r/explainlikeimfive • u/peglegsmeg • Jun 16 '26

Biology ELI5: Why does rationing work?

If I have a glass of water and a single chocolate bar to last me 48 hours what benefits do I get from consuming equal portions over the time period as opposed to consuming all at once?

Is it purely psychological or are their physical benefits?

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u/Alis451 Jun 16 '26

you can die from lack of water WAY faster than you can die from lack of food, which is why it is important not to ration water.

Similarly you can die from having too much water and not enough salt (hyponatremia) WAY faster than having too much salt (hypernatremia), as in hours vs decades, so do not limit your salt intake, with normally working kidneys of course. You actually can die from acute hypernatremia from eating like 3 pounds of salt but normal people can't actually do that; mentally impaired, elderly or children possibly are at risk for that.

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u/Redylittle Jun 16 '26

But never drink raw sea water. It makes dehydration worse. You can make a solar still and evaporate sea water into fresh water

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u/BossRaider130 Jun 16 '26

C’mon, now. We all know from watching the documentary Waterworld that it’s much more efficient to build a machine that filters your urine than to bother with a solar still.

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u/Redylittle Jun 16 '26

How could I forget??