Friday, August 1, 2008

hydration in hot weather

I add 1/2 teaspoon Morton LiteSalt to my 2 liter backpack canteen
page 118 Let's Eat Right by Adelle Davis
Under normal circumstances, a healthy person runs little risk of deficiencies of sodium and chlorine. In extremely hot weather, however, so much salt can be lost through perspiration that death may occur.
Death from salt deficiency occured during the construction of Boulder Dam and similiar projects. During the blistering summer of 1933 I corresponded with an engineer who was working on Parker Dam. Each letter contained some such note as, "We had a wonderful cook but he died yesterday of sunstroke." The symptoms of sunstroke are now recognized as caused largely by loss of salt through perspiration.
A lack of salt causes symptoms varying in severity from mild lassitude, weariness, or hot-weather fatigue, common during heat waves, to heat cramp, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke, familiar to those who work in iron foundries, furnace or boiler rooms, and industrial plants such as steel or paper mills. Even persons who play tennis or take similar exercise during hot weather may suffer from heat stroke.
Persons working in extremely hot weather are often advised to take a salt tablet with each drink of water.
page 187 there are three nutrients - potassium, sodium and chlorine which we need in quite large amounts. Sodium and chlorine are supplied by tablet salt. Potassium is widely occuring in ........

Morton LiteSalt 11 oz about 99c
1 oz = 6 teaspooons
11 oz = 66 teaspoons= 76,560 mg sodium, and 89,760 mg potassium
1/4 teaspoon serving
290 mg sodium
340 mg potassium
40% iodine
If you put one teaspoon Morton LiteSalt per gallon of water, an 8 oz serving will contain 72 mg Sodium, and 85 mg Potassium.
8 oz of Gatorade
contains 110 mg sodium, 30 mg potassium. (per Gatorade label.)

4 comments:

riverwalker said...

Dehydration is always a problem in south central Texas. The heat will literally suck the moisture right out of you. Good post Vlad!

RW

Staying Alive said...

I believe what you say about needing salt and those life giving minerals. Good to know that. But when you are bugging out where are you headed? What is your destination? Who will you be meeting there? How will you eat? What water will you drink? Many questions.

Michael

Survival Chick said...

Great post!

Ryan said...

I have a shade of experience dealing with exertion in very warm climates. I've found that if you eat normal full meals 3x a day (this is hard when it is 120deg) and drink lots of water things will be OK. A scosh of salt in a gallon of water is a good idea though.

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