How many glasses of water does it take to satisfy an Atlanta dietitian?
That sounds like the start to a joke, but staying hydrated is a basic health strategy that's very important to dietitians and nutritionists in the Atlanta area and the clients they advise.
Here's how much water three local experts drink individually in a day:
Rahaf Al Bochi, RD, LD, CDE is the owner of Olive Tree Nutrition LLC. She provides nutrition counseling on diabetes, weight management and family nutrition. Her personal nutrition strategy involves drinking six to eight glasses of water. "But that's in addition to other fluids I consume such as tea and soup," she said.
Al Bochi says she also eats a number of foods that contribute to keeping her hydrated, including cucumbers, tomatoes and watermelon. "And I try to drink water before I get to the stage of being thirsty because by that time my body will already be dehydrated," she said.
According to Al Bochi, water requirements vary from individual to individual and depend on your age, gender and activity level. "The best way to know if you're drinking enough water is to check for the color of your urine. Light color urine indicates that you are hydrated adequately."
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Nicole G. Morgan, RDN, LD, CLT focuses on diet therapy, weight management and prevention and treatment of disease.
She says she doesn't go out of her way to measure the amount of water she drinks each day. "Instead, I monitor how I feel and the color of my urine to measure hydration," she said. "If I had to guess, I would say I drink 10 8-ounce glasses of water throughout the day, and more on days when I notice I need it."
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Page Love, MS, RDN, LD, CSSD is a leading expert on sports nutrition and eating disorders in the southeastern United States. Even though Love is a dietitian and speaks to clients every day about hydration, she says she struggles with her own fluid intake. "I often only average four glasses of water per day," she said. "But I do drink other types of fluid to hydrate."
A few of her other hydration choices include Lacroix, Perrier and the new Dasani carbonated waters. She also may choose decaf coffee and tea in the afternoon to help with hydration. "Any decaffeinated fluid can count towards your intake," she said. "I also enjoy fruit and vegetable juices and milk to meet my fluid needs. Sometimes I drink as much as half of my intake in fluids beside water to meet my nutrition needs."
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