cold water

[Gaston]

why is water more desireable to drink when its cold? is it some kind of instinct held over from our ancestors for a reason? like mabey cold water was less likely to have germs or something?

 

[Krumlink]

Your taste buds will respond differently in different temperatures. Apparently they enjoy cold water more.

 

[Hank Fletcher]

why is water more desireable to drink when its cold?

Most people don't drink anywhere near enough water. Like eating meat instead of vegetables, it's one of many health sacrifices that people make due to cultural indoctrination, exploitation, and inertia.

As a result, most people are in a constant state of dehydration without even being aware. Without enough water (about 2 litres a day), your body will overheat, you'll find you're less comfortable given variations in temperature (like when you have to go from outside in the cold/heat inside to the heat/cold), and of course, you'll get thirsty. Because you're drinking water out of desperate necessity as oppose to as a matter of course, you crave the cold water for the function it serves your body.

If your pee isn't clear by the time you go to bed, you haven't had enough water that day. Keep your body cool and flush some of the bad stuff out at the same time - think of water as radiator fluid and wiper fluid all in one.

 

[ThermalRunaway]

If your pee isn't clear by the time you go to bed, you haven't had enough water that day. Keep your body cool and flush some of the bad stuff out at the same time - think of water as radiator fluid and wiper fluid all in one.

I'm never going to read this forum while I eat ever again!

Brian

 

[jpanhalt]

Most people don't drink anywhere near enough water.

Hmmmm...judging from the number of females I see constantly sucking on water bottles, chronic dehydration must be a characteristic mostly of men

More seriously, two additions: 1) Older people do not seem to sense thirst as well as younger people do. They need to be particularly conscious of the need to drink water. 2) Alcoholic beverages actually dehydrate. If your 2 liters a day is half beer, add more water. But, don't mix it with the beer (or scotch). John

 

[dknguyen]

I always forget to drink water when I'm at home by myself. WHen I'm at school though I drink lots of water because I have lots of reminders. If your breath ain't good enough to mack, drink more water! Well...works for me anyways.

But after drinking lots of water for a while, you really feel sick and dirty when you don't have enough water. Don't stuff yourself with water though...I saw on the news a town had lots of people with reversible kidney damage because they drank so much water.

 

[OutToLunch]

it wasn't very long ago where some lady died because she had drank too much water - it was a radio contest where the one who could hold it the longest won - but they kept making them drink water. IIRC the prize was concert tickets...

 

[dknguyen]

it wasn't very long ago where some lady died because she had drank too much water - it was a radio contest where the one who could hold it the longest won - but they kept making them drink water. IIRC the prize was concert tickets...

I thought it was for a Wii? Or are there two stories going on here?

 

[jpanhalt]

I heard that story too, but don't recall which contest it was. Water intoxication is a real condition, but in the case of the contest, there were possibly other factors operating as well. John

 

[dknguyen]

Maybe because a lot of water comes from glaciers and if it's cold it means it's new, and cold water also has less germs I think. Also, if water is cold it probably means it didn't just come from some animal.

 

[jpanhalt]

Maybe because a lot of water comes from glaciers

Maybe where you are that is true, but humanity did not evolve in your area. It evolved in Africa.

and if it's cold it means it's new, and cold water also has less germs I think

I am not aware of any evidence that cold water has less germs in it than warm water. In fact, fresh urine is usually sterile. It's not good for you to drink because of the salts and other impurities. If you are worried about infections, drink cow (or moose where you live) urine; however, the problems with salts and osmotic concentration still hold. There is a much lower chance of getting hepatitis from it, though. John

 

[Hero999]

I don't like my water too cold as it hurts my teeth.

 

[jpanhalt]

I couldn't agree more. I like cold beer (or bitters), water at room temperature or slightly cool, coffee and women hot. It has nothing to do with evolution. It is a matter of taste. Now, I failed to point out before that cold inhibits taste, and that may be why some people like cold water.

John

 

[Hank Fletcher]

I don't like my water too cold as it hurts my teeth.

I have this problem, too - due to an illness that I had when I was young, my teeth developed with thinner than usual enamel. Naturally white teeth, but very susceptible to cavities and temperature, sweetness, etc.

This bothers me more than most people, because I like playing brass instruments. Every now and then, that involves putting a bit of pressure on the teeth. A few years back my dentist turned me on to Sensodyne toothpaste. Can you get that in the U.K.? If not, let me know and I'll look up what the de-sensitizing ingredient in Sensodyne is, and you can find an equivalent brand. My advice: avoid the baking powder (or do I mean baking soda? I always get those mixed up!) brands - they taste disgusting!

Sensodyne's alright, though. I brush with it all the time, and I even got really used to the taste, so I brush for a long time, sometimes just sucking on the brush for a half-hour or so. Weird, huh? But with that and the water, I have never had a complaint from the ladies! And my teeth stay numb, which is the way they oughta be.

Anyway, enough of my toothpaste ad. As for the whole water intoxication, kidney damage nonsense, it's all bogus. By all means, go when you gotta go. As long as the water you're drinking is clean, it's all good. Apparently people with low-sodium diet restrictions ought to be careful about drinking water from systems with water-softeners, but even then, a typical gallon of water from a household-water softener has about as much salt as two slices of white bread. You don't need to drink a gallon! Incidentally, stop eating white bread, too.

There are a couple things that perpetuate these sort of myths. First, obviously there's a lot of industry at stake (alcohol, pop, coffee) that has an interest in convincing you you're better off drinking their filth than water. Seriously, I'm not into drinking pee as was alluded to above, but you'd be better off doing that than drinking alcohol, pop, or coffee. But don't drink pee either.

Second, allowing your consciousness to be distracted by fanciful notions like, "Hey, maybe water can be bad!" generally serves the purpose of fuelling your apathy. Seems weird to think that apathy is something that requires fuel, but we do it all the time. We imagine stories that are essentially opportunities for us to invent excuses for not changing our ways. Because we're animals, and we use energy, and we like to conserve energy, and it takes less energy to think of a reason for not doing something than it does to actually do something.

But we're also able to anticipate consequence. If your instincts tell you that you're headed in the wrong direction, trust them. Find out what's bugging you about what you're doing (like the things you put in your body) and change them. Really get down to the nitty-gritty, know all the facts, and who might have an interest in duping you.

Of all your assets, none of them is more important to you than your body. Re-assess where your health is in your hobbies. There's no sense in restoring an old car if you're wrecking yourself with bad food. Think about it. Take some time to do it right. You deserve it. You deserve a Ferrari of a body. You can do it. Other people have, you can, too. Other people have, with less available to them than you. That means: you can do it. The choice is yours. Choose to do it, because you deserve it. Eat right, feel great.

 

[jpanhalt]

As for the whole water intoxication, kidney damage nonsense, it's all bogus.

I'm sorry, but you are quite simply wrong. Water intoxication (hyponatremia) is a well established medical condition. It is usually associated with psychiatric problems and is seen in the fairly rare condition of diabetes insipidus, but it can occur in otherwise healthy individuals.

Google has many citations for water intoxication in healthy individuals. For a more scientific search, try the National Library of Medicine of the Natinal Institutes of Health (USA) at **broken link removed**

You may need to register. When searched for "water intoxication," that site yielded over 1273 citations of primary reports in the referred medical literature. Here are just two recent examples:

1) Symptomatic hyponatremia after voluntary excessive water ingestion in a patient without psychiatric problems.
Hiramatsu R, Takeshita A, Taguchi M, Takeuchi Y.
Endocr J. 2007 Aug;54(4):643-5.

2) Water intoxication-a dangerous condition in labor and delivery rooms.
Ophir E, Solt I, Odeh M, Bornstein J. Obstet Gynecol Surv. 2007 Nov;62(11):731-8.

John

 

[crusty]

beer is better.

 

[dknguyen]

beer is better.

But Vodka is best. You've never had water until you've had Russian water.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Probably the best water I've had was out of a 'puddle' down a cave

Filtered down through hundreds of feet of Derbyshire limestone, drip by drip into a sandy bottomed puddle - crystal clear and at a nice cool temperature!.

 

[Krumlink]

Probably the best water I've had was out of a 'puddle' down a cave

Filtered down through hundreds of feet of Derbyshire limestone, drip by drip into a sandy bottomed puddle - crystal clear and at a nice cool temperature!.

With probably hundreds of colonies of bacteria growing in it

I LOVE cold water. Doesnt hurt my teeth at all.

 

[Salgat]

Probably the best water I've had was out of a 'puddle' down a cave

Filtered down through hundreds of feet of Derbyshire limestone, drip by drip into a sandy bottomed puddle - crystal clear and at a nice cool temperature!.

You were probably lucky enough to have some of the best filtered mineral water out there.