Prepping Guide for Hydration

[JohnB445]

I want to share what I have so far learned.

Water is one of the most important things a prepper will need, we can only live without water for around 3 days. It is very important that the sources of water we are drinking are clean, even if we are very dehydrated, drinking from a stagnant pond of water can give us Giardia, parasites making us very sick and that will only dehydrate us further if that happens. Don't think a simple Brita Filter will purify the water, they won't be able to filter out pathogens. You would need a more advanced water purification system to make the water safe to drink. If you live near an ocean, the ocean water will actually dehydrate us further because there is too much salt in sea water.

When it comes to our body needing sources of energy, carbohydrates will take the least amount of water for our body to digest, if you did not know our body uses water for digestion, fat will take the most water to digest. So, if supplies are limited when it comes to water, and you decide to eat it is best to consume foods that are higher in carbohydrates than fat instead.

If you ever do come across a clean water supply, it is recommended to NOT drink any more than 700ml to 1 Liter of Water in one sitting, our kidneys will not be able to process any more than that amount depending on the person per hour. and any excess water will go to waste as our body doesn't store water like it stores fat.
Drinking large amounts of water in one sitting can even cause overhydration, somebody has died by drinking 6 liters of water within 3 hours.

I know many foods and drinks can be high in water content, such as milk is 90% water, and fruits such as watermelon, kiwi, pineapple, along with other fruits are very high in water. They hydrate you as you eat them.

Lastly physical activity, being in a hot climate, sweating, and even talking will require you to drink more water compared to somebody who is sedentary.

This is not a complete guide; I am learning a little bit as I go. Any suggestions welcome or tips. I hope you learned something new.

 

[public hermit]

My suggestion: drink plenty of water before you get hot. People tend to wait until it's too late. If you know you will be out in heat, drink plenty of fluids the night before and then continue. When I was a lineman working in the East Texas heat, we tried a rough experiment on whether water or water w/powdered Gator-aid worked better. We alternated days, and it was purely subjective, but we all seemed to agree that something w/electrolytes seemed to help more. I'm sure there's probably obvious scientific reasons for that, but I don't know them (short of electrolytes help).

 

[AlexB23]

I want to share what I have so far learned.

Water is one of the most important things a prepper will need, we can only live without water for around 3 days. It is very important that the sources of water we are drinking are clean, even if we are very dehydrated, drinking from a stagnant pond of water can give us Giardia, parasites making us very sick and that will only dehydrate us further if that happens. Don't think a simple Brita Filter will purify the water, they won't be able to filter out pathogens. You would need a more advanced water purification system to make the water safe to drink. If you live near an ocean, the ocean water will actually dehydrate us further because there is too much salt in sea water.

When it comes to our body needing sources of energy, carbohydrates will take the least amount of water for our body to digest, if you did not know our body uses water for digestion, fat will take the most water to digest. So, if supplies are limited when it comes to water, and you decide to eat it is best to consume foods that are higher in carbohydrates than fat instead.

If you ever do come across a clean water supply, it is recommended to NOT drink any more than 700ml to 1 Liter of Water in one sitting, our kidneys will not be able to process any more than that amount depending on the person per hour. and any excess water will go to waste as our body doesn't store water like it stores fat.
Drinking large amounts of water in one sitting can even cause overhydration, somebody has died by drinking 6 liters of water within 3 hours.

I know many foods and drinks can be high in water content, such as milk is 90% water, and fruits such as watermelon, kiwi, pineapple, along with other fruits are very high in water. They hydrate you as you eat them.

Lastly physical activity, being in a hot climate, sweating, and even talking will require you to drink more water compared to somebody who is sedentary.

This is not a complete guide; I am learning a little bit as I go. Any suggestions welcome or tips. I hope you learned something new.

An atmospheric water generator (AWG) could work for you to have access to water when camping or prepping, for those who have good enough humidity in the air (40%). Coils condense water vapor in the air, and turn it into a liquid to drink. And yes, drinking too much water can be bad also.

AWG Tech info:

6 Innovative Atmospheric Water Generators - ASME

Check out the Innovative Atmospheric Water Generators with ASME. Atmospheric water generators (AWG) are now being developed to squeeze water from the air.

www.asme.org

Disclaimer: Not a prepper, but am interested in science and tech, and hope that advanced technology could assist you in your prepping.

 

[timewerx]

Hydration is something you need to strike a fine a balance especially if you're trying to conserve both water and food.

If you drink too much water, this will deprive you of electrolytes and trigger hunger response causing you to eat more than necessary.

If you're adding electrolytes to water, it would be better if the electrolyte product didn't contain sugar or calories because sugar is "diuretic" making you urinate more and consequently drink more than necessary. The best electrolyte products are those with least or even zero calories.

Definitely avoid sugar if you're trying to conserve water. Both in your food and beverage.

The body can be trained to become even more energy efficient than it already is. Most health and fitness recommendations don't take prepping into consideration.

Ironically, health and fitness articles recommend practices that makes body even less efficient - so you can indulge on food without gaining weight.

It's entirely feasible to be quite physically active, even perform heavy lifting on a long-term basis and maintain weight with little food and water. The body adapts and learns to recycle damaged tissues in the body.