It’s a recommendation we all hear and know: Hydration is a key element of optimized health!
Your body is ~60% water and its daily replenishment is necessary for building new cells, metabolizing and transporting nutrients from the food you eat to nourish your body and helping the body flush waste. It’s also responsible for helping maintain a healthy body temperature through sweat and respiration, it’s part of the “shock absorber” system in the spine, protects the brain and spinal cord, and helps keep joints lubricated and mobile. We all agree this is important… but what is the best water to consume?
Below, we compare why some of the the most common sources of water available may not be the best option for daily consumption…
TAP WATER
Most municipal tap water systems contain:
Chlorine / Chloramine: chemical disinfectants added to kill germs and prevent bacterial growth. Hands down the cheapest and most effective way to sanitize our city water supply, it should be know that other than making your water taste like a swimming pool, it can kill healthy gut bacteria, it is linked to several types of cancers, and the EPA states we ingest over 600-800x the “safe” amount of chlorine/chloramine through our drinking water.
Trihalomethanes: chlorine byproducts formed during the water treatment process. They are linked to colon and liver cancers.
Fluoride: Although proven for dental benefits, once it travels past you teeth, a new conversation arises. Studies have shown higher levels contingent with thyroid disease, ADHD, Alzheimers, and Dementia.
Pharmaceutical Waste and Estrogen: OTC meds, birth control / other hormones, pain relievers, and medical waste are commonly found in most water supplies… especially in communities with more medical institutions.
Herbicides/Pesticides: Leached into the ground from sprayed crops, parks, lawns, etc. these have been linked to all cancers, Parkinson’s, etc.
…and more including Arsenic, Lead, VOCs.
BOTTLED WATER
Depending on where the water was sourced, bottled water can be as healthy as natural spring water containing naturally occurring minerals, or lightly filtered municipal tap water. Although convenient, the big issue with bottled water is plastic particles (regardless of BPA) which easily leach into the water, and often can be seen floating to the top when poured into a cup.
CARBON FILTERED WATER (i.e. BRITA, etc.)
Although the most common, carbon filters should be thought of as lightly removing simple organic matter that affect the taste, odor and color of the water. They do not, however, reduce fluoride, bacteria, viruses and many other harmful compounds such as those listed above.
Ok, so what’s the BEST option? If you’re a home owner, I recommend installing a WHOLE HOUSE FILTER to filter out nearly all the toxins described above including chlorine, chloramines, odors, VOCs, PFOA, PFOS, pesticide runoff, pharmaceutical runoff, lead, copper, aluminum, sediment, silt, dirt, and much more.
For daily drinking and cooking water, I would recommend adding a REVERSE OSMOSIS FILTER to filter out additional matter such as: fluoride and other bacteria, viruses, and harmful heavy metals.
If you rent, I would recommend at least investing in a reverse osmosis filter to filter out as much as possible as there is some overlap between whole house and reverse osmosis benefits.
One last thing… now that you have nearly the purest water you and your family can consume, remember reverse osmosis filtering does a great job with filtering out minerals… even the good minerals. Because of this, I would recommend adding a drop or 2 of essential trace minerals to your water before consuming to keep your body’s mineral chemistry in balance.
