“It ate the food it ne’er had eat, And round and round it flew. The ice did split with a thunder-fit; The helmsman steered us through!”

It was a thoroughly soggy day in the Home of the Green Monster today… 

weather.com literally has rain / snow / wind / yuckiness! forecast for the next week, so if you’re not a fan of the New York Yankees, be sure to stay inside with your comfort food! 

To commemorate today’s dreary downpour of depressing drizzle, here are your 4T4F that all have to do with H-tizzle-O:

1. 8x8!

Drink at least eight 8 ounce glasses of water every day. If you don’t, you’ll die. If you do, you’ll die.

It has become an accepted wisdom to drink at least 8 glasses of water every day. Yes, I’m talking to all of you people who carry around ginormous Nalgene bottles, and even to you – I see your casual, nonchalant water cooler talk as just a way to refill your one gallon mug for free. Guzzling water has become a national pastime just like baseball, Friday night movies, and mid-life crises, but it’s actually more urban myth than medical dogma, and may even lack scientific proof! 

Here is a short list of things drinking 8 glasses of water will NOT do for you:

• help remove toxins from the kidneys
• help improve skin tone
• ward off headaches
• improve organ function
• help you lose weight

Again, in case you think this is blasphemy, I’ll say it again –

You don’t really need to drink 8 glasses of water everyday.

Why, you might ask? 

You are actually drinking while you’re eating - there is a lot more water in prepared food than you think!

Also, even caffeinated drinks, such as coffee, tea, and soda, may be counted towards your daily total of water. 

But is there really a HARM in drinking so much water? 

Actually, yes. 

Even modest increases in fluid intake can result in “water intoxication” 

(No Asian glow included!), in which your kidneys can’t get rid of enough water. If you’ve read this far and think I’m totally making this up, keep reading: Such instances of “water intoxication” are not unheard of, and they have led to mental confusion and even death in athletes as well as ordinary patients.

Besides, do you really want to be that embarrassed person always running to the bathroom??! 

NEVERTHELESS.

Please keep in mind that everyone’s need for water differs. Large intakes of fluid, equal to and greater than 8 glasses per day, are recommended for treating some diseases, such as kidney stones, and for long airplane trips. If you exercise and sweat, you’ll need to replenish your lost fluids. If you live in the Sahara Desert (or anywhere else that has a dry, hot climate), you’ll need more water as well!

 

So here’s the BOTTOM LINE: 

Drink when you are thirsty, but don’t feel obligated to chug that entire Nalgene at 11:59 PM because you’ve only drank 7 glasses of water!

Moving on…

2. It takes approximately one gallon of water to process a quarter pound of hamburger. I think this one speaks for itself.

3. An acre of corn gives off 4,000 gallons of water in evaporation every day. That’s some sweaty corn!!!

4. 95% of a tomato is water, 80% of a pineapple is water, 70% of an elephant is water, and 66% of the human body is water.

And those are today’s 4T4H₂O! I hope you enjoyed them as much as you’re enjoying this deluge of wetness outside. (wait…)

Oh and if you know where the title of this post is from, I’ll umm… give you a bucket to catch rain?! (kidding!)

Here’s a hint:

“Water, water everywhere, Nor any drop to drink.”

Cheers,

J