About fifteen years ago I went through a few months of regular periods of dizziness or sometimes I would even black out for a few seconds. When I went to the doctor to find out why, he told me I was dehydrated and needed to ensure I was drinking enough water. Looking back I can’t help but wonder how I could have been so dehydrated to the point of my body forcing itself to stop functioning. The memory of this experience has caused me to be diligent in my water intake. This change in diet made me wonder how much water is required when diving into a ketogenic diet?
Drinking water daily is essential to our bodies for proper function. There is no exact measurement of water that your body requires daily to keep hydrated while practicing a ketogenic diet. Rather than tracking exactly how much water you are consuming daily it’s far more important to recognize the signs your body provides you. Your body will show you it needs water and you should drink when you are thirsty.
Keep in mind that your body loses a lot of water weight when you are initially going into ketosis. You will need to drink more water than normal to stay hydrated.
Continue reading to learn the truth about the standard recommended 8 glasses of water a day, how to recognize if you are drinking enough water and ways in which you can stay hydrated.
The Eight Glass of Water per Day Myth
We have all heard the standard recommendation of drinking 8 glasses of water per day. This is commonly referred to as the 8 x 8 rule stating that you should drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. If you ask anyone how much water they should drink each day they will likely tell you about the 8 x 8 rule. If you pressed them further as to why they needed 8 glasses per day the probably wouldn’t know why. The usual answer is “because that’s how much you are supposed to drink. Everyone knows that”. The reality is this started as the result of a 1945 recommendation by the US National Research Council (NRC) saying “adults should consume 1 millilitre of water for each calorie of food, which adds up to about 2.5 litres per day for men and 2 litres for women”. What seems to be forgotten here is that the NRC recommendation states most of that water intake should come from food sources. The Hydration for Health group has pushed for sustainable healthy hydration habits by sharing scientific research and educational materials for the public. They recommend the above mentioned 2.5 litres for men and 2 litres for women. Further investigation shows that this organization was created by large food corporation Danone. Volvic, Evian and Badiot water brands are owned by Danone. I’m not saying the recommendation is wrong or harmful but it’s hard to trust when the people making the recommendation have a monetary interest. Eight glasses of water is not necessarily what your body requires to stay healthy. Some people may need more than this and some people might need less.
Signals that You Need More Water
I’ve noticed that the longer I have been following a ketogenic diet the more in-tune I am with what my body requires to feel it’s best. This includes being able to recognize the early signs of dehydration.
Here are some common signals that you may need to rehydrate:
- Thirst
- Dark yellow urine
- Urinating less than normal
- Muscle cramps
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Headaches
If you are starting to become dehydrated you may experience some or all of these symptoms. When your body starts to become dehydrated ensure that you are drinking more water and getting enough electrolytes. For tips on how you can increase your electrolytes and a recipe for my homemade ketorade click here.
Increasing Your Water Intake
There are many people who don’t enjoy drinking water. If you’re one of those people you may be wondering how you can stay hydrated while avoiding drinking multiple cups of plain water each day. The solution is fairly simple. While drinking plain water is probably the easiest and best option there are many other keto friendly ideas to help keep you hydrated. These include:
- Add a few drops of no carb flavour drops to your water
- Add a slice of lemon to your water
- Drink unflavoured or carb-free flavoured sparkling water
- Have a coffee or tea (flavoured coffees and teas work great here)
- Eat a lot of dark leafy greens or other low carb vegetables that have higher water content (such as cabbage)
- Drink bone broth
If you’re like me and you don’t have any problems drinking water but find that you get busy and forget throughout the day, try some of these tips to help keep your water intake consistent:
- Drink a glass of water whenever you eat a meal or snack
- Drink a glass of water before you go to bed and as soon as you wake up
- Keep a bottle of water with you wherever you go
- Set a daily water goal for yourself
Water Intake and Keto Flu
When you first start keto your body loses a lot of water weight. This sudden drop in water weight along with a sudden decrease in your electrolytes play a large role in causing the keto flu and can cause you to quickly become dehydrated. During this transition into ketosis it is extremely important to keep yourself hydrated. It’s important to increase your intake of electrolytes including as mush sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium as you can. Along with the tips mentioned in the previous section a great way to restore your hydration and electrolytes is to drink a homemade electrolyte boosting drink known as ketorade. Everyone has their own slightly different variation of this drink. Mine usually includes water, salt, salt alternative, electrolyte drops and apple cider vinegar. For a more detailed description and recipe of my homemade ketorade click here. By staying hydrated and topped up on electrolytes you can minimize your keto flu symptoms and should be back to normal within a few days.
While most people find that they require more water on a keto diet than they do on a Standard American Diet (SAD) the question of how much is enough varies among each individual person. Keeping yourself hydrated is important no matter what diet you are following. I started my keto journey by drinking 8 glasses of water per day as a starting point and adjusted my intake accordingly based on what my body told me. I suggest you do the same. Whether you’re on a ketogenic diet or not ensure to always listen to your body’s signals and continue to drink water each day in whatever form works for you.
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Where Did the 8-Glasses-of-Water-a-Day Myth Come From?
