Water is one of the most important molecules in the human body, but just how much water you should drink each day is not easy to determine. Almost everyone has heard that you should drink at least eight glasses of water a day to stay healthy. But according to the latest studies there is actually no scientific research confirming that you need to drink exactly eight glasses of water a day. In fact you don’t even have to drink water in particular to quench your thirst and stay hydrated. You can drink coffee, tea, soda, sports drinks, even an ice cold can of beer and still be well hydrated. Now that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t drink water at all. Fruit drinks may taste good and may contain real fruit juice but only in very small amounts. Many of these drinks are loaded with sugar. For those of us who wish to lose weight, diet soft drinks contain sugar substitutes which decrease your caloric intake but are not necessarily beneficial to your body. Coffee, tea, and soda all contain some level of caffeine.

The truth is that there is no substitute for good old fashioned H2O. It’s clean, it’s refreshing, has no sugar, no artificial colors, flavor or preservatives. So let’s look at some of the fascinating facts about water, your body, and weight loss.

It has been estimated that about 80% of our water intake comes from drinking. Although it is not official, the recommended amount of beverages, including water, needed to stay properly hydrated would be approximately 9 cups of fluid for women and 12.5 cups for men. Weather that drink is water itself or other beverages doesn’t matter. The remaining 20% comes from food. Now 20% may seem like a lot of fluid to gain from food, however, many common food items are composed of mostly water. Here are a few examples of foods with high water content, according to the American Dietetic Association.

Now here is a quick natural weight loss tip. It is a fact that eating fruits, vegetables, and other foods that are high in water content are beneficial to losing weight by helping you to feel full. For example, when you add water to a bowl of vegetables, the soup becomes hearty. You will feel fuller from eating the soup than you will when you eat the vegetables alone. What happens is that when water is added to food it actually slows down the absorption of the meal and lasts much longer in the stomach.

In conclusion if you want to lose weight experts recommend that your diet includes foods with high water content such as fruits, vegetables, and soups, in combination with drinking plenty of water to quench your thirst. Jazz it up if you like with a slice of citrus or fruit or mint! Whatever your preference, drinking water is one of the best natural weight loss tips we can possibly give… cheers!