Double Talk
Some time back. I complained here about how well-meaning nutritionists were meddling in my life (and still are), but now I want to mention a couple of other do-good campaigns that are about as obnoxious. To wit:
1, The medical know-it-all folks will tell you that to protect yourself from bacteria -- germs known and germs imagined -- you must wash your hands a very considerable number of times each day. Not just before and after handling food, but countless other times of ordinary activity.
2. They also will tell you that to maintain a proper level of hydration in your body, you must drink eight glasses of water a day, whether you’re thirsty or not. Iced tea, beer and watermelon don’t count..
These folks, doctors, nurses and public health experts, should know, shouldn’t they? Of course they should. But there are dissenting views. I ran across some in recent publications of Consumer Reports magazine.
One had to do with germs.
According to CR, preliminary studies suggest that past generations may have developed stronger immune systems and fewer allergies than we have today simply because they were exposed to greater numbers and varieties of microbes.
It says “overly strict hygienic standards” like today’s may in fact not be helpful in avoiding immune disorders and allergies.
Says further: “. . .It’s clearly not harmful for kids to play in the dirt, and not necessary for them to wash their hands 17 times a day,” quoting Joel Weinstock, M.D., an immunologist and professor of medicine at Tufts University.
Think about it. Suppose you scrub your hands surgically clean. What’s the first thing you touch? The faucet handle. Is it sterile? I doubt it.
And as often as you may choose to wash, how do you sterilize – and keep sterile – your door knobs, books, wallets, cookie jars, handbags, car keys, mouses, pillows, shoes, telephones, steering wheels, pillows, salt shakers, keyboards, TV remotes, sofas, broom handles and on and on. You can’t.
As for the traditional directive to drink eight glasses of water, that’s a well-intended myth dating back to the 1940s, according to Consumer Reports.
Some government body of that time recommended that people ingest 64 ounces of fluid daily, but that was meant to include all fluids obtained from foods and other beverages. It’s been misinterpreted for many years.
So you don’t have to choke down eight eight-ounce glasses of water. You can count a cup of coffee as well as a Scotch-and-soda, which is a pleasant thought.
As for your personal level of hydration, CR says. “let thirst be your guide,” and, as a double check, simply check the color of a readily observable bodily fluid.
Clear or pale yellow is okay.
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