Wellness influencers are promoting not drinking any water at all, and health experts say it's 'ridiculous'

  • Some wellness micro-influencers are posting about how they have completely stopped drinking water — and are encouraging their followers to do the same.
  • Dietitian Nichola Ludlam-Raine told Insider the trend is "ridiculous," and that promoting it is "irresponsible."
  • Raw vegan Sophie Prana, who has 16.9K Instagram followers, told Insider that giving up water changed her life.
  • She and others claim you should hydrate yourself with water-rich foods instead, and occasionally do "water fasting," i.e. not eating any food or fluids for at least 24 hours.
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Some wellness fans are promoting giving up water through their social media platforms, and health experts are concerned about the message it sends, with dietitian Nichola Ludlam-Raine telling Insider it's "one of the most ridiculous diet trends" she's ever seen.

The micro-influencers advocate cutting out all water from your diet, and instead hydrating your body through eating fruit and vegetables. Most also encourage occasional fasts without any food or fluids for at least 24 hours, known as "dry fasting."

One such person is Sophia Prana, 35, an Austrian woman based in Thailand who told Insider she eats a diet that is 80% fruit.

Prana preaches to her 16.9K followers about her lifestyle, raw vegan diet, and love of "living water."

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The story about drinking water 💦 • our body consists mainly from water • to hydrate our cells we need water Drinking water is essential for us, yes. Nobody ever denied that. BUT how and what kind of water you drink brings some interesting aspects on the table. 1️⃣ water companies don‘t produce water, they produce plastic bottles. Plastic bottles contain softeners, which are highly toxic for your body, especially when you pour warm drinks into these bottles or leave them in the sun. Invest into a drinking bottle, go for re-fills, avoid to buy bottled water. 2️⃣ tap water is full of chemicals, bacterias and other toxins (eventhough your government might tell you differently). Old pipes in most of the houses contain lead, slug and lime. Get a filter, cause you don‘t want this stuff in your body! 3️⃣ understand the difference between living and empty water. To fuel and hydrate on cellular level you should drink coconut water, birch water, fresh juices and high-water fruits. You will notice how your thirst will decrease, stop eating salt, it is drying you out from inside. 4️⃣ also water needs to be filtered, digested, which is the job of your kidneys. Give them a break! Nobody needs 5L of water per day. Implement periods of dry-fasting, at least 9-10h per day to give your kidneys a break. Just like you need to rest, they need as well! Dry fasting will increase the filtration ability of your kidneys, will break down your body fat into endogen water (purest water for your cells) and stagnated lymph will be moved. #healthylifestyle#healthylivingtips#gesundleben#gesundernähren#gesünderleben#gesundtrinken#trockenfasten#dryfasting#dryfastingdetox#gesundeswassertrinken#veganinspiration

A post shared by SOPHIE PRANA (@pimpyourprana) on

"I don't drink tap water or bottled water," she said. "The idea behind it is that I want to hydrate my kidneys, my body, and myself on the cellular level. So I want to drink living water."

"Living water" essentially means the water you get in water-rich foods such as cucumber, watermelon, and strawberries.

Prana believes the water from taps and bottles is "full of toxins and chemicals," so she stopped drinking it altogether and said it's transformed her life. 

"I just don't see the point of drinking plastic, bottled water when I have all these beautiful fruits," she said.

"Once you start drinking living water, you will understand and feel that you are not thirsty anymore because then finally your body gets what it needs."

Although Prana acknowledges that the lifestyle isn't for everyone, her followers listen to what she has to say, with some posting about their dry fasts based on the influencer's guidance.

Various other micro-influencers also post about the apparent benefits they receive from cutting out water, dry fasting, and eating only fruits.

Self-proclaimed "#dryfasting & #detox specialist" Alice Copilet, for example, says the lifestyle is "the key to reversing skin conditions, regaining your confidence, and falling in love with yourself again."

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SKIN HEALTH . I receive a lot of questions about #skin health and whether #fasting helps with conditions such as acne, eczema, cysts, allergies, rashes and psoriasis … and the answer is OF COURSE it does 🎉 . Because the underlying root cause of ALL these issues is the same: systemic acidosis caused by weak kidneys and adrenals, a stagnant lymphatic system and invariably, thyroid weakness . You see, the skin acts as the body's third kidney and is as essential for elimination as urination and when the kidneys aren't filtering and low thyroid function impacts the skin's ability to sweat properly, the skin suffers BIG TIME . Fasting, especially #dryfasting combined with a return to our natural diet of fruits, melons & berries is the BEST method of supporting the #endocrinesystem to return back to balance and THIS is the key 🗝️ to reversing skin conditions, regaining your confidence and falling in love with yourself again 🥰 . Two new videos on this topic are now up in the Facebook group (click the link in my bio) . 👉 In Part 1 I share my own personal journey with skin health – and it's been quite the rollercoaster! I've healed dry skin, eczema, acne and skin allergies #naturally and . 👉 In Part 2 I expand on how the body ACTUALLY functions, because there's SO MUCH that's still misunderstood by allopathic medicine when it comes to this stuff and share my tips, tools and techniques for achieving GLOWING skin and #longevity as well as healing skin disease . I'd love to hear from you if you have any questions on this stuff, I know it's a biggie! There were times when I was so ashamed about the state of my skin that I could barely get myself out of bed and it caused me SO much heartache . I really want to support you guys so that you don't have to go through what I did, because the solution to skin issues is surprisingly simple, but a 180° cognitive shift is required first – so let's bust some paradigms together! 💪 . With love, Alice X ❤️🤗

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"Food is just another attachment"

Another proponent of cutting out water is Latvian Alise Miksta, who says her dad persuaded her to try it. She also encourages people to do 24-hour "dry fasts."

"I can't believe it took my dad one year to convince me that food is just another attachment and conditioning, and that there are people living without water and food … crazy right?! I know, that's what I thought! But not anymore," she wrote on Instagram.

"I think it's crazy that we are eating, drinking and sleeping loads and that's supposed to be normal. I'm not saying I'm quitting food and drinking water … NOT YET! But I'm working on it."

Miksta, 30, told Vice that she thinks official guidance around how much water we should be drinking — two liters a day — is "all business and huge marketing."

"I believe you don't hydrate from water – water just cleanses," she told the publication. "So if you eat raw food and fruits, you really don't need water."

Dietitians are concerned

Health professionals are very concerned about people spreading this message.

"This is one of the most ridiculous diet trends I have seen so far," dietitian Nichola Ludlam-Raine told Insider.

"Telling people not to drink water is highly irresponsible and could lead to dehydration which can trigger headaches and cause constipation, muscle pain, lethargy, and even kidney problems.

"I advise most of my patients to drink at least eight 200ml glasses of fluid a day (more if it's hot or if they exercise) and encourage water as a fantastic sugar-free (and caffeine-free) option.

"We are privileged to live in a country with easily accessible drinking water and I can't believe that social media influencers are encouraging others not to drink it."

Prana's diet is 80% fruit.
Sophie Prana

When Insider raised these concerns to Prana, she agreed that we have to drink liquid, but insists that should not be water.

"Of course, we have to fuel our body with liquid," she said. But it's the kind of liquid that we have to look at.

"Don't drink tap water, empty toxic tap water. Just drink living water. It gives your body what it needs […] and this is fruit and juices and green. It's electrolytes, minerals. It's living water, coconut water.

"So I'm not saying that we don't have to drink, you have to drink, but we have to drink the right thing."

Nutritionists think people aren't drinking enough water

Quite on the contrary to what these micro-influencers are promoting, registered nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert told Insider she believes "too many" people don't drink enough water. 

"Everyone should be aiming to drink more water every day and certainly not be looking to consume less," she said. "Our bodies are comprised largely of water so it's understandable that every function inside our body depends on it to do its job well. Cells, organs, and tissues all need water and it's absolutely essential that we drink enough.

"Water is essential for the proper circulation of nutrients in the body and serves as the body's transportation system; when we are dehydrated things just can't get around as well as they should.

"When we do have enough water we become more efficient at losing it too, through sweating and urination. This is crucial to eradicate toxins from the body and prevent us from becoming unwell."

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DRINK MORE WATER . 💦I advise absolutely everyone to drink more water every day. . 💧Can you believe the average person drinks less than 1 glass of water a day! . 🤓Come on guys, our bodies are comprised largely of water (around 60%), every function inside our body depends on it to do its job well. I’m talking cells, organs and tissues all need water so it’s essential we drink enough. . 👋🏻Here are just some reasons we should all drink more water: . 🍔Hungry or thirsty? – Sometimes we think we are hungry, when actually we’re just thirsty! . 👹Be less cranky – Dehydration really affects your mood. Drinking more water will help you think more clearly and be happier. . 🙌🏻Perform better – Water is essential for the proper circulation of nutrients in the body. Water serves as the body’s transportation system; when we’re dehydrated things just can’t get around as well which is why we can feel weak. . 🤢Flush out bad bacteria – Our digestive system needs water to function properly. If we don’t drink water, we don’t flush out waste and it collects in our body, causing unnecessary problems. . 💩Keep your bowels regular – A major part of constipation is often not consuming enough fluid. If you suffer, try to increase the overall fluids you are consuming. . 👍🏻So, most of us should really aim to drink 2 litres of water every day. Getting a nice (BPA free) reusable water bottle will help you keep track of your daily intake and remember, if you sweat a lot you need to replenish that lost water. . #Rhitrition #Nutrition #Hydration #Water 📷 @jessiewhealyphotography

A post shared by RHIANNON LAMBERT BSc MSc RNutr (@rhitrition) on

Not drinking enough water means you'll become dehydrated which could then lead to tiredness, poor concentration, headaches, and dizziness, Lambert explained, and she reinforced Ludlam-Raine's advice that adults should be aiming for eight glasses of water a day.

Alise Miksta and Alice Copilet did not respond to Insider's request for further comment.

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