By Sharon Truelove
All of us know that we HAVE to have water to live. Three days without it can lead to death. Our bodies are approximately 70% water. We lose about 10 cups of water a day through breathing, perspiration, and other body functions. To stay properly hydrated and replace the water we lose, it is recommended that you drink ½ your weight in ounces. For example: if someone weighed 150 pounds, they should drink 75 ounces of water a day.
You see people carrying around with them various brands of bottled water. There have been many articles written about bottled water ranging from purified water to tap water. It can become very confusing trying to figure out which is the best water to drink to maintain a healthy body. The FDA regulates all kinds of bottled water and has established guidelines to help identify the various types of bottled water.
Tapwater
If you live in Tulsa, OK the following link is very informative concerning our tap water, which in July of 2012 started adding chloramine as a secondary water disinfectant in Tulsa’s water supply. www.cityoftulsa.org/city-services/water.aspx
Another link that is helpful: http://water.epa.gov
You should go to your local government’s websites and find any links available concerning your tap water.
Where and how water is processed can be very different. If you don’t drink water from the tap, other types of water you could drink are: spring, purified, mineral, distilled, filtered… Wow! That’s a lot of information to take in. What are the differences?
Bottled Water
You can buy bottled water, but that won’t guarantee its’ purity. Commercially bottled water may use filtration and disinfection to kill harmful microorganisms to make is it safe to drink. Some ways to disinfect are: using chemicals such as chlorine, chloramine or using radiation. If trace minerals are still left, it is called mineral or spring water.
Distilled
Water is heated and the condensed vapor is collected. The process may remove almost all the minerals and ions. The body’s minerals are said to bond to the distilled water’s molecules. Distilled water may be used to remove inflammation and other toxins from the body, but is not recommended for long term use.
Reverse Osmosis
This is another means to purify water to some extent. It is a process that can be used to desalinate salt water. Unlike deionization, it removes all molecules and ions larger than water molecules. Thus, resulting in a purer form of water, much like distilled water. Purified water has been refined using distillation, deionization, or reverse osmosis. All of these processes remove bacteria and other dissolved solids.
Spring Water
To be classified as spring water the water must be taken from a natural underground source that flows to earth’s surface. It must be collected at that spring’s source only. A borehole may be used to retrieve it, but the physical properties of the water must remain the same.
Alkaline
In Alkaline water, ingredients are added to the water to change the pH to be more alkaline. It’s said to be healthier than spring water because it contains trace elements that our body needs. An alkaline environment is also supposed to help support a healing environment because it contains antioxidants. This type of water may not be good for long term use. Ideally, water should have a pH somewhere between 7.4 and 7.6.
Filtered Water
Filtered water is defined as any device used to reduce impurities from a water supply. The ancient Egyptians used filtration by using a piece of fabric to remove contaminants. Today the best filter is considered to be carbon. Water filters remove more dangerous elements from water than any other purification technique and are made to work with municipal water. Filtered water is believed to be the healthiest and most economical. Using a water filtered can remove cryptosporidium, a chlorine-resistant protozoan, from drinking water; not even municipal water or bottled water can do so.
Challenge: We’d love to hear from you!
1. What type water do you drink?
2. What other types of water have you drank?
3. What type do you most prefer?
Thank for writing this Sharon. It is actually extremely interesting. I know a lot of people think that any water is safe to drink purely because it is water, so having this information available to people is fantastic. To my knowledge I have had all of the water on this list, but my favorite is the water from Starbucks. It is filtered so many times that it becomes clear when it is frozen. I like to rize out milk jugs and take it home with me 😉
That’s a good idea!
Thanks to AC, I am dying to try Starbuck’s water to see if I am discriminating enough to taste a real difference! I have a filter on
my fridge, and drink most of my water from the dispenser on the outside of
that unit. I have several pretty glass bottles that I fill and keep inside my fridge, to entice myself to drink more H2O!
This information is very useful and beneficial. It is extremely important to stay hydrated and to drink safe water to be able to function at our best.
My husband is the supervisor for the water plant in the city we live in and he is responsible for making sure that the tap water meets EPA and state standards. It is very interesting listening to him talk about the various chemicals that are used in water to clean and purify it. I have also been privy to learning how the plant collects cleans and distributes water to the public. I am still learning about the process, but it has definatly opened my eyes to water treatment. After researching several of the bottled water products knowing what I know about water treatment facilities, I would choose to drink tap water over bottled water any day. Tap water is cleaner, fresher, and in some cases has a lot less chemicals in it.
I really find this article really interesting. I drink water everyday. I do my best to stay away from so much sugary beverages, because I know it is not good for me. But there are some waters that have things in it. So we have to be careful with what what kind of water that we drink.
Good article about different styles of bottled water and how they clean the water.
Okay so this may sound funny but years ago I watched a movie called Erin Brokovich and basically everyone in this town was getting cancer of some form or another from the water. So I decided to try different ways to purify my water before drinking it, one thing I would do is boil my water and then freeze it I thought that would kill whatever it is that can hurt me. I also have been known to break down and purchase bottled water I prefer spring water, sometimes other kinds of water have a fishy smell to them and that’s just gross. I know I don’t drink near enough water but I have been getting in the routine of drinking once I get up and right before I go to sleep. Thanks for the blog as always good information.
I dont like water it has always had a bad taste to me. If i must drink it i only drink bottled with some sort of flavoring pouch to add into it.
I was unaware of the 1/2 ratio of your weight is how many ounces you should drink daily. I am going to track how much I drink on a regular day and see how far off I am from getting the proper amount.
Water is the perfect complement for a nutritionally balanced meal. Unless there is specific medical advice against it, everybody can benefit from practicing good hydration. Oh & remember that consuming sugary drinks slows down the rate at which water can be absorbed from the stomach.
I only drink water that has been purified i love ionized water its great!
I drink Spring water for the most part, but sometimes I drink bottle water or just plain old tap water. I do like the spring water the best. I have never seen alkaline water and would love to know where to get some.
Haven’t tried it yet, but I’ve heard you can add 1/2 tsp baking soda to 1 gallon water to raise the alkalinity.
This is great! I drink water every dray in mass quantities and also with my tea, which I also drink in mass quantities! The more I hear about water purification the better. The more I learn, the more I’m grossed out by what I used to drink and put in my body. The more I try different types of waters the more I can taste the differences. Great article.
I agree about the taste! When I started drinking purer water, I started tasting the water; and it’s amazing how sweet and delicious water can taste. When I do my grocery shopping on the weekends, I try a different bottled water each time. My favorite so far has been glacial water.
This was actually some good information about drinking water. I was really surprised about some of the info I found in the links about Tulsa’s water!! That should be something that is more publicly shared. I do however, drink Dasani. I love the taste. I really really dislike drinking tap water, and since I live outside of city limits in Bristow, I have well water. My water is actually high in sulfar content, so we don’t drink it anyways!! I am going to start paying more attention to the water we drink and where it comes from.
TO be honest I hadn’t really thought much about the kind of water I drink. I know that I don’t drink some water from some place because it’s nasty!
I drink filtered water out of our refrigerator. I don’t drink tap water hardly at all. But I have had all water types. I really like spring water!
I usually drink bottled water of whatever brand I come across first (unless it’s Aquafina.. that brand is gross). I drink tap water only if it has a filter on the faucet. I prefer bottled water.
I drink bottled water if I even drink water at all! I have had water from a spring but in my opinion, water just tastes awful in all forms.
Water something I need to drink more of! But I do drink more bottled water at home!
I am not the biggest fan of water, I never have been,and I never actually thought about the kind of water I do drink (bottled). Great article though good information
Here is a good tip for those of us who may work in the service industry and have soda readily available to us, tempting every minute of the day. I would take a 12 oz cup and a 64 oz cup to work, and I would drink 64 oz of water for every 12 oz of pop I would drink. Of course, it’s better just to give up soda all together.
That’s a great tip, Matthew!