Most people know that drinking eight glasses of water a day can improve health, boost energy levels and support well-being. However, not all water is equal. For example, the contents of tap water are quite different to those of bottled water. Plus, there are many other types to think about, such as filtered water, mineral water and natural spring water.
Working out which is best for you isn’t always easy. So, we’ve done some homework on your behalf. Here, we take a look at the various kinds of water available in Australia, consider the dangers of bottled water and examine the impact of filters.
Water might be considered the fountain of youth, but, for it to do its job well, you need to drink the right stuff. In other words, find a water source that’s clean, pure and packed with minerals and nutrients. As far as possible, keep well away from water that contains unpleasant chemicals.
What are your options?
Before deciding which water to choose, it’s important to familiarise yourself with your options. Tap water is always at the ready in Australia, but what else could you be drinking?
Tap water: The most common type of drinking water in this country is, of course, tap water, which comes out of faucets in homes and businesses far and wide. Unfortunately, to prevent waterborne diseases, this water is treated and cleaned, which involves the use of harsh chemicals, such as chlorine. Having these swimming around in your body year after year isn’t ideal.
Distilled water: In order to distil water, it is necessary to vaporise it, which means removing all solids. Although this process does get rid of nasties, it also gets rid of goodies, too, including minerals and nutrients.
Reverse osmosis water: Like distilling, reverse osmosis aims to take dirt and chemicals out. It involves pushing the water through membranes, which catch all solids. However, the problem, yet again, is that these solids include minerals and nutrients, which are the health-giving elements in water.
Deionised water: Deionising is often successful in eradicating ionised pollutants, but it doesn’t work on pathogens, so the resulting product isn’t necessarily safe to drink.
Is bottled water safe?
Although people assume that the bottled water sold on supermarket shelves is safe, this isn’t always the case. There are many factors to consider, such as where the water is sourced, how it is bottled and how it is transported. Water bottled at a natural spring is completely different to that which comes from a tap and is then cleaned.
First of all, plastic contains toxins, which, over time, can enter the water. The longer the water stays in a bottle, the more likely this is. So, even though reusing a bottle is the environmentally friendly thing to do, it might not be so friendly to your body.
Secondly, a lot of bottled water is nothing more than purified tap water. While this is less likely to contain chemicals, it is often short of the minerals and nutrients you need, so drinking it won’t do much for your health.
Thirdly, bottled water is an environmental disaster. Plastics are a major source of landfill, transporting the bottles over long distances requires copious amounts of fuel. Some companies carry bottled water halfway across the world on ships and aeroplanes, which is a bit crazy and irresponsible, when you think about it.
The good news is that not all bottled water is bad. For example, Beloka Water comes in glass bottles – rather than plastic – so you don’t have to worry about adding to landfill or unintentionally consuming nasties.
Also, most importantly, Beloka Water is bottled at a pure source in Australia, high in the mountains of New South Wales. This means it’s clean, pure and rich in mineral and chemicals. In addition, transport miles are kept to a minimum. So, Beloka Water is friendly to both you and the planet. We think it’s mad to import mineral water from Europe when we have such amazing water right here in Australia.
Mineral Rich H2O
The most beneficial and health-giving water is packed with minerals and is derived from a clean source, away from contaminants. It doesn’t need to go through any purifying processes, which might remove pollutants, but take all the goodness away, too.
There’s a variety of places where you can find such water. The first is a well, which is where many people around the world without access to tap water get their H2O. Once a subterranean water source is located, a hole is drilled, then fitted with a pump, which pushes the water above ground, where it is then collected.
The second is a natural spring. Like well water, this comes from a naturally-occurring source, so it’s full of minerals and nutrients, including magnesium, potassium, and sodium. When you see bottled water that’s labelled “spring” or “Artesian”, this is where it comes from. It’s definitely preferable to bottled water that is nothing but cleaned-up tap water.
Filters
Needless to say, not everyone has a well or a natural spring on their doorstep, or the money to buy bottled Artesian water. So, another option is filtering. Although mineral water is certainly superior to filtered water, a filter is better than no filter at all. The trick is finding the best possible filter, get your hands on one that removes dirt and chemicals, such as chlorine, but keeps the minerals.
Unfortunately, most readily available filters, such as the Brita filters sold in supermarkets, strip the water of everything. A more effective option is absolute one micron filtration, which takes away particles that are one micron or bigger, but keeps minerals. Another is ozonation, which kills bacteria without the use of nasties and also without eliminating minerals.
Water: The fountain of youth
Whichever type of water you decide to drink, make sure you get at least eight glasses a day. As far as possible, keep away from dangerous chemicals and unpleasant plastics. Instead, go for water that is rich in minerals and nutrients, which are crucial to health and well-being.