I've Been Saying This For Years

This often comes up, that you need to drink six, eight, or more glasses of water every day. Every time I hear it I ask from where the suggestion comes. "Studies show...". Okay, what studies? Where is it?

I've looked at Culligan brochures... they mention no study. In fact, whenever I see mail from a company that provides water I cannot find any link, any source, and sited information that confirms that you need to drink 64 ounces of water daily.

I usually tell folks to visit Snopes. Now, Yahoo News has this little feature story:

"There is no medical evidence to suggest that you need that much water," said Dr. Rachel Vreeman, a pediatrics research fellow at the university and co-author of the journal article. Vreeman thinks this myth can be traced back to a 1945 recommendation from the Nutrition Council that a person consume the equivalent of 8 glasses (64 ounces) of fluid a day. Over the years, "fluid" turned to water. But fruits and vegetables, plus coffee and other liquids, count.

So, when should you drink? When you are thirsty, or when you want to drink.

That ain't rocket science.

"But my skin is so dry!" Fine, drink some water if you like, but perhaps you should also use some lotion, take a shower, go for a swim, or use a gentle soap.

Now, if you decide to have a vodka sour, a vodka tonic, a vodka gimlet, or a screwdriver with freshly squeezed orange juice make sure you give me a call first.