glasses of water a day. The exact amount of water you should drink every day depends, of course, on several factors: age, weight, lifestyle, etc.

Calculate your water need

A proven method to calculate the personal water need is based on the individual body weight:

Divide your weight in pounds (1 kg = 2.2 pounds) by two and multiply the value by the number 0.03. The result equals the number of litres of water you should drink every day.

For example:

You weight is 60 kg.

That's 132 pounds (60 x 2.2 = 132)

Now divide the result by 2:

132/2 = 66

This number is then multiplied by 0.03:

66 x 0.03 = 1.98

So if you weigh 60 kg, you must drink at least 1.98 litres of water every day. This is your personal basic need, to keep your body healthy.

Your Body's Many Cries for Water

Water: For Health, for Healing, for Life: You're Not Sick...

Other factors

There are of course many other factors that must be included in calculating your personal water need.

Physical effort: If you play sports or are exposed to physical strain at home or at work, then you should drink an additional 30 ml of water for every 20 minutes of exercise or physical labour.

Alcohol: For every alcoholic drink you consume, you should always drink the same amount of water.

Air travel: You should drink 25 ml of water for every hour in flight.

Climate: If you live in a dry climate (or during a holiday in a dry climate), every day you should drink an extra half litre of water.

Pregnancy and lactation: During pregnancy, you should drink an additional 30 ml of water every day. Before each feeding, you should drink 25 ml of water.