When you get thirsty, like most people you probably reach for a glass, open the tap and pour yourself a nice tall glass of water. But, do you know what’s in your tap water? Just from looking at tap water, you’d probably think that it’s no different from any other water. You probably say to yourself ‘Why pay more for bottled water or distilled water when tap water is basically the same thing?’ This is a great question, and I’d be happy to explain what these differences are, and why it might be worth your time and money to invest in better water.
Importance of Water
As a child, I’m sure you learned that water is the foundation of life on planet earth. That’s why our planet is often referred to as the blue planet; the planet is made up more of water than of land. Our bodies reflect this as well, as our bodies are comprised of roughly 65% water. That said, we require lots of water in order to function. Most doctors recommend drinking at least 13 cups a day for men, and 9 cups a day for women – more if you are doing vigorous exercise. So, if water plays such an important role in your health and you want your body to perform at the peak of its abilities, why wouldn’t you drink the best available?
Tap Water
Tap water is probably not the best option if you’re looking for good quality drinking water. Why? Well, tap water is often treated with harsh chemicals in order to make it fit for consumption. Fit for consumption it might be, but that doesn’t mean that it’s particularly good water. The government has often come under fire for being too lax in regards to what chemicals are allowed into our water. And, even if they do treat for certain contaminants, there are plenty of others that go unwatched and unmonitored. Oftentimes, the municipal water supply becomes contaminated with things like antibiotics, hormones, drugs and medications. Even compounds like arsenic, which is a well known poison, have been found in drinking water. Many states are also well known for putting chlorine in their tap water; in some places it’s so strong that you can even smell or taste it.
Distilled Water
Sensitive plants often die when exposed to tap water and growers are recommended to use distilled water instead; so, if you wouldn’t water your plant with tap water, why would you drink it yourself? And, like plants who are sensitive to harsh chemicals, your body will respond well to distilled water too. So what exactly is distilled water?
Distilled water is water that has been had all impurities completely eliminated. That’s to say, it’s pure water. The distillation process is a process in which water is boiled; the contaminants remain behind while the pure water becomes steam which is collected, cooled and jugged up for consumption by people like us.
Bottled Water
Even the bottled water that you often see marketed in vending machines is not as clean as distilled water; oftentimes bottled water is just glorified tap water – tap water that’s been put through a filtration process and sold back to you at hundreds of times the cost it took to make it. If you’re going to drink purified water, it’ll save you some money if you just buy a water purifier for your faucet or one of those pitchers that purifies the water you pour into it.
Some companies who sell bottled water bottle their water at fresh springs, but often times these bottling companies are taking advantage of the indigenous culture from the area around the spring by monopolizing some of their only sources of fresh water. In California, a state that is well known for going through a serious drought period, bottled water companies still insist on bottling spring water and sending it out all across the country using permits that actually expired more than twenty years ago.
Water in the Environment
Instead of contributing to the environmental problems that we’re already facing, you can easily pick up a jug of distilled water from your local grocery store. Distilled water is relatively inexpensive, especially when compared to fancy bottled water, and you can be sure that you’re drinking water that is clean and pure. In most areas you can spend just a few dollars for a gallon of distilled water, whereas you might pay the same amount for a single bottle of water. Some grocery stores even offer systems that allow you to fill your own jug; so instead of having to recycle your empty water jug even time it’s empty you can just take it back to the store and fill it up again. If you’re worried about contributing to the pollution of our planet, just imagine how much you can reduce your footprint by reusing your water jugs instead of constantly buying new bottles of water.
Now, having to run to the store every time you need more water isn’t exactly convenient. But, if you’re considering purchasing a water purification system, you’ll end up spending just as much on replacement filters for your filtering system as you will for bottled water.
If you’re anything like me, I’m sure that having a good source of clean, tasty water is a major concern. Luckily, there are plenty of options for you to consider. I hope that this information will prove useful to you when deciding how you can provide the best water for you and your loved ones.