Water is important for the health of every part of our bodies. It helps us do lots of things like:
regulate our body temperature
help with digestion
keep our bloodstream flowing
carry nutrients and oxygen to cells
Around 70% of our body is made up of water. We can’t store water and our bodies lose it every day when we pee, poo, sweat and even breathe. That’s why we need to drink water every day to keep replacing it.
The amount of water we need to drink depends on our size, metabolism, the weather, the food we eat and our activity levels.
As a guide, adult females should drink about 2 litres (8 cups) and males around 2.6 litres (10 cups) per day. You need more water if it’s hot and if you’re doing a lot of exercise. If you’re pregnant or breast feeding, you’ll also need to drink more water.
For kids, it depends on their gender and age. The amount of water kids and teens need each day increases as they get older.
The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend all Australians limit their intake of drinks containing added sugar. This includes flavoured milks, cordial, juice and soft drinks.
Having sugary drinks provides additional energy (kilojoules) to the diet, but no other essential nutrients. As a result, drinking too many sugary drinks can lead to excess weight gain, reduced bone strength and tooth decay.
