How much water should you drink each day?

Do you know how much water you drink on any given day? A glass here or there, perhaps left half empty on the coffee table when we headed up to bed. Do you negotiate with yourself: well I had one glass of water, but I had 2 cups of coffee and a really juicy apple so that should do it? If you really stop to think about it, you probably haven't had that recommended 8 glasses of water a day. But is that all our bodies need?

Our bodies are about 66% water, depending on activity level and diet. We depend on water to flush out toxins in our bodies, keep natural bodily reactions going, and as a temperature regulator. When we have too much fat in our diet, and not enough water, we tend to find our temperature irregular usually on the warm side. For an average adult woman, you need about 11 cups of water a day. We get some of this through our food intake, but still you need to drink about 9 glasses a day.Aside from the sugar and sodium intake from these beverages, caffeine in coffee and soft drink acts as a diuretic, causing our body to flush water out quicker than it can be used. So next time you reach for a can of Mountain Dew, step back and think.....how much water have I actually had today?