I've taken to investigating my patient's water consumption more closely of late. With all the information that we get bombarded with that we aren't drinking enough water, that water consumption is the key to weight loss, clear skin, better sleep ... better sex ... and the ability to have more money in the bank, (All right, that last one was me exaggerating) it's no wonder that we are creating a water-logged population. The truth is... in appropriate doses, all of the above is true. Consuming the right amount of water is a good habit.

Question: Do you count vegetables, fruit, grains and cooked beans when you calculate your water consumption? Guess what percentage of a grape is water? Answer:  80% !  How about those 2 glasses of wine you had at dinner? Most glaringly, did your consider the soup you had for lunch when you counted?

Guess what percentage of soup is just plain ol' water?  Answer: 90%! Unless you consume a lot of salt, or exercise more than the average person, I'm going to go against the grain and wonder whether you need any extra water at all!

The filtration system that exists in your kidneys is composed in part by a series of specialized capillary beds called glomeruli. Besides having to filter waste products from the food that we metabolize, prescription drugs, and dead cells from our blood, our kidneys are forced to handle any excess liquid that we choose to intake.

Your glomeruli can, and will, be drowned by forcing excess fluids through your system, and the sad thing is you won't even know it. There are no obvious symptoms that indicate whether you are consuming too much water.

Ingesting more water than you need, can increase your total blood volume. Since your blood volume exists within a closed system - your circulatory system - needlessly increasing your blood volume on a regular basis puts unnecessary burden on your heart and blood vessels. This also imbalances the electrolytes in your blood, seeping water into your cells and causing them to swell.

Where we go wrong is thinking that if 8 glasses is recommended, then 10-16 glasses must better. This is the American logic: Bigger is better . . . Work hard . . . and then harder if you want to be the best. 

Instead I want to suggest that you pay attention to your body's needs, that you simply notice whether you're thirsty or not  . . . and stop listening to some external advise or number that some expert claims is "right", and most likely does not relate to you at all.

You pretty much have to rely on your own good judgment. You have to pay attention! The sooner we realize that each body is different from the other, and that each of us needs different food, exercise, rest etc. the healthier we will all be.

Try it, and post any results you feel relate to this conversation. Good or Bad.