consciouseating
In a study published in the
American Journal of Physiology in 2002, Valtin explains that most of that allotment already comes from the foods we eat. He not only discredits the need for most people to consume this “mythical” amount of water every day, but writes that the recommendation is poten- tially harmful, by making people feel guilty
for not drinking enough. “The consumer ended up thinking only
LIQUID NUTRITION
Water Myths and Truths by Catherine Guthrie
Water is good for both body and soul, but you don’t need to drink as much as you might think. Here’s the truth about what’s sufficient, plus five other myths about water.
message has been received loud and clear. But now, updated research lets us off the hook. It turns out that much of the water craze springs from a deep well of misinformation. Our experts debunk some of the most popular water myths.
F
MYTH: You need eight, eight-ounce glasses of water a day to be healthy.
TRUTH: The familiar eight-by-eight rule is likely based on misinterpretation, rather than scientific certainty, says Dr. Heinz Valtin, a kidney specialist, textbook author and retired profes- sor at Dartmouth Medical School, in Hanover, New Hamp- shire. Valtin traces the prescription to a 1945 recommendation by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council to take in, “1 milliliter for each calorie of food.”
26 Rockland & Orange Counties
naturalawakeningsro.com
or the past 50 years, nutritionists and other health experts have been exhorting Americans to drink more water. If the ubiquity of water bottles is anything to go by, the
plain water counts,” says Ann Grandjean, Ph.D., a hydration researcher and medical nutritionist with the University of Nebraska Medical Center, in Omaha. But almost all liq- uids—including tea, coffee and beer—count toward the daily water intake, she says. So, how much should you be drink-
ing? Researchers at the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine, after reviewing more than 400 studies, includ- ing Valtin’s, set the general daily intake for women and men at about 91 and 125 ounces, respectively. The average Ameri- can receives 20 percent of this daily water intake from food. The remaining 80 percent comes from all beverages—not just water.
MYTH: Caffeinated beverages zap the body’s water reserves.
TRUTH: Grandjean first became interested
in the reputed link between dehydration and caffeine while working as a consultant to the United States Olympic Committee. “I worked with elite athletes, and I noticed they drank a lot of caffeinated beverages without showing any sign of dehydration,” she says. In 2000, she published a study in the Journal of the Ameri- can College of Nutrition showing that the body doesn’t discriminate between regular and decaf
beverages when it comes to hydration.
MYTH: If you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. TRUTH: While thirst is an accurate barometer of when to imbibe, the notion that thirst signals a dehydrated body is not true, says Valtin. Thirst is triggered when the blood’s con- centration of solid particles rises by 2 percent. Dehydration occurs when the blood concentration rises by 5 percent. So, thirst sets in before dehydration and people who shrug off their thirst can find themselves on the path to dehydration. “Thirst is the first indicator of the body’s need for water,” cautions Dee Sandquist, a spokesperson for the American Di- etetic Association. Signs to watch out for include headache, dry mouth, rapid pulse and lightheadedness.
MYTH: Urine should be clear. TRUTH: Perpetually clear urine can actually be a sign of
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48