I became prone to kidney stones in middle age so now drink a lot of water because the extra fluid through my kidneys helps to flush out stones before they get large enough to cause a problem.

BUT I've had this conversation with my urologist because until I was like 40, I really didn't drink that much water but also rarely felt dehydrated. He said the kidneys are generally just pretty good at helping maintain the right fluid levels in your body even if you aren't flushing them out constantly with H20. Obviously you get water from other foods but also from other beverages -- I used to drink a lot of soda and likely that kept me hydrated even though obviously it comes with other stuff that is not good for me. All the Hi-C and Koolaid and Tang we all drank as kids was the same. And we had little kid bodies -- unless we had an actual issue, our bodies were super efficient at extracting the nutrients we needed, including water, and expelling the rest. We really didn't need extra water.

However, as you get older and might develop problems, it becomes more important to drink wanter and consume less sugar, and that's easier to do if you are already in the habit. So my kids only have access to water and milk and they carry water bottles and I impress upon them the importance of staying hydrated. It's not so important for them now but it will be as they get older and why not instill those habits now so they don' have to wean themselves of soda at 41 like I did.

We overdo the hydration thing now. I also barely drank water growing up and think the obsession with not allowing kids to have water bottles at school is funny. I don’t think it’s a bad thing— few people are OVER hydrating but the concern is so overdone.

Also, I have lived in several other countries, all around the world, and I was asked in every single one what the deal was with Americans and hydration. “Why do you all carry around jugs of water like they are going on a several day hike???” Those other countries did tend to drink more tea but certainly not on the level of huge Yeti cups.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm from the south and I remember drinking a lot of ice tea, but never water

We drank everything but water.

Do you have no teeth

I have stopped carrying water bottles around. I might carry ONE for the family, and then stash some small cups on a backpack for a multi-hour outing. If we really need more, there is always a way to get more. Ex: the zoo, playgrounds, small hikes. If my kids want to carry it, fine. Or they leave it in the car for when they come back.

I only bring water for my kids to sports where they really do sweat and drink a lot.

I drank a ton of juice and milk as a kid. And yes water fountains were everywhere. I just can't really see the downside of drinking water frequently during the day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in the 1960's in Bowie.

I attended Tulip Grove Elementary.

We drank from water fountains. No one carried water or any other beverages.

If you worked at a steel mill or construction you might have carried coffee in your lunch pail.

Kids ate three meals a day with no snacks. Kids were not overweight. You maybe had one kid in the classroom who was 10 pounds over weight.

Food was a costly part of the family budget. Kids were not allowed to eat in Iicars. Kids ate at the kitchen table or dinner table for meals. Kids were not allowed to eat on couches.

I remember visiting (touring) downtown DC in the summer heat. Everyone drank from water fountains when they were thirsty. No one carried around any liquids.

Almost all of that is same as today. Fat poor people living off fast food burgers and fries and pizza aren't everyone.

New poster and no it’s not. Even non poor people seem to let their kids snack all day long now, the snacks will just be ultra processed food that seems healthy instead of twinkies. Think of all the Instagram dieticians that tell us now we’re supposed to give our kids unlimited sweets and no food is “bad”.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone remember those tiny drinks that were in the plastic grenades? Every school field day every kid would get one.

Lil hug

Our grocery store now sells cold "Big Hug Barrels." I buy myself one pretty often.

Anonymous wrote:We definitely didn't drink much water at school, a water bottle would have been very odd. But, growing up in Southern CA in the 70s-80s, the "fancy" families we knew all had the drinking water from Sparkletts with the shimmery trucks that delivered water bottles every week. My parents thought that was a waste of money and drinking from the tap was just fine. But we got an upgrade in high school when they bought a fridge with ice and water dispenser on the door. That definitely encouraged more water drinking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAQ-Mcgl8Yg

Yes! And if it was a fancy & fun house they would have Dixie Riddle Cups

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone remember those tiny drinks that were in the plastic grenades? Every school field day every kid would get one.

Oof, yes. Water, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial food coloring. They didn't even taste good.

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone remember those tiny drinks that were in the plastic grenades? Every school field day every kid would get one.

Lil hug

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My childhood blood stream was 75% kool aid. Or flavor aid if it was a leaner month.

Same! But only the Kool Aid packets that you have to add sugar to because those are cheaper than the cans of ready made mix.

Well, yeah. Obvs.

Does anyone remember those tiny drinks that were in the plastic grenades? Every school field day every kid would get one.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even worse than the lack of water (we never owned a water bottle and snacks were not a thing either) was the constant pop drinking (sorry I was born in Michigan!) Everyone's garage had a selection of 12 packs to choose from.

In my world, your family was rich. We had water, as much powdered milk and frozen OJ concentrate as you wanted to stir up. Hungry? Grab a chunk of government cheese.

That gov cheese was good. I also have many memories of shopping in the "no-frills" aisle where everything was a blinding white.

I use to go to the nurse's station in school pretty often. The treatment was usually a few cups of water and then a lie-down on the cot for 15 min, and then back to class.

Anonymous wrote:I remember being thirsty all the time as a kid, especially in summer. In school, we could get water from the fountain when we went to the bathroom and then would take trips there and I remember being super thirsty but we were each only allowed 5 seconds (understandable because otherwise it would take all day!) But I went to all day summer camps that’s were mostly outside and would occasionally get tiny Dixie cups of water from those big Gatorade jugs. But I was so so hot and thirsty and always wanted more! Why weren’t water bottles a thing back then??

Why didn't you ask for more? As soon as class started, I'd get a bathroom pass and then drink at the fountain for 5 min.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When people eat a decent diet full of real food, they get most of the hydration they need from that food.

Today most Americans get 60% or more of their calories from ultra processed foods, which are typically high in sodium and other additives that can be dehydrating.

It is very doubtful from a basic science standpoint that most people who carry around a water bottle all day actually need as much water as they are consuming. It's encouraged because if not extreme there is no harm, and it might distract the person from consuming more calories than necessary.

But no, most people eating real food don't need to consume as much water as many are today consuming. Which is sad because we are depleting water resources which are not easily replenishable, and in many cases people are not using long term reusable water bottles and the burden on the environment and other species of the castoff plastic is massive.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256#:~:text=You've%20probably%20heard%20the,a%20day%20might%20be%20enough.

Meh, people ate "ultra processed foods" back in the day, too. Bread, pasta, cheese, yogurt, etc. have long been staples of the American diet. You can't make those without a process.

Yes. But not the ultra processed goldfish, pretzel sticks and veggie straws every hour for a snack. Those are also really salty.

Growing up we didn't snack every hour either. Also portion sizes were a lot smaller back then. My parents still use plates and bowls from the 80s and they are so tiny.