Water - how do you do it?

[troutman]

Originally Posted by jam26

Who knew a thread about drinking water could generate so many replies?

We are 70 % water.

[evman150]

Scam.

Tap water all the way. Maybe other places have crappy tap water, but the stuff here is great.

[OilersBaby]

Originally Posted by OILFAN #81

I can't gain weight at all so it's all good. I could eat the unhealthiest food for 3 months straight and I wouldn't gain weight. It's pretty awesome. I'm always going to be 6"0 and around 165-170. Although training with the national program has kept me in shape alot so got to give credit to that.

I guess it runs in our family....I'm 5'8" and will always be between 120 and 125 lbs.....I think it will catch up with age though.

[OilersBaby]

Originally Posted by Burninator

An expert in the house. Sorry this is slightly off-topic, but where is a good resource for nutrition, that a lay person (like me) can read about. I am tired about hearing bogus nutrition advice from people around me that don't know anything and always say "oh that's bad for you."

A good resource for nutrition...my textbooks are awesome, but I don't think you'd want to read those. You could try the United States Department of Agriculture website, which is http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?navtype=SU&navid=FOOD_NUTRITION I especially like the MyPyramid tool they have on that site as well as the "What's in the Foods You Eat" Search Tool.

I would say most REPUTABLE health and fitness magazines actually are pretty accurate in what they are talking about. My husband reads "Men's Health" and I find that 99.5% of their nutrition suggestions/ideas are great for men. They have good recipes that are perfect for men in their late teens to their mid 40s. I'm not sure how old you are...

I know what you mean in terms of getting bogus advice and the fad diets that people try (Atkins etc)...don't listen to those. Just remember to eat a balanced diet, don't deprive yourself of anything, and exercise. Also, remember that sugar isn't just "sweet" foods..it's also all the carbohydrates. BUT we need carbs as fuel....about 50% of your calories come from carbs, 30% from fats, and 20% from protein sources. This is according to the USDA. A gram of protein and carbs each has 4 cals, whereas a gram of fat has about 9 calories.

If you have any specific questions, you can send me a PM. Im on my way to becoming a Registered Dietitian so hopefully what I advise will help you out.

[Superfraggle]

Whew...quite a thread. A few points, some of which have been made before.

Bottled vs. Tap - it's all the same to me. Except tap is cheaper

How much? Depends on the person, but there are some good ways to tell if you're dehydrated: The number one best way is...feeling thirsty. If you do feel thirsty, it means you're already dehyrated. Your body is saying "get a drink". So get a drink. Number two is a fun one: look at your pee. It should be clear. If it's yellow, you're probably dehydrated.

How to drink more: I live with my Nalgene attached to my hip (carabiners rock) or on the desk in front of me. Always having it there means I don't have to go through the bother of getting up to get some. It's always right there. Also not having other things handy helps. All I have in my house most of the time is iced tea powder (because I like it). I drink water FAR more, though, because it takes more time and effort to mix the iced tea than to just turn on the tap. If you're not quite so phenomenally lazy as myself...just get rid of the iced tea too. Tough to drink pop if you don't have pop. If you cut it out altogether for a long enough time, pop actually takes some effort to get back into. The carbonation hits pretty hard if you've gone a month+ with none.

edit: oh, and don't chug it, either. Constant small sipping is WAY more effective. The number I've been told is that your body can use up to one half litre/half hour...any excess just turns into pee. If you chug a litre, though, you don't use nearly as much of that litre of water as you would sipping over a longer period of time. You can even make yourself sick doing that.

[Engine09]

I always have 3 or 4 bottles of tap water in the fridge. Keep it cold and tap water tastes fine, no need to waste money on bottles everyday.

I'll drink one diet pop every 2nd day, that's about it.

[mykalberta]

Crystal Light.

MYK

[Hack&Lube]

I don't get why people just don't all buy water coolers. Then you can fill up your own bottled water at home for much cheaper.

[worth]

For me I try to limit the amount of tap water I drink for one reason: Fluoride and Chlorine.

Fluoride was introduced after scientists found that it was beneficial to reduce cavities. Unfortunatley, now a lot of people have too much fluoride in their systems which is called dental fluorosis. Fluoride is toxic and was actually used by the Nazis and Russians as a tranquilizer for prisoners. Many scientists that were pro flouride when the program started are now anti-fluoride.

So if you live in calgary, you're showering, cooking and drinking fluoride if you use tap water for those activities.

There are some reverse osmosis filters that take fluoride and chlorine out of the water, however brita and pur filters do not.

Now the thing you have to worry about with bottled water is chemicals from the plastics used. You should avoid cloudy plastic bottles because they excrete chemicals into the water that you're drinking.

Right now i'm drinking bottled water with no fluoride content, and a minimum of other minerals. When I purchase a reverse osmosis filter for my home, I will use the water from the tap.

Also, there is fluoride in your toothpasteand mouthwash if you use any of the large brands. Thats why it says "Do not swallow" and "use only a pea size for children". I use a non-fluoridated toothpaste. I figure if it says, "don't swallow" on it, I probably shouldn't be putting it in my mouth.

Here's a link to a scientist who was pro-fluoride, until recently:

http://fluoridealert.org/limeback.htm

[troutman]

http://www.bchealthguide.org/healthfiles/hfile28.stm


Is fluoridation safe?

Yes. The safety of community water fluoridation has been studied more thoroughly than any other public health measure during the past 50 years.

Since the 1940s, hundreds of scientific studies have shown that the use of fluoride at levels for optimal dental health has no harmful effects.

Extensive reviews of fluoridation by leading experts have found no connection between fluoridation and cancer.

There has been no evidence that low levels of exposure to fluoride causes problems to other parts of the body. It has not been associated with birth defects or syndromes.

Bottled Water Cited as Contributing to Cavity Comeback

http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryC...Health/tb/1756

Water fluoridation controversy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_f...on_controversy

Chlorination

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorinated_water

I know chlorine is bad for my aquarium fish, but the World Health Organization has stated that the "Risks to health from DBPs are extremely small in comparison with inadequate disinfection."

[worth]

Well, enjoy your fluoride troutman.

Fluoridation has been a controversial issue in Calgary for nearly 50 years. Six plebiscites have been held on the issue, including one in the last municipal election, and it’s been a porcupine quill in the snout of local politicians since it was introduced into the water in 1991.
Currently, city hall adds 0.7 parts per million of fluoride to the drinking water – the amount was lowered two years ago based on concerns that Calgarians were receiving excessive amounts. Every few weeks, a tanker truck rolls into Calgary’s Glenmore and Bearspaw water treatment facilities to deliver hydrofluosilicic acid. The truck carries a hazardous goods sign because its cargo is a highly corrosive liquid. The substance is pumped directly into an isolated room that contains a specially-lined holding tank.
In Kamloops, the danger of hydrofluosilicic acid caused citizens to stop the practise of adding it to the water when the acid leaked out of a similar holding tank, ate through a concrete retaining wall, then spilled into the lake.
Some officials, like Health and Wellness Minister Gary Mar, think fluoridation is perfectly fine. In an e-mail reply to a query on the subject, Mar suggests that fluoride is a nutrient.
"Many municipalities add fluoride to their drinking water systems as a dietary supplement to reduce the formation of dental cavities," he says.
But last year’s Nobel Prize co-winner for medicine thinks fluoridation is a bad idea. In an exclusive e-mail interview, Dr. Arvid Carlsson of Sweden argues that fluoridating the drinking water should be stopped.
"Fluoridation of water supplies would also treat people who may not benefit from the treatment. Side effects cannot be excluded, and thus some people might only have negative effects, without any benefit," says Carlsson.
"Fluoridation of water supplies would lead to dosages depending on water consumption rather than on individual needs. Local treatment, for example via toothpaste, has been found very effective.... In Sweden, water fluoridation, therefore, to my knowledge, is no longer advocated by anybody. In Sweden, the emphasis nowadays is to keep the environment as clean as possible with regard to pharmacologically active and thus potentially toxic substances."

[troutman]

Originally Posted by worth

Well, enjoy your fluoride troutman.

Enjoy your cavities.

[worth]

0 Cavities
0 Fillings
Perfect Teeth
No Fluoride


Cavities have to do with what you eat, not whether or not you get enough fluoride.

[Vulcan]

Maybe slightly off topic but I've got a well but I don't trust it to drink it much so I bring water in from town for drinking. The town water tastes good and I don't see any reason for bottled water. Good thing too, because my waterpipes froze last night. The place wasn't built for -10 tempertures.
I didn't like the Calgary water much but it was fine with a brita filter.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by OilersBaby

A good resource for nutrition...my textbooks are awesome, but I don't think you'd want to read those. You could try the United States Department of Agriculture website, which is http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?navtype=SU&navid=FOOD_NUTRITION I especially like the MyPyramid tool they have on that site as well as the "What's in the Foods You Eat" Search Tool.

I would say most REPUTABLE health and fitness magazines actually are pretty accurate in what they are talking about. My husband reads "Men's Health" and I find that 99.5% of their nutrition suggestions/ideas are great for men. They have good recipes that are perfect for men in their late teens to their mid 40s. I'm not sure how old you are...

I know what you mean in terms of getting bogus advice and the fad diets that people try (Atkins etc)...don't listen to those. Just remember to eat a balanced diet, don't deprive yourself of anything, and exercise. Also, remember that sugar isn't just "sweet" foods..it's also all the carbohydrates. BUT we need carbs as fuel....about 50% of your calories come from carbs, 30% from fats, and 20% from protein sources. This is according to the USDA. A gram of protein and carbs each has 4 cals, whereas a gram of fat has about 9 calories.

If you have any specific questions, you can send me a PM. Im on my way to becoming a Registered Dietitian so hopefully what I advise will help you out.

Hey thanks, great advice OilersBaby. I am definitely going to look at those websites more closely, the mens health one seems good as it recommends receipes for food aswell. Now hopefully I can follow that advice and gain some healthy weight.

[flamesfever]

Some great posts on the subject. Personally, from my experience back east where the level of pollution is much greater, we've got used to using bottled spring water. In Calgary, I think we are spoiled by the great drinking water whether it comes from the tap or a bottle. In many large urban centres in the US the tap water is often undrinkable, and is usually recycled. Someone once told me that in New York City, when you drink from a tap, the water has gone through a person's stomach 14? times.

We've got used to ordering spring water from a reputable dealer and using a water cooler. We order 4 jugs at a time which costs us $28.00, and they are delivered to our home within 24 hrs of a phone call. We use about one jug a week, and always have great tasting, clean cold water available - reducing the risk from chlorine, fluorine or other possible pollutants. We get our fluorine when our teeth are scaled and cleaned every 6 months.

It still bothers me though that more is not being done to protect the water. I believe a study done decades ago recommended no clear cutting in Alberta south of the Bow River, and yet they are still allowed to do it.

[photon]

Originally Posted by flamesfever

Someone once told me that in New York City, when you drink from a tap, the water has gone through a person's stomach 14? times.

Well of course, water isn't destroyed when you drink it, just recycled... So even the bottled water you drink has probably gone through thousands or tens of thousands of different life forms.. and was probably part of a comet at one point.. the oxygen in it was probably formed in a star somewhere...

[flamesfever]

Originally Posted by photon

Well of course, water isn't destroyed when you drink it, just recycled... So even the bottled water you drink has probably gone through thousands or tens of thousands of different life forms.. and was probably part of a comet at one point.. the oxygen in it was probably formed in a star somewhere...

True. But it's just the path it takes at times that's a little unsettling.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I don't get why people just don't all buy water coolers. Then you can fill up your own bottled water at home for much cheaper.

Cost and space. That's why people don't all buy water coolers. Plus, water delivery is a major pain in the arse if you live in a condo or apartment. That's why I switched from a water cooler to installing my own water filtration system with a seperate tap.

[OilersBaby]

Originally Posted by Burninator

Hey thanks, great advice OilersBaby. I am definitely going to look at those websites more closely, the mens health one seems good as it recommends receipes for food aswell. Now hopefully I can follow that advice and gain some healthy weight.

No prob! Just try to exercise as best as you can..that way you can often "cheat" a little diet wise