Healthy Habits That Aren't

[broma25 2]

People need a certain amount of bacteria to help them fight infections etc.

I also find the people that get sick the most are the cleanest ones.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Whenever you disregard your sense of thirst and strive to ingest several glasses of water a day just because you have been told that doing so is good for your health, you actually put unnecessary strain on your body in two major ways:

That makes sense, although my hunch if we actually tune into our thirst, we end up drinking what is equivalent to several glasses of water.

I'm just wondering how many people actually force themselves to drink more water than they are thirsty for?

[almaty 19]

Whenever you disregard your sense of thirst and strive to ingest several glasses of water a day just because you have been told that doing so is good for your health, you actually put unnecessary strain on your body in two major ways:

That makes sense, although my hunch if we actually tune into our thirst, we end up drinking what is equivalent to several glasses of water.

I'm just wondering how many people actually force themselves to drink more water than they are thirsty for?

f##k i did, until sanita said, i was bloating up like a toad

[russ 1]

It really depends more on the climate you are in and the type of activity you are doing. Running a marathon in warm weather will cause your body to lose more water and salt than sitting on the couch in an air conditioned room. What we eat (by weight) is mostly water.

A healthy human body is pretty good at ingesting the amount of water it needs. Certain diseases can interfere though (diabetes, for instance).

I don't know if there is enough good science yet on fat amounts in the human diet - there are different types of fat, depending on activity, some need more than others. Humans have always been omnivores, there are many proteins that our bodies can not produce. I think many of us label foods as good or bad without a good reason. Salt isn't bad for you - you need it to live. You need cholesterol too (the cell walls in your body are made of it). Dietary intake is normal, but the majority of it is produced in the liver. I think that the link of cholesterol consumption being linked to blood levels has been debunked.

The only good science about health and diet that I know of is that caloric intake, consumption, and weight are related. The average, sedentary westerner probably needs about 1400 thousand calories a day. (A food calorie in the US = 1,000 calories, the rest of the world calls them kcals). This is roughly enough energy to boil 6 gallons of water. Fats have a lot of energy (compared to salads, which have almost none). (Fats should have a lot of energy, they are an efficient way for animals to store it). It is hard to diet eating fatty foods, since they are so rich in energy. Modern processed foods are packed with fats and sugars, far more than most people need.

But eight glasses of water is not some extraordinary amount of water. I drink that much easy, no extra effort involved. Sure, I believe that too much water can be bad, but we're talking really excessive amounts - contests etc. like were mentioned.

[Alex+R 0]

The average, sedentary westerner probably needs about 1400 thousand calories a day. (A food calorie in the US = 1,000 calories, the rest of the world calls them kcals).

Where do you get that? The average American is 160 lbs. (dunno about Westerners in general) and that person being totally sedentary would need 2000 to 2300 based on different estimates/their gender to maintain their weight.

[isleta521 5]

A cold beer has the right amount of water and just enough alcohol to kill any unwelcome bacteria

[Emancipation 2]

2 liters a day for me (water).... It's something I swear by.. I feel terrible if I DON"T have it.!

[russ 1]

The average, sedentary westerner probably needs about 1400 thousand calories a day. (A food calorie in the US = 1,000 calories, the rest of the world calls them kcals).

Where do you get that? The average American is 160 lbs. (dunno about Westerners in general) and that person being totally sedentary would need 2000 to 2300 based on different estimates/their gender to maintain their weight.

In 1994 the average American ate 2100 calories (source: US FDA).

1400 is a guess at an average across the entire population (small kids, elderly who need less -- pregnant women who need more), given how few we burn. If we all ran 1 hour per day, I would add 900 calories to that.

Average consumption in the US is 1700 for women and 2400 for men. (source: US CDC)

[Ban Hammer 13,656]

Hm, I'll never believe that drinking lots of water isn't healthy. It's just way too counterintuitive.

You better believe... I've been warning you... You drink too much water...

But it feels soooo good! And I never get blemishes!

bad news - it is possible to drink too much water.

link

[broma25 2]

A cold beer has the right amount of water and just enough alcohol to kill any unwelcome bacteria

I can't argue with that!!

[Fandango 1,440]

bad news - it is possible to drink too much water.

link

From your link:

Enough, but not too much. The fluid requirement for the majority of endurance athletes, under most conditions, is about 8 to 16 ounces per hour.

I don't think anyone here is talking about ingesting more than 8-16 oz an hour!

Edited May 18, 2007 by LisaD

[Ephesia 0]

about the antibacterial thing....

my brothers and I would swim in a puddle of water at the gravel pit about 1/4 mile from our house.. this was a standing pool of water, that all the neighborhood dogs would swim in too... who knows what was living in there.... anyways, my brothers and I rarely got sick growing up in spite of that.... I think if you try and kill of all the bacteria, your body can't build up an immunity to it... I think that is why kids nowadays seem to have so many allergies and get sick a lot....

:thumbs:

You made me think of my childhood, Marilyn. My brother and I played in ditches almost every day when we were kids, trying to catch any kind of bugs or small fish. We waded through mud, fungi and all kinds of 'gross' stuff, didn't catch anything exciting most of the time, got a healthy tan in the process, and hardly fell sick.

My husband's nieces were 8 and 4 respectively when they were told by their family doctor last year that they were allergic to dust, mold, cat fur, and peanut butter. Umm .... yeah ...

[russ 1]

From my military days, that souns about right. We drank about a 1/2 canteen (1qt canteen = 32 oz) per hour in the field. Usually we carried two. In 95 degree sun, carrying 40 lbs or so, running around, you often want more than this. Plus whatever you drank in the chow hall. At least 2 gallons is not excessive exerting yourself in the sun. Military food was also loaded with salt (you lose a lot sweating that much)

I don't think anyone here is talking about ingesting more than 8-16 oz an hour!

[Marilyn. 340]

about the antibacterial thing....

my brothers and I would swim in a puddle of water at the gravel pit about 1/4 mile from our house.. this was a standing pool of water, that all the neighborhood dogs would swim in too... who knows what was living in there.... anyways, my brothers and I rarely got sick growing up in spite of that.... I think if you try and kill of all the bacteria, your body can't build up an immunity to it... I think that is why kids nowadays seem to have so many allergies and get sick a lot....

:thumbs:

You made me think of my childhood, Marilyn. My brother and I played in ditches almost every day when we were kids, trying to catch any kind of bugs or small fish. We waded through mud, fungi and all kinds of 'gross' stuff, didn't catch anything exciting most of the time, got a healthy tan in the process, and hardly fell sick.

My husband's nieces were 8 and 4 respectively when they were told by their family doctor last year that they were allergic to dust, mold, cat fur, and peanut butter. Umm .... yeah ...

I am not saying that we should let kids swim in a vat of bacteria but we should let them get down and dirty sometimes....

Edited May 21, 2007 by MarilynP

[sereia 0]

my brother has a baby who he constantly wipes his hands with that liquid antibacterial gel after he touches ANYTHING. i worry so much about that little baby getting sick someday!