November 24, 2000 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE 11
bigtips
Is it true that drinking water with meals is bad for you?
by M.T. "the Big Tipper" Martone Dear Big Tipper,
I've heard bad things lately about drinking water while eating. How can that possibly be bad for you? Is it? I heard it's a bad idea because it washes the food out of your stomach and into your intestines too quickly, so your stomach doesn't have the opportunity to do its part of the job, so your intestines work too hard. Is this true? Into the Drink
Dear Sip Slidin' Away,
I have my own opinion on water with meals (ice water please, and keep it coming), but I'm notorious for poor behavior in such matters, according to my friend Karyn the naturopath. I consulted her on your behalf, and she confirmed my suspicion that I have a drinking problem.
Apparently, water dilutes your stomach acids and can make it difficult for you to digest your food. Some people are more sensitive than others, but drinking a lot of any liquid with meals is not good for anybody.
So I say, "Karyn, water is so important, and most people
are dehydrated, so if the only time you're going to drink is at mealtime, isn't that better than nothing?"
"No, it's not," she replies. "It's incredibly easy to drink water, and if you don't do it, then you're doing yourself a disservice, so get a grip. Phew she's tough! And
Karyn has never steered me wrong, so you'd be wise to listen up to her closing piece of advice: Get a water filter. Get the best one you can afford. Urban water quality in the U.S. tends to be terrible. A Brita filter (which I've got) is better than nothing, and the sink tap filters can additionally remove heavy metals and disease matter. There's been traceable cryptosporidium in the water where I live. That can be a real problem if you're living with any sort of immune deficiency.
I do know why you should be drinking lots of water in general, though.
Flushing lots of water through your system keeps your kidneys and bladder working well, and may help flush the germies out. Not all beverages are good flushers, though: caffeine and alcohol cause your body to stop conserving water, so although they make you pee, these substances are dehydrating.
Water is so good for you-it keeps you from becoming dehydrated. Did you know that you get thirsty because your body senses
.
that your blood is becoming too concentrated and needs to be thinned out a little? A lot of the food we eat is high in water content, so we may crave "wet" things such as fruit or juice to satisfy that thirst, without even realizing that's what we're looking for. Some health care types posit that much of the overeating that happens does so because we're trying desperately to quench our thirst.
Oh, and while I'm waxing digestive, I'll slip in a little scat chat: I just learned something cool from a friend who works at a cancer research facility. Of course, water is great because it helps prevent constipation by helping stools stay soft. But do you know one of the reasons why fiber is so critical? I always thought it was just sort of scrubbing along in there, getting the gunge out of the nooks and crannies, like an internal tub and tile cleanser.
BIG TIPS
But apparently, bulk is really important because, well, it creates bulk. It doesn't digest and get sucked into your cells, so it keeps cruising along ("Nothing to see here, folks! Keep it moving!"), hurrying along the less desirable stuff that your body doesn't want and is going to send
to your end. The fiber dilutes the toxic waste, makes a nice lofty loaf, and keeps the useless sludge from being in concentrated contact with your intestinal walls. So don't peel your apples, okay? Thanks, fiber!
Dear Big Tipper,
I don't usually like to talk about things like this, but I figured I'd ask you anyway. I am a night person, and my boyfriend is a morning person. By the time bedtime rolls around for me, I'm ripe for some sex, but he's almost always dead asleep, and I don't want to wake him up for fear that he will be crabby and out of it.
His pump is primed in the morning, but he's awake long before I am. Of course, inevitably, I'll be waking up, so he is much more likely to be able to persuade me to fool around when he is most into it. I end up feeling annoyed and like I have a lack of control.
I love having sex with him in the morning (once I'm awake enough to know what's going on), but I wish I could initiate sex at night with the same spontaneity and promise of success. Do you think there's a way for me to feel a little less out of control?
OVEN Productions
invites all womyn to attend the
Midnight at the Oasis, But the Camel's Dead Asleep
Variety Show Feb. 24, 2001
2001 Womyn's Variety Show
Kickoff Meeting
Sunday, Dec. 3, 2000
6:30pm
All meetings will be held at the Unitarian Society 2728 Lancashire Road, Cleveland Hts.
If you would like to be in the show or work behind the scenes, come to this meeting!
If you cannot attend, call (216) 321-7799 leave your name & number
Dear Morning Side of the Mountain,
Sigh. This would be easy if it was just a logistical question. You know, just pick a time when you're both awake, or be a little extra aggressive on weekends, when he doesn't have to get up as early the next day. But it's really about feeling like you have some power over the very activity that technically defines your relationship.
This doesn't call for some tip or trick. You just have to ask for what you want, at
Jane Miller, LISW
some time when you're feeling close, and have enough time to talk. The good part is that you're having sex and enjoying it. You just need to let him know what you want ahead of time, and then step up to the plate, wake him up and swing that bat.
Burning questions? Contact me at the Chronicle, attention Big Tips, P.O. Box 5426. Cleveland 44101, or fax to 216631-1052. or e-mail (a drizzle.com.
of D.L. Dunkle and Associates Offices conveniently located
in Oberlin and Cleveland.
(216) 229-2100
or Toll Free,
1-800 457-0345
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