Culinary Myth #56: You need to drink 8 8-oz glasses of water a day.

We were both raised being told we had to drink 8 tall glasses of water every day. And we both had to pee all the time. In the movies, in school, at our friends' houses. Too much. Enough already. Do we really need to drink 1/2 gallon of water every day. Maybe, but maybe not. We get water from a lot of other places than say, water. We get it from coffee, tea, sodas, fruits, veggies, even a burger has water. So why were we told we had to drink so much? It was a misguided way to get kids to stop drinking so much coke. Drink water instead and you won't be as thirsty for coke. But the truth is we do need to drink water but not necessarily 64 oz a day. More if you live in hot climates, less if you live where it's cool and damp. More if you're larger, less if your smaller. So drink water. Drink it because you like it. Drink it because you're thirsty. But don't drink 64oz a day because some doctor in 1974 told your grandmother that you should.