Part 2: Water: Which to Drink—Tap, Bottled, or Filtered?

Last week I addressed our need for water and daily requirements. If you didn’t get a chance to read that, be sure to check it out.  This week, I want to briefly discuss the different kinds of water.  Many times people ask me which kind of water to choose and to explain the differences between bottled, tap, and filtered water.  So, I decided to briefly summarize.  

1.      Tap Water—water that comes from the water in lakes or rivers (surface water), or from water that comes from wells (groundwater).¹ This is also known as water from faucet.

2.      Bottled Water—water that comes from Springs or Artesian Wells from the ground that have been tested and approved, or from public treated water supplies that often use processes to further enhance the quality of the water.²

3.      Filtered Water—water that has passed through sand or some sort of screening process to remove heavy metals, pesticides, bacteria, etc.  Water can be filtered by using the following filters:³

a.    Carbon filters—these are inexpensive and common entry-level filters that utilize a carbon filter.  These filters are typically used in special water pitchers or attached to a faucet.  Unfortunately this process doesn’t remove many toxins, heavy metals, etc. 

b.    Water distillers—distillers that use electricity to heat tap water to the boiling point, separating impurities from the “steam”, which becomes the clean drinking water. This method removes everything including the good minerals.

c.     Reverse Osmosis (RO)—tap water that passes through an extremely fine membrane that removes everything. Water from these systems are the optimum level of water filters.  Sometimes bottled water companies use this process as the source of their water.

d.    Alkaline Water Filters—tap water that passes through alkaline filters, which use an electromagnetic process to separate acidic water from alkaline water.  The acidic water can be discarded and alkaline water is used for drinking and cooking.

 

So, which is the best?  According to Dr. Don Colbert, filtered water is one of the best kinds of water to drink.  Whatever you decide, make sure that you have the right balance of purity and alkalinity. Do your research or just email me for more sources!

 

¹“Drinking Water.”  Ewg.org. 29 Aug. 2008. 19 Sept. 2008

<http://www.epa.gov/region7/kids/drnk_b.htm>.

²“Bottled Water Path to Market.”  Bottledwater.org. 2006.  26 Sept. 2008

<http://www.bottledwater.org/public/flash/bottled-water-v33.swf>.

³Don Colbert, MD.  The Seven Pillars of Health.  Florida: Siloam, 2007.

Part 1. Water: Are You Drinking Enough?

Water is one of the most essential nutrients for the body.  As a matter of fact, we can’t live without!  Even though we may live a month without food, we cannot live more than 5 days without water¹—now don’t you think that this makes water important?! Water transports nutrients and oxygen to the body, eliminates waste, moistens body tissues (such as those in the mouth, eyes, and nose), lubricates joints, and cushions organs and tissues.²  So, if water plays such an important role in our lives, then how much are you drinking?  Do you even know how much water your body requires?

 

According to the Institute of Medicine, the daily adequate intake of water should be 3.7 liters (125 ounces) for men and 2.7 liters (91 ounces) for women.  That’s about 8-(16 ounce) bottles of water for men and 5 ½- bottles for women per day!  I know what you’re thinking, “That’s a lot!” Some of you may be even thinking, “I don’t like water that much!”  Here are a few tips that I think will help you meet this quota–#1 and #2 are my favorites:

 

1.    Start your day (when you wake up) with one 16-ounce glass of water.  Repeat every 4 hours until you reach the goal.

2.    Use an interesting glass or bottle for your water. Believe it or not, you eat and drink with your eyes first then the mouth second.  

3.    Add a couple of lemon wedges lemon juice or 1 fresh mint leaf to the water to add a little flavor and garnish; this is good for those of you who don’t like the natural water taste.

 

 

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¹Drinking Water.”  Ewg.org. 29 Aug. 2008. 19 Sept. 2008 http://www.epa.gov/region7/kids/drnk_b.htm
²“Find your water supply.”  Ewg.org. 2008. 19 Sept. 2008
http://www.ewg.org/tapwater/yourwater/index.php>