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The Water Consumer’s Dilemma: From Filters to Distillers Part I

July 2nd, 2005

It hardly needs to be stated that drinking an adequate amount of water is an essential component of any nutrition plan. Doctors and nutritionists have expounded for years upon the proven health benefits of drinking water. Listening to this advice, people around the world have made concerted efforts to include water in their diet and/or general nutrition plans. However, there are currently so many different water products to choose from that the actual integration of the “right” water can become quite a daunting task. Should one choose the convenience and economy of tap water or the commercially lauded “pureness” of bottled water? Should one attempt to treat his or her own water with a distiller, reverse osmosis system, or home water filter? What about mineral water? Or sparkling water? Each of these water choices surely offers some nutritional benefits, but which choice offers the most benefits with the least cost and risk? To help you in your decision, we ! have provided a quick and simple guide to many of the most popular drinking water options.

Tap Water

Thirty years ago, most water consumers would have received their water directly from the tap, accompanied by an occasional indulgence in bottled water Today, the popularity and safety of tap water has withered somewhat. While municipal treatment plants will remove some of the more dangerous contaminants (bacteria, pesticide runoff, etc.), the municipally added contaminants (chlorine, fluoride, etc.) can be quite as dangerous as the original contaminants. In addition, once tap water enters into a home’s plumbing system, corrosion of lead pipes further contaminates that water. The health dangers of these contaminants include cancer, dementia, and birth defects. While tap water may be the most economical and convenient choice, it is certainly not the safest.

Bottled Water

Two decades ago, bottled water emerged as the magic panacea to the impurities of tap water. Since its emergence, the bottled water industry expanded rapidly, seeking to fulfill rising demands for clean, pure water. Today, there are hundreds of bottled water companies, and each company promises the purest, healthiest, drinking water product. Bottled water, however, is not always the “pure, spring water” it is touted to be. More often than not, due to lax regulations and even laxer standards, bottled water is nothing more than bottled tap water. While this water may undergo further treatment, it and its stepchildren (mineral water and sparkling water) are not the superior water products they are supposed-and priced-to be. In general, one can have no assurance that bottled water is of a higher quality than common tap water, and the price of this lackluster product can be enough to strap many a family budget.
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Entry Filed under: General Nutrition

Mediterranean Diet for a Longer Life The Water Consumer’s Dilemma: From Filters to Distillers Part II