Drinking Water


What is the best water to drink?

Unfortunately the standard for our municipal water is not as good as it could be. Additionally our water is only as good as the pipes it flows through. Trace amounts of many toxins remain in our water and over a life time contributes to ill health. If a well is an option taping into the Earth’s natural artesian water is the BEST source. This water is both free from toxins and full of rich micro-nutrients naturally provided by the Earth.

A whole house filtration system is the second best choice for those of us who cannot drill our own well. Whole house is recommended because studies show we take in as many toxins showering and bathing as we do drinking water. The problem with filtration is that it removes valuable minerals in addition to the toxins so supplementation may be necessary. Some filtration systems don’t remove enough of the toxins so do your research well. The common “over the counter” pitcher types of filters don’t seem to do a good enough job.

What about delivered/ bottled water?

Typical delivered water options are filtered, spring or distilled.
• Filtered bottled water is not recommended as there is no standard of quality.
• Spring water often has higher mineral levels then traditional bottled water but there is an serious environmental issue with the packaging and selling of spring water. Much of our spring water comes from only a few sources and we are depleting a resource faster then it can be replenished. This isn’t a sustainable practice and should be avoided.
• Distilled water may be a reasonable possibility for a short duration. Distilled water is pure H2O without any additional minerals. As such it acts as a chelator, a substance that binds particular ions and removes them from solution. Initially this can detoxify our bodies' binding harmful toxins that are eliminated in the bowel and urine. The problem lies when we have been drinking distilled water for an extended period of time and it begins to rob our bodies' of essential minerals. One way to improve, but not perfect, distilled water is with the addition of a mineral supplement.

The bottles themselves are not ideal. Research has begun to show an increasing amount of concern about drinking out of plastic bottles. Much of this is in regard to reusing them when the plastic begins to break down and be consumed while drinking water. This is exacerbated if the water is allowed to heat up, like being left in a hot car in the summer.

In addition to the health issues the waste produced by bottled water, much of which originated from the tap, is an astronomical environmental issue. Unfortunately research on the 5 gallon bottles of delivered water has not been done, yet. We can assume they are healthier then the smaller bottles as they are made of a higher density plastic and are not allowed to heat up but the waste issue remains. These are only assumptions and should be considered a con when choosing the best water to drink.

What’s In My Water Anyways?

If you want to know what’s in your water go to your local pet store and ask for a water test kit for fish tanks. These are an inexpensive way to find out what you are putting in your body everyday. Another option is to send a water sample to your local water department for testing.

2 comments:

Ann Henderson said...

Sarah!
Thank you for the blog, I have never blogged before! I so enjoyed our conversations in Salt Lake City. And I am very interested in finding a Doctor here in Delaware since our move. I have found a local DO. I am waiting for insurance changes before going to one.
As for the water information, I have a question. We have not done any filtration yet on this house, we have a refridge filter for the water, and use that or bottled for drinking. In our previous house, we had a UV light for our water, what is your opinion on that? I would assume that it only takes out bacteria, and therefore doesn't do anything for lead or unwanted minerals??

Sarah Marshall said...

This is only an opinion I haven't fully researched it (yet). You are right UV would only kill living organisms and wouldn't do anything about removing pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, drugs, chlorine, fluorine, etc.