The question: Is drinking large amounts of water at once the best way to stay hydrated?
Our sources are: Cleveland Clinic and David Niemann, professor of Public Health at Appalachian State University, as quoted in Time Magazine.
Are you one of those people who likes to drink a lot of water during the day? If you wait until you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated. So the trick is not to get thirsty.
But if you guzzle a bunch on an empty stomach, in order to urinate clear and rid your body of toxins, sorry to say you're only getting rid of what you just drank.
Cleveland Clinic put together a color guide of what you should look for. Clear means too much water and you might want to cut back. Pale or transparent yellow is the healthy goal you want. The darker it gets, the more behind you are getting on your hydration. But don't rush to catch up, instead sip slow and steady throughout the day, preferrably with a little food.
So is drinking large amounts of water at once the best way to stay hydrated?
The answer is no. Sip water throughout the day so you don't overload your kidneys. Make sure you're drinking water with food, not on an empty stomach. Otherwise, you're just going to flush away the benefits.
A good rule of thumb as far as how much water you should be drinking is to divide your weight in half and drink that amount of ounces throughout the day. The National Academy of Medicine recommends at least 91 ounces a day for women and 125 for men.
While water is the cheapest and easiest source, water vegetables, broth, milk, juice and fruit can add to your hydration levels.