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consciouseating liQuiD nutRition Water Myths and truths by Catherine guthrie For the past 50 years, nutritionists and other health experts have been exhorting Americans to drink more water. If the ubiquity of water bottles is anything to go by, the message has been received loud and clear. But now, updated research lets us off the hook. It turns out that much of the water craze springs from a deep well of misinformation. Our experts debunk some of the most popular water myths. MYTH: You need eight, eight-ounce glasses of water a day to be healthy. TRUTH: The familiar eight-by-eight rule is likely based on misinterpretation, rather than scientific certainty, says Dr. Heinz Valtin, a kidney specialist, textbook author and retired professor at Dartmouth Medical School, in Hanover, New Hampshire. Valtin traces the prescription to a 1945 recommendation by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council to take in, “1 milliliter for each calorie of food.” In a study published in the American Journal of Physiology in 2002, Valtin explains that most of that allotment already comes from the foods we eat. He not only discredits the need for most people to consume this “mythical” amount of water every day, but writes that the recommendation is potentially harmful, by making people feel guilty for not drinking enough. “The consumer ended up thinking only plain water counts,” says Ann Grandjean, Ph.D., a hydration researcher and medical nutritionist with the University of Nebraska Medical Center, in Omaha. But almost all liquids—including tea, coffee and beer—count toward the daily water intake, she says. So, how much should you be drinking? Researchers at the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine, after reviewing more than 400 studies, including Valtin’s, set the general daily intake for women and men at about 91 and 125 ounces, respectively. The average American receives 20 34 Chicago North & North Shore www.NAChicagoNorth.com percent of this daily water intake from food. The remaining 80 percent comes from all beverages—not just water. MYTH: Caffeinated beverages zap the body’s water reserves. TRUTH: Grandjean first became interested in the reputed link between dehydration and caffeine while working as a consultant to the United States Olympic Committee. “I worked with elite athletes, and I noticed they drank a lot of caffeinated beverages without showing any sign of dehydration,” she says. In 2000, she published a study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition showing that the body doesn’t discriminate between regular and decaf beverages when it comes to hydration. MYTH: If you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. TRUTH: While thirst is an accurate barometer of when to imbibe, the notion that thirst signals a dehydrated body is not true, says Valtin. Thirst is triggered when the blood’s concentration of solid particles rises by 2 percent. Dehydration occurs when the blood concentration rises by 5 percent. So, thirst sets in before dehydration and people who shrug off their thirst can find themselves on the path to dehydration. “Thirst is the first indicator of the body’s need for water,” cautions Dee Sandquist, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Signs to watch out for include headache, dry mouth, rapid pulse and lightheadedness. MYTH: Urine should be clear. TRUTH: Perpetually clear urine can actually be a sign of drinking too much water, which can dilute the body’s electrolytes, according to Grandjean. “Healthy urine should have some color,” she counsels. Certain vitamins, such as riboflavin (B ), can darken urine. 2 MYTH: Drinking a lot of water suppresses the appetite. TRUTH: While being adequately hydrated helps the metabolism run at its optimal level, drinking vast quantities of water won’t affect the overall amount of food you eat. Because water quickly empties from the stomach, drinking water has little effect on appetite, says Barbara Rolls, director of the Laboratory for the Study of Human Ingestive Behavior, at Pennsylvania State University. Eating foods that have a high water content, such as fruits, vegetables, soups and grains, can help us to feel sated. MYTH: Bottled water is always better than tap water. TRUTH: Not necessarily. Be aware that bottled water is often just tap water. A <strong>Natural</strong> Resources Defense Council report cites government and industry findings that 25 percent of bottled water is plain tap water; sometimes treated, sometimes not. NSF International certification indicates brands that meet federal safety standards. Catherine Guthrie is an award-winning health and lifestyles journalist in Bloomington, IN. Connect at CatherineGuthrie.com.
greenliving Rare Ravine-bluff nature Preserve open at Fort sheridan by gail goldberger Years of planning and a huge commitment by a Chicago nonprofit, Openlands, to raise money, restore and manage a major piece of public property are bearing fruit. A rare and beautiful habitat encompassing three ravines and more than a mile of Lake Michigan bluff and shoreline is now open to the public at Fort Sheridan, located between Highland Park and Lake Forest. Openlands Lakeshore Preserve is, “…a unique addition to our natural treasures,” says Gerald Adelmann, president and CEO of Openlands. It is family-friendly, splashed with art, fun for all ages to visit and a place to see and learn about little-known local nature. Lakeshore ravines are unusual in Illinois, and so are the natural communities that form there. “The ravines cut the bluff perpendicular to the lake and provide a microclimate suitable for… northern plants not otherwise found here,” writes Joel Greenberg, in A <strong>Natural</strong> History of the Chicago Region. The preserve lies on part of the Highland Park moraine, formed as glaciers retreated 10,000 years ago. Stretching from North Chicago through Winnetka, the moraine has steep ravines and high bluffs, through which streams tumble to the lake. Thirty ravines are located along this stretch, and most of them are located on private property. Six ravines lie within Fort Sheridan’s boundaries, and three of them are located in the Openlands Lakeshore Preserve: Bartlett, Van Horne and Schenck. Bartlett Ravine alone sustains more than 150 varieties of Photo: Openlands native plants, including six state-designated threatened and endangered species. One hundred and fifty species of birds reside in or migrate through the preserve, with the restored lakeshore habitat providing critical food, shelter and water. The ridges are lined with oaks, and the ravines with maples and basswood. Paper birch and juniper trees more typically found in Wisconsin and northern Michigan thrive here. In one of the least understood of habitats, Openlands is studying ravinebluff ecology to better know how to restore and maintain it. “It is a learning landscape,” Adelmann states. With major grants of $4 million from the Grand Victoria Foundation and $2 million from the Hamill Family Foundation, Openlands began restoring the preserve in 2007. The bluffs and ravines are even rarer when considered in relation to nearby natural areas along Lake Michigan—Illinois Beach State Park and the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Both are dramatic lakefront landscapes, but their ecology is situated on sand dunes and interdunal wetlands, rather than glacial-clay bluffs and steep ravines. The repercussions of not preserving, restoring and taking care of this kind of habitat are manifold. Storm runoff from rain pours down ravines and into the lake; developed areas add contaminants that end up polluting the lake; and runoff erodes ravines, taking down soil and plants with it. By restoring and maintaining plant life, erosion is lessened and water quality improved. Plants that would disappear or never reappear are added to our ecosystem. These restored habitats offer people the opportunity to experience, enjoy, study and steward a landscape otherwise privately owned and off-limits. The 77-acre preserve includes an interpretive trail through Bartlett Ravine, a walkway along bluffs that rise 70 feet over the beach, and a shoreline trail. There are podcasts, signage and art installations at points of entry for learning about the local ecology. Look for a towering mural under the Patten Road Bridge and sculptures down ravine slopes. Openlands has been operating educational programs at the preserve for two years, and now has 20 participating schools of all grade levels, from Waukegan to Chicago. The Openlands Lakeshore Preserve is open free to the public every day from 6:30 a.m. to sunset. Openlands, founded in 1963, protects the natural and open spaces of northeastern Illinois and the surrounding region to ensure cleaner air and water, protect natural habitats and wildlife, and help enrich and balance the lives of citizens. Location: 25 miles north of Chicago, the Openlands Lakeshore Preserve is in the town of Fort Sheridan. From North Sheridan Road, park on either Lyster or Westover roads and proceed east by foot to reach the top of Bartlett Ravine, the main entry to the Openlands Lakeshore Preserve. To organize a tour for a group or organization through Openlands Lakeshore Preserve or for more information, visit Openlands.org. Gail Goldberger is a communications professional and writer living in Chicago. Her work spans health care, human services, ecology, nature and the environment. Photo: Openlands natural awakenings October 2011 35
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