I was doing a search online to try to confirm whether or not snow actually does quench thirst -- the results I found are pretty inconclusive* -- and I happened across this link:
http://www.pyrojection.com/archives/000519.php
It really is a small world. =)
* So far the only people I've seen who claim it doesn't quench thirst are people who say they heard that it doesn't, people who say that anyone who has eaten snow before knows it doesn't, and a single army major from a 1917 hygiene manual who says it does nothing to quench thirst.
(Me, I haven't actually eaten snow in over five years -- contrary to popular American belief, Canada isn't covered in snow year-round -- so I can't honestly remember.)
I saw plenty of advisories that eating snow raw was less preferable to melting it first (saving calories and all that), but that's firmly in the Duh! file.
ID:188377
 Apr 24 2004, 10:07 pm
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Nope, snow is actually even purer than rain due to the crystallisation process. It's my understanding that people claim it doesn't quench thirst because it has no mineral content -- snow does prevent dehydration because it's water, and that's a guaranteed fact, but I'm trying to figure out whether or not you'll actually feel like it's preventing dehydration or whether you'll still feel you need more water.
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It snows here all the time, and no, snow does not make you feel less thirsty, but it does keep you from dehydrating.
Another thing, the first few snows of the year are NOT safe to eat, the density of the snow actually absorbs the bad stuff in the air, and you can get sick from it, but after that the air is generally clean enough to eat the snow. | |
Heh, we normally get one or two snows a year, if any, so if I wanted to eat snow I'd have to eat bad snow. What a shame!
~Ease~ | |
Btw, read some article about WW2 expriences where some guy said "we ate some hands of snow which didnt really satisfy our thirst" though he also said he did indeed have to pie behind some wagon a hour after that =P whahaa.
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(Me, I haven't actually eaten snow in over five years -- contrary to popular American belief, Canada isn't covered in snow year-round -- so I can't honestly remember.) Doesn't snow year-round in Canada? Then how come it snowed in Nova Scotia yesterday, eh? Sounds like its getting pretty damn close to year round to me, eh? EH?! Thank you for allowing me to vent my annoyance. Good day. | |
Gathin wrote:
(Me, I haven't actually eaten snow in over five years -- contrary to popular American belief, Canada isn't covered in snow year-round -- so I can't honestly remember.) If you've been keeping track of climate trends, you'll probably note that the winter season has been getting shorter and shorter these days. An anomalous snow-day shouldn't change that. =P Heck, I remember it once snowed in late May where I used to live (Logan Lake, B.C.). Snow lasted about fifteen minutes before it changed to rain, but it was still shocking. | |
Wouldn't that kinda depend on where you lived? If you lived in...Alaska/Northern Canada where there arn't many cities and what there are, they are small. Now granted they get lots of snow anyways, but my point is still good. I could be wrong, but i would think that if there wants much to polute the snow, then it is probably good to eat, but i could be wrong(some natrual things might polute it).
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well i dont live in alaska, but i live pretty far north, and winters are definately getting shorter. It typically snows here in late november/mid december, but as a child, we had to design our halloween costumes so that we could wear snowsuits under them. Winter is definately a month or more late each year.
As well, out winters are very mild now, and -30 degrees celcius is rare, while as a child, we would have most of jan/feb in the range of -25 to -40. So its also a lot warmer. It is not unreasonable to assume that as the trend continues, my area will become semi-arid/desert. | |
Hah! That's Lummox in full flight, all right. I guess everyone needs a place to vent. =P
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Spuzzum wrote:
http://www.pyrojection.com/archives/000519.php And at that page, Lummox JR wrote: The schmuck who invented caffeine-free Mountain Dew should be stoned. Holy cow, I had no idea this existed! The person who invented it needs a commendation. In the last year or so, my body has decided that it really, really hates caffeine. I really feel awful after drinking just one twelve ounce caffeinated beverage, so I've finally sworn off the stuff for good (I did a 13-month caffeine-free stint a few years ago and had no problem; but that was just for fun, this is serious). I've been thinking for months that I'd love to get caffeine free Mountain Dew. I was even going to write to them and suggest it. I really like the taste of Mountain Dew but I just can't take the caffeine any more. Lo and behold: http://mountaindew.com/about_dew/product_info/index.php It really does exist! Now where the heck can I find this stuff? What're the odds of that, indeed! | |
Hmmm... I'm going to have to say that the difference between snow and water is probably negligible...
After all, the only real difference is temperature... And once the snow's been ingested, even that difference is negated... Now, liquid water often carries a solution of varying minerals and such, whereas snow should be relatively pure H2O...but I don't think that even this difference carries much weight in this matter... Thirst really boils down (heh) to a simple mechanism in you body that measures the amount of water you contain (as compared to other substances, like electrolytes)... Of course, it is a bit more complicated than that, but ultimately, that's all that matters... More water = less thirst, and vice versa... So basically, anything that raises the amount of water in your body will quench your thirst... It really shouldn't matter which phase the water is in when you ingest it... If it is adding water, then it is making you less thirsty... And now that I put it that way, I realize that snow may in fact be more effective at quenching thirst than water, simply because it has a higher concentration of pure water... Some of the benefit of added H2O when drinking liquid water is probably cancelled out by the dissolved contents of that water... Now, I imagine that a greater volume of snow must be ingested compared to water to get the same effect, since frozen H2O molecules are larger than liquid molecules (a cubic inch of snow contains less water than a cubic inch of liquid water)...but again, this difference is probably too small to bother with... And the body of course must use some of its energy in melting the snow, however, all energy in the body (and in all systems, really) eventually degrades into heat... So really, the body wouldn't need to expend any extra energy, it would be merely making use of the energy it is currently wasting (heat exits the body in vast amounts, doing relatively no good... a byproduct of the useful things going on in our bodies)... Now here's where I can see the only difference... More time is probably used in ingesting snow than in taking in liquid water (per volume)... So during the time you're taking in snow, you're going to be losing more water than during the time it takes to ingest the same amount of liquid water... So when you're done, you're not as ahead... But anyways, I've gotta say that the differences are minimal, and snow should work just fine... Now, as to the article you linked to, I've definitely gotta agree with Lummox on the rants he makes... And I've shared his observations on those matters, actually... There's really no excuse for a pop machine vendor to screw up loading the top selections... After all, a Coke machine should concentrate on selling Coke... The others are just random alternatives for the oddballs who were attracted to a huge machine with a huge "COCA COLA" logo on the front, yet somehow refuse to purchase Coke from that machine...lol And being a Wal*Mart veteran, I know all too well about his point there...lol However, what interested me even more than that article was the one after it...lol (Looks for a mysterious gunman swinging his piece at my temple) | |
I live in Canada and hearing about Caffinated Mountain dew is a shock to me since ive never seen it heh maybe they only sell non caffine mountain dew In Canada?
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Jacro wrote:
I live in Canada and hearing about Caffinated Mountain dew is a shock to me since ive never seen it heh maybe they only sell non caffine mountain dew In Canada? That they do, because Canada, Australia, and most Europhile countries completely suck. Okay, slight exaggeration. When it comes to nutritional guidelines and what they will and won't freak out about, they completely suck. So only coffee, tea, and cola-based sodas are allowed caffeine in those countries. Any other kind of soda that would have caffeine in the civilized world is emasculated. Lummox JR soda bigot | |
*Beats head on desk*
Has anyone actually thought: 'Hey, water gets bigger when it turns to ice!'? Because it does. When it freezes, water molecules go into a kind of hexagonal layout, which is bigger than the normal layout they're in. Try eating some snow, then drink the same amount of water. You'll find that the water makes you less thirsty. | |
Lummox JR wrote:
Jacro wrote: http://developer.byond.com/forum/ index.cgi?action=forum_help#standards Specifically: Essentially, this means, avoid swearing, avoid insulting other cultures, races, or countries, and be respectful and kind to others. | |
Just a suggestion . . .
PS: I'm not telling what i said is true, but for as far as i know it would be a reasonable explanation.