Originally Posted by
marplots
Why don't we say this about other things? I need Vitamin C and the best way to get it is to eat Vitamin C. I need salt. The best way to get it is to eat salt.
This is quite true. The difference is that water is a lot more palatable than pure ascorbic acid or sodium chloride.
Originally Posted by
marplots
Generally we are not so focused and I submit the attitude in the US about drinking water has changed over the last few decades and is mostly not justified scientifically, but simply a fad. There's the ubiquitous bottle of water as an accessory people carry around. There's the glass of water the waitress brings you, usually without asking. Store shelves are full of various brands of water.
When I was a kid, we drank water when we were thirsty - from the tap.
Yep, I agree with all of this. The "8 glasses a day" thing was rubbish. You drink as much water as you need. And you can tell how much you need by monitoring the colour of your pee.
Originally Posted by
marplots
Alcohol yes, depending on the strength of the drink. Caffeine no, at least not for those acclimatized to drinking it.
Haven't heard that. Do you have a cite? I might need to modify my article.
Originally Posted by
marplots
Have you ever looked at how much water is in the normal foodstuffs you eat?
And then there's metabolic water (from Wiki):
"Metabolic water refers to water created inside a living organism through their metabolism, by oxidizing energy-containing substances in their food. Animal metabolism produces about 100 grams of water per 100 grams of fat, 42 grams of water per 100 g of protein and 60 grams of water per 100 g of carbohydrate."
I don't have anything against water, but it's not necessary to go out of your way to drink it or fear dehydration in the normal course of affairs.
Oh indeed. I never said it was or should be. Again, you can tell very easily how much water you need by looking at the colour of your urine. If it's dark, grab a quick glass. That's all there is to it.