Mindconnection Brainpower Informational eNewsletter 2022-08-21

A while back, I wrote about the importance of adequate hydration. A reader responded that the correct amount of water is eight 8-oz glasses per day. So I said I would be hard-pressed to see how a 220lb construction worker on a high sodium, meat-and-grain diet with four coffees in the morning and a beer every night needs to drink the same amount of water as a 120-lb office worker who eats mostly greens and fruits and always has soup for lunch. Hmm.

I went on to say this figure came straight out of the Nestle marketing department. It was a way to get people to open and drink eight of their 8-oz bottles of water each day. This may or may not be the correct amount for a given individual. But whatever the amount, getting it in plastic water bottles is extremely expensive, environmentally harmful, and health-damaging. It's health-damaging because of the phthlates and other chemicals that leach from the plastic into the water.

With my diet being high in water already (fruits and vegetables), I have a great baseline of water intake. I do drink coffee in the morning, and that diuretic knocks some points off for me. With my heavy weight training, climbing, martial arts training, and (in summer time) considerable hot weather yard work, I have extra water needs that solid food alone won't accommodate. My general strategy is to tank up ahead of time, and then try to refill a bit as I go to avoid getting thirsty.

For example, if I am going to mow and it's 97 DegrF outside I will first drink water at an increased rate starting a couple hours out so I "tank up". Then every time I stop to empty the bag (I set the chute for partial bagging, and use most of that as mulch), I also take a few swigs of water.

But just as I don't count calories or precisely measure portions, I also don't count ounces of water. Conditions and demands are not constant, thus such efforts are futile. The correct solution is to anticipate water needs and drink in advance, while having a water-dense diet (see explanation below)and drinking water (from a glass or fountain, not a plastic bottle) throughout the day.

You can establish how much water you should drink under what for you are fairly normal demands. Drink enough to avoid a feeling of thirst. If you get that feeling, your intake needs to be increased a tad. If you never feel thirsty and find yourself needing to pee just about constantly, cut back on the water. When you reach a point where you sometimes feel thirst about to come on, you have adequate hydration but not too much. When you have some water-using additional activity planned, tank up ahead of time (for example, what I do before mowing). Or bring water with you, but don't bring it in a plastic bottle. I have a stainless steel cyclist bottle that works great for me. Don't get an aluminum one, because the water in it will not be safe to drink.

The main reason people are inadequately hydrated (and most people are) isn't because they are failing to pay 150X the tap price of water and therefore need to fork over exorbitant sums to obtain water that isn't safe to drink. The main reason people are inadequately hydrated is their diet is too dry. Simply replacing grains with greens will go a long way in correcting this. And that leaves the other factors to attend to.

Most public places and places of employment have drinking fountains. Use these to add a bit of hydration. There are drinking fountains at the climbing gyms I use; I deliberately visit one about every hour or so. Some people will not drink from these due to fluoridation, chlorination, or some other fear. This may be a valid concern if the water is heavily contaminated. What I do is taste the water and if it tastes fine I drink as much as I want.

Here is a benchmark to consider. Housecats fed a typical diet of typical kibble typically die from renal failure between the age of 10 and 12. Cats who drink tap water from a bathroom faucet two or three times a day are never taken to the vet for complications of fluoridation or chlorination and often live into their early 20s. Consider this if you think it may be better to be dehydrated than to gulp down some tap water.

What is a water-dense diet?

If you look at a list of foods that are:

Nutrient-dense.
Best for preventing cancer or (name a few dozen diseases).
Taste the best.
Support a lean, strong physique.
Contain the fewest toxins.
Have the least environmental impact.

... you will find it's the same foods on each list! These are all water-dense. (Note: you get the benefits of those foods if they are unprocessed or barely processed).

Compare the water in, say 12 ounces of raw spinach to the water in, say, 12 ounces of potato chips. The extra sodium in the chips will negate the entire water content, while the water in the spinach is fully utilized. Plus, the chips contain seed oils and these cause vascular damage because their lipids are shredded. The spinach, by contrast, supercharges your body with a slew of nutrients.

Now, let's put both of these items in a meal.

Chips go with osteoporosis in a can (soda) and a hamburger (many toxic substances, little nutrition). Total calories: 800.
Spinach goes with a few other veggies, a couple of diced boiled eggs, and some black pepper. Topped off with olive oil and vinegar, eaten with a glass of water or tea. Total calories: 400.

Many people don't think about this, but you could actually build a fantastic weekly meal plan if you select foods based on their water content. And that is because of those lists I mentioned earlier. You don't find water-sparse foods on a list of foods to eat for a health or fitness benefit. Some dried fruits such as raisins, prunes, and dried figs are exceptions; but these must be eaten sparingly because they are calorie-dense. An exception to the eat sparingly rule is if you need lots of calories fast, for example in mountaineering, to avoid a fatal energy crash.

Of course, you must also aim for variety. While watermelon has very high water content (and also very high phosphorous, even more than bananas), you can't make it the basis of your diet. Having it along with many other water-dense foods.

Can you name a water-dense sweetener? Maple syrup is one, honey is another. If they are not heated, they retain extremely valuable nutrients and the distinct flavor imbued by their place of origin. A tip when buying honey is this: Don't buy if if it's clear, that means it's been heated and processed to have that look. Buy raw honey from a local source, and never add it to food before cooking.

Mindconnection eNL, 2022-08-21

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