Peter clears up the misconceptions and rules of thumb regarding the daily water requirement of an adult and gives you a guide that will guide you on how much water you should really be drinking.
A nutritionist explains how much water you really should be drinking each day and why the two-litre rule isn't a reliable measure.
Peter emphasizes that the most important finding is that the daily water requirement varies from person to person. Influencing factors are, for example, the genetic predisposition or simply the habit - if a person generally drinks a lot of water, the body gets used to it and therefore also demands more liquid. In addition to intrinsic characteristics, external factors such as temperature or physical activity also play a role in how much water the body requires. According to Peter, it is important to know that body fluids evaporate through "sweating" both in heat and during exercise. This must then be returned to the body. Accordingly, the doctor explains, there is no binding “right” amount of water per day for everyone. The need is a purely individual measure and varies depending on the person and the situation. Cold or hot drinks in warm weather?
However, Hans Peter does not leave the interview without a recommendation: According to him, a rule of thumb that can serve as a guide is that the human body needs 30 to 40 millilitres of fluid per kilogram of body weight. With the help of this guide number, everyone can roughly estimate their own fluid requirements. The recommendations for 1.5 to 2.5 litres of water per day were also based on these guideline values. However, Peter appeals that these numbers should be understood more as a rule of thumb than as a law.
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In this context, the nutritionist warns against the concern that one could suffer from dehydration: As a rule, one can rely on the body, especially in young healthy people, to signal in the form of thirst when it needs liquid. But he also emphasizes one exception: Older people often no longer felt a pronounced feeling of thirst. It is important to make sure that you drink something regularly. Unlike the energy that is absorbed through food, the body cannot actually store water. Nevertheless, the body can tolerate minor fluctuations in fluid intake: "I would like to point out that it is actually not necessary to constantly walk around with a bottle of fluid in your luggage, which has almost become the social norm today," explains the doctor in an interview.
But Peter makes a clear statement about this: Water is the best drink for humans. So if you think that sugary soft drinks, coffee or similar cover your daily fluid requirements just as efficiently, you are wrong. However, according to Peter, it is not necessary to buy expensive mineral water. The water that comes out of the pipes in Australia is supplied with sufficient minerals and is therefore just as good as the water that can be bought in the supermarket. He also emphasizes the associated environmental aspect: "Filtered tap water is not only significantly cheaper but also more environmentally friendly because it does not have to be bottled, packaged and transported". He also explains that tap water is particularly safe because it is checked for pollutants and toxins at regular intervals.
