Drinking enough water every day is one of the best things we can do for our bodies. But just any water won’t cut it. We often have the misconception that water will be fine to drink provided it’s not coming from a dodgy-looking source. But before drinking water, we should filter it, even when it’s from our trusted tap at home. Like food, the human hand has played a role in processing most of the water that we have access to.
Toxin Intake
If we don’t filter it before drinking, tap water could cause harm to your system. Even in certain areas where municipal water has a good track record. Don’t assume it’s good for you to drink just because it’s not going to give you cholera.
Water treatment facilities play an important role in providing clean water, however, treatments often leave behind byproducts, such as trihalomethanes that may be harmful when consumed. Aside from that, the microorganism killing chlorine that they use as a disinfectant has serious toxic effects on the body. Having been linked to various issues such as breast cancer, birth defects, asthma and premature aging of the skin. Chlorine has also been identified as the leading cause of bladder cancer.
Then there are the heavy metals, like lead or aluminum. Unbeknown to anyone there could be corrosion or a breach in the pipes that our water supply passes through. Causing the water to become contaminated with harmful metals linked to health issues such as nerve and kidney damage.
Drinking tap water before you filter it is not going to harm you immediately. But exposure to low doses of contaminants over long periods of time can lead to chronic conditions. As humans, we ideally need 2 – 3 litres of water per day and if even half of that is coming straight from the tap then we are suddenly looking at a pretty high toxin intake. Add that to all the other toxins in our environment and you should start to feel a bit of sympathy for what the body has to contend with.
Which Water is the Best for Drinking?
Spring Water
I’m sure most have guessed, but yes, it’s spring water. Spring water is simply amazing. It even tastes delicious, never having the flat taste that boiled or treated water tends to get. It naturally provides the body and brain with oxygen and aids in good digestion. Containing all the important minerals and vitamins that water was originally designed to give us.
Bottled Water
Unfortunately, we don’t all have access to spring water all the time. So an alternative would be water bottled at a spring and sold in store. Although you may have to contend with micro particles of plastic absorbed by water in plastic bottles. Should you go this route I recommend doing a bit of research before picking a brand, as a lot of bottled water is in fact treated and not spring water.
Distilled Water
Distilling water is a great way to remove unwanted contaminants. Although the process also removes healthy minerals and nutrients so drinking it on a continuous basis could lead to mineral deficiencies.
Filters and Reverse Osmosis
Then we have different types of filtration systems such as carbon filters and reverse osmosis. Whether a carbon filter removes all unwanted chemicals in drinking water is questionable, and there is some conflicting information about reverse osmosis. A process that involves passing the water through fine membranes which filter out unwanted particles. Usually, reverse osmosis will also have some form of carbon filter within its system.
All in all, I’d say go with your gut feeling. Literally. Every single one of us is different, and we can use as many informative resources as possible to narrow down our options. But at the end of the day, you need to decide on what makes you feel good. I have a ceramic water filter with a carbon core at home. It gives me delicious tasting water that I feel great from drinking every time. I have a very sensitive gut (a curse and a blessing) so I trust that it will let me know when it needs something different.
Boiling Water
As a child, I have memories of being told to boil water to make it drinkable in case of emergency. This is a great one to remember because boiling will remove unwanted microorganisms, but will it remove the toxic chemicals like chlorine and lead as well? After doing some research it seems that the online world is a bit undecided as to whether it actually works or not. And as someone suspicious of food industry sales pitches, I scratched deeper and have ended up in a little hay stack of information. As soon as I have found the needle I will add it here!
Drinking Good Water is an Easy Start
Drinking good water is about minimising our toxin intake to assist in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. And it’s an easy starting point. So if you want to take better care of your body but are drowning in all the dos and don’ts then I recommend beginning with the smaller, easy-to-change aspects, like your drinking water. You will already be doing your body a lot of good and assisting its ability to deal with other toxins by regularly consuming a healthy amount of healthy water.