Three standards
| Standard | Adult men | Adult women | What it counts |
|---|---|---|---|
| US National Academies (2004) | about 3.7 L total water | about 2.7 L total water | Food and drinks; about 80% comes from water and beverages |
| European Food Safety Authority (2010) | 2.5 L total water | 2.0 L total water | Food and drinks |
| Korea, 2025 reference intakes (ages 30–49) | 1.2 L fluids · 2.5 L total | 1.0 L fluids · 2.0 L total | Fluids = water, drinks and milk; total adds food |
All three are adequate intakes: reference amounts based on what healthy people actually consume. They are not minimums and not upper limits.
What each one counts
- Total water includes the water in soup, fruit, vegetables and cooked grains. Diets heavy in soups and produce get more of it from food.
- Fluids include tea, coffee, milk and other drinks, not just plain water.
- Taking the US 3.7 L figure as "glasses of water to drink" overshoots even the beverage share of that number (about 3 L).
The same National Academies report concluded that most healthy people meet their needs through normal drinking and by letting thirst guide them. Use the tables as a yardstick for whether you are far off, not as a quota.
Picking your own target
- Log first — record a few normal days before setting a goal. You may already be close.
- Body-weight rule of thumb — 30–35 ml per kg is a common estimate. At 60 kg that is 1.8–2.1 L of drinks, on the generous side.
- Days that need more — heat and exercise are handled separately (heat waves, workout days).
Setting it in the app
Get a recommended goal from weight and activity
In Water Tracker, open Settings > Daily Goal, enter Weight (kg), choose Activity (Low, Normal, High) and tap Apply. The goal becomes weight × about 33 ml times an activity factor, rounded to 50 ml. At 60 kg: Low 2,000 ml, Normal 2,100 ml, High 2,300 ml.
Adjust it by hand
Use the minus and plus buttons next to Daily target to change it. The app counts drinks only, so its recommendation sits above beverage-only references. If your log shows about 1 L a day, starting at 1,500 ml and working up is reasonable.
Watch the ring
The glass and progress ring on the Today tab show how far you are, with the amount left to go underneath.
FAQ
Should I log the water in soup or fruit?
The app is built for drinks only. Treat water from food as the gap between total water and fluids in the tables above, and keep the app goal for drinks.
Do older adults need less?
Reference values change little with age, but thirst tends to weaken. See helping older parents drink enough.
Sources: National Academies, 2004 report on water and electrolytes · EFSA, Dietary Reference Values for water (2010) · Korean Nutrition Society, 2025 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans
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