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.”

“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.”

“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.”

Foto: Prana’s diet is 80% fruit.sourceSophie 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.”

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.