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Mitsubishi 4WD Owners Club of Qld (Inc) |
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Water Coke or Alcohol? |
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WATER VERSUS COKE VERSUS ALCOHOLCity people mostly get their water from a tap and whilst it is virtually free, unrestricted and perfectly good to drink, many buy expensive filtering systems or bottles of “all natural water” in the belief that it is “better”. And that has to be one of the greatest marketing campaigns of all time. Country people rely mostly on old-fashioned natural, unpolluted rain (although these days it is somewhat of a rarity) for their drinking water. Consequently it is either in short supply or there’s too bloody much. Now granted it may sometimes be a little cloudy with a taste that is hard to define but country people suffer no discernable ill-effects from the water they drink nor do city people drinking their “pure” water have any measurable improvement in their well-being or longevity. However the one thing both have in common is that if they don’t drink water they’ll bloody well die! So having established what anyone with the merest glimmer of intelligence would know, just how much water should you drink each day? Well if you drink too little you are heading for all sorts of physical and mental problems – the same applies if you drink too much alcohol - but if you drink to much water the only down side is that you will waste time and energy in excessive visits to the toilet. Research has found that around 75% of people are chronically dehydrated and the experts state that for many people their thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger. It is stated that even mild dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism by as much as 3%. Now it seems to me that a mere 3% either way in anything is bugger all but the experts go on to say that just one glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of dieters. But again if you are not a dieter and you don’t suffer from midnight hunger pangs I reckon that information means bugger all as well They do however state that lack of water is the number one trigger of daytime fatigue. Obviously the “experts” have never boozed and partied all night! It is claimed that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers which means the other 20% will have to find something else to drink to ease their pain. It is also stated that a mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math and difficulty focusing on a printed page. Now I don’t know about you but I can’t recall having any of those symptoms from lack of water but I seem to have experienced something similar from drinking too much beer, wine or spirits. However dehydration is a real health hazard so if you are driving long distances in an air-conditioned car it is wise to drink lots of water even if you are not thirsty because you will become dehydrated and this will affect your driving ability. It is further claimed that a sufficient intake of water substantially reduces the risk of colon, breast and bladder cancer. The body is about 70% water but the brain is about 90% so if you get a headache (hangover?) drink lots of cool water. And now to COKE ....Whilst it is one of the worlds favourite drinks a quick tour of the internet reveals many more claimed uses and benefits. For example it is stated that in many States in the US the highway patrol carries 2 gallons of coke in the trunk to remove blood from the highway after a car accident something I find just a tad hard to believe. It is also claimed that you can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of coke and it will be gone in two days although only a complete bloody idiot would want to do that. To clean a toilet pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and ….let the “real thing” sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china. To remove rust spots from chrome bumpers (remember them?) rub the bumper with a crumpled up piece of aluminium foil dipped in Coca-Cola. To clean corrosion from battery terminals, to loosen a rusted bolt, you’ve guessed it, use coke! To bake a moist ham…use coke, to remove grease from clothes…use coke, to clean your windscreen…use coke and to clean you engine…use coke…..what a load of codswallop! Coca-cola is a great refreshing DRINK and I’m buggered if I know why a legion of loonies want to use it for a cleaner or a solvent. Who could ever imagine rum or bourbon without coke? However one use for coke other than drinking of which I do approve is as a superb flavouring in cooking as all you avid readers of Kampers Kitchen well know. But whilst coke well deserves its number one world ranking as a great drink it can’t compete with plain old water as the world’s number one thirst quencher and health elixir. And now to ALCOHOL ....And lastly we come to your scribe’s favourite thirst quencher, panacea of many ailments (and the cause of many more!) party starter, and the greatest elixir yet invented………..…..booooze! Now before all you non-imbibing advocates of teetotalism and total abstinence (God forbid!) stop reading and throw this computer down in utter disgust, I would point out that your scribe has spent many years personally researching the great and varied health benefits of alcohol. I have also observed the very marked difference between the extraordinary good health, vitality, geniality and good humour of those who partake (with restrained moderation of course) and those who do not, although this does tend to change markedly depending on the time of the day. And it great to know that this personal research has now been confirmed by an august and thoroughly reliable publication citing exhaustive medical and scientific research of the very highest order! None other than our own Courier Mail, that veritable font of wisdom, knowledge and news for all Queenslanders recently reported that: “MORE good news for drinkers - (and since everyone drinks it clearly refers to everyone) frequent tippling of beer, wine or spirits lowers a man’s risk of heart attack, and it appears to be how often, not how much, that is important!” The report claimed that drinkers could lower their risk of heart attack by one third. Upon reading this extraordinary piece of good news I gleefully showed it to my dear wife who frowns upon the use of alcohol for medical purposes, or any other purpose for that matter, with the hope that she would immediately order a dump truck of booze from the local liquor barn to help me fend off a possible heart attack. Sadly, she read the rest of the report which went on to say that the research should not be used as an excuse for a few more beers because the risks of excessive alcohol are quite serious and that the substitution of one disease for another is not a medical advance. Whilst it does indeed seem that moderate drinkers do outlive non-drinkers, problems associated with too much alcohol include high blood pressure, stroke, heart problems, several kinds of cancer, diseases of the liver and pancreas as well as accidents, suicide, homicide and a fat backside…not so good!! Ah well, I guess more research is needed. However my findings to date have shown that you need to drink water to stay alive and that you need to drink a litre or two a day for sustained good health. It has also shown that there is NO substitute for Coca-Cola in rum or bourbon, as a refreshing, icy cold drink on a very hot day, or for use in the famous Kampers Kitchen Coca-Cola recipes. Alcohol, in moderation, does offer very real medical (and other) benefits. I am now endeavouring to redefine such terms as moderation which is claimed to be just one glass a day and excessive, which is claimed to be just two glasses a day. The only salvation so far is that no one has actually defined the size of a glass so if you come across any glasses around 5 litres or so could you please let me know? Enjoy your camping and your drinking Kampers Kitchen Back to Top |
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