One of the most common pieces of nutrition advice we hear is that we need to drink eight glasses of water every day. But you might be surprised to hear this is actually a bit of a myth, based on the misinterpretation of older guidelines. Of course our bodies need water to avoid dehydration, but the amount needed is extremely variable and dependent on a person’s body size, physical activity levels, environment and types of food consumed. Water makes up about 60 per cent of an adult’s body weight and is an essential nutrient, more important to life than any other. Water
