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Memories of the 28th Century

Better Hydration

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"I never drink water; that is the stuff that rusts pipes." W. C. Fields
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/w_c_fields_151502

I had a conversation with a medical person, who told me that I should hydrate after a CT scan. I said that I would have a few beers. The poor, ignorant person was horrified, so I explained that beer is excellent for hydration, but she had bought into the hydration myth so she was dubious.
https://www.backpacker.com/news-and-...ter-than-water
https://www.brewersassociation.org/
https://www.clevelandleader.com/bett...xercise-water/
The academic paper upon which the above articles were based.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4459073/
and a PDF of the paper
http://beerandhealth.eu/wp-content/u...health-web.pdf
Apparently there has not been a plethora of investigation.

It wasn’t long ago, when a great way to quench one’s thirst on a hot Summer day was with a few beers, but the Hydration Myth falsely told people that beer is not good for hydration, because it contains alcohol, which is a diuretic, and that is true, but since we do not want to retain the water forever, and the diuretic effect of beer is relatively minor, so beer is good for rehydration. Alas, the hydration myth insists that only water will do for hydration. Remember that myths are false. (any invented story, idea, or concept http://www.dictionary.com/browse/myth?s=t)

It is time for brewers to borrow from the water industry’s playbook and tell people how good beer is for hydration.

And it's time for people to start noticing that they have been served with propaganda, marketing garbage. As I have mentioned before, the hydration myth was put together as a marketing campaign for bottled water after Nestle Corp bought three bottled water companies in the U.S.A.
including Arrowhead, Calistoga, Deer Park, Ice Mountain, Ozarka, Zephyrhills, Nestlé Pure Life Natural Spring Water, Poland Springs, Aquapod, and Nestlé Waters sells three European Brands: Perrier, San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna. With this investment in the bottled water business Nestle considered it good business to create demand for their products, so they did by convincing people that they had to drink eight ounces of water eight times a day, and bottled water was the easiest way to haul all that water around. They claimed that there was scientific evidence that people needed that amount of water, but when people looked into that claim it evaporated. Allegedly the marketing people noticed that the water consumption in NIH dietary guidelines were a broad range, so they took a round number near the average, sixty-four ounces.

You should also read this article from NPR:
https://www.npr.org/2008/04/03/89323...drinking-water
The main points of it are:

"Myth No. 1: Drink Eight Glasses Each Day." That's too much for some and not enough for others. Nestle used it because it was in the middle of the range in the source they used.

"Myth No. 2: Drinking Lots of Water Helps Clear Out Toxins."
This is just fiction, but it appears that some people think that there are lumps of heavy metals that accumulate in intestines that you can wash away with water. No, that's just fiction.

 "Myth No. 3: Lots of Water Equals Healthier Skin."
 This is just fiction.

 "Myth No. 4: Drinking Extra Water Leads to Weight Loss."
This is silly.

"Myth No. 5: It's Easy to Get Dehydrated During a Workout."
It takes time, trouble, and discomfort to become dehydrated. Trust your body, and when you feel thirsty, have a beer.

In addition to rehydrating you, beer contains vitamins and other nutrients that you need when you get thirsty.

Some people complain that the alcohol gets them drunk. That might be a problem for small people who can't absorb the tiny amount of alcohol in beer, but after one grows to adult size, the amount of alcohol in a few beers isn't nearly to get you drunk. Beer isn't any good for getting drunk, then drink distilled spirits; beer is for quenching one's thirst.

Water is fine stuff for washing and irrigating crops, but it isn't very good for hydrating humans. Beer is an excellent beverage for hydration and for washing down food, but it isn't for getting drunk.

Remember that the hydration myth is an excellent example of a big lie. It is big enough that many people thought it couldn't be a lie, and it has been repeated more than three times, so nearly everyone is convinced that it must be true. Remember to read my recent blog post on Big Lies:
http://www.online-literature.com/for...-and-Fake-News

Comments

  1. kiz_paws's Avatar
    In Myth #4, drinking water leading to weight loss -- this COULD be true, if the person consumes a couple of glasses of water prior to a meal, which disables them from eating too much.... maybe? If I were obese and truly wanted to lose weight, I might buy into this...

    Yes, a few brew really do quench the thirst. Can't argue with you there.

    Yes, drinking these astronomical amounts of water daily, as directed by none other than the water bottlers themselves... hmmmm … use common sense!! Ya gotta wonder....

    There are times when only an ice cold bottle of water will quench my thirst. And other times where a tall glass of white wine will suffice.

    Interesting blog entry; and hope that your health is going well.
  2. PeterL's Avatar
    O.K., Myth 4 might be true under other circumstances also, but they would all be uncomfortable or hazardous, and drinking too much water can also lead to weight gian, if one's kidneys aren't in good shape.

    Marketing people have jobs, so there must be lots of people who don't use common sense.

    And my health is remarkably good for someone who had a condition that kills 90% of those who get it, and I seldom drink water. I would rather be like a certain racehorse.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXdQB-mR4tg

    I hope that you are enjoying your Summer. Or do they even have Summer up there?
  3. kiz_paws's Avatar
    Oh how I love that 'certain racehorse'!! Thanks for the link.
    Also very glad that you defeated a difficult health condition. Maybe it was the beer drinking?? *winks*
    As for your cheeky comment 'do they even have Summer up there?' … if you can call 31C with a humidity factor making it 'seem' like 38C, well then yes, you may indeed say that this must be summer.
    (We are experiencing crazy heat as of July).
    Lets raise a toast to the people responsible for inventing air conditioning!
  4. PeterL's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by kiz_paws
    Oh how I love that 'certain racehorse'!! Thanks for the link.
    Also very glad that you defeated a difficult health condition. Maybe it was the beer drinking?? *winks*
    As for your cheeky comment 'do they even have Summer up there?' … if you can call 31C with a humidity factor making it 'seem' like 38C, well then yes, you may indeed say that this must be summer.
    (We are experiencing crazy heat as of July).
    Lets raise a toast to the people responsible for inventing air conditioning!
    It isn't hot until it is up to 50, so I don't need air conditioning, yet. But if you need an excuse for drinking, then take it.