Can Your Water Be Killing You? The Good And The Bad


Can Your Water Be Killing You? The Good And The Bad

Distilled Water

There are many water selections to choose from when walking down your supermarket aisle. What factors do you consider when buying water? Price, brand name, or what’s on special? All water is not the same. The ideal water that is consumed should be slightly alkaline and this requires the presence of minerals, like magnesium and calcium. So what does store bought water contain and what is really good for your body? How does it compare with your home filtered or tap water?

Distillation involves boiling water and then condensing the steam into a clean container. Since distilled water does not contain any corrosive minerals or ions, it is used to top off automotive lead acid batteries and cooling systems.

Distilled water is void of any dissolved minerals, so it can actively absorb toxic substances from the body and eliminate them when consumed. However, distilled water tends to be acidic and can only be recommended as a way of drawing poisons out of the body. Once this is accomplished, the continued drinking of distilled water is a bad idea. The more distilled water a person drinks, the higher the body acidity becomes.

Cooking foods in distilled water pulls the minerals out of the foods and lowers their nutrient value.

Distilled water has some great benefits when used in steam irons and humidifiers. Regular tap water will increase mineral build up and diminish the humidifier’s and steam iron’s effectiveness. Distilled water is also used in Constant Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines. The water is used to humidify the air entering the user’s mouth, throat, and the nasal cavity. Distilled water will not leave any contaminants behind when the humidifier in the CPAP machine evaporates the water.

Drinking sodaThe next time you buy your favorite brand of soda, look at the label. According to Dr. Rona Zoltan, soft drinks are made from distilled water. Studies have shown that heavy consumption of soft drinks, with or without sugar, throw off huge amounts of calcium, magnesium and other trace minerals into the urine. The more our body depletes minerals, the risk increases for coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, hypothyroidism, and other degenerative diseases associated with premature aging.

Bottled Water

Bottled waterAre they all the same? Purified, mineral, and spring water? Bottle labels make claims such as “purified through a rigorous process,” “enhanced with minerals,” “purity guaranteed,” or “water filtered through mineral rich layers.” So what are the best bottled water brands and the ones that are best for your body? Facing a slump in sales of carbonated soft drinks due to health concerns, beverage companies are increasingly relying on bottled water revenue. According to the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), total 2014 sales revenues for US bottled water were $13 billion in wholesale dollars. Americans consumed 12 billion gallons of bottled water, or about 34 gallons per person. The three largest beverage companies are:

  • Nestlé – They produce bottled water under various brand names depending on the region. These brands include Arrowhead, Calistoga, Deer Park, Ice Mountain, Ozarka, Poland Spring, Pure Life, and Zephyrhills. Nestle says its Pure Life water is purified through a 12-step process, including reverse osmosis and distillation.
  • PepsiCo – Produces Aquafina. New labels will spell out “public water source,” acknowledging the bottled brand’s shared origin with tap water. Aquafina is then purified through a seven-step process, stripping it of minerals and other contents commonly found in municipal water supply.
  • Coca-Cola – They produce Dasani. Coke acknowledged the “public origins” of Dasani back in 2013, but maintains that the purification process distinguishes it from tap water. Dasani’s label states it is purified water.

Purified bottled water

The bottling companies, with the exception of just a very few, use extreme “filtration” processes including reverse osmosis, distillation, and deionization; in addition to “ozonation,” which infuses water with oxygen to kill germs before bottling it. The ozonation process has been reported to also add too many free radicals to the water. Neither of these processes make the water healthier, and they are not better than what your water company does at all. See chart below. Plus the extreme measures of filtration tend to make “purified bottled water” more acidic.

pH Level

To keep our blood the right pH level, 7.4, we should drink water at a high pH level. Drinking alkaline water helps the body detoxify. Toxins are acids, and to maintain pH balance while you are detoxifying, one needs an abundance of alkaline buffers.

Bottled water with low pH levels (5.0 or under) include: Vitaminwater 3.4, Propel Zero 3.5, Propel Fitness Water 3.5, Penta 4.0, Dasani 4.5, and Kirkland water 5.0 (same as WalMart, Safeway’s Refreshe, and Niagara)

The following waters contain a pH level of 7.0 and higher and helps the body detoxify:

  • Evian 7.2 (Spring water from France)
  • Vittel 7.5 (France)
  • VOSS 7.6
  • Volvic 7.0 (Filtered treated spring water)
  • Arrowhead Water 7.0
  • Poland Spring 7.2
  • Deer Park 7.0
  • Crystal Geyser 7.0
  • Zephyrhills 7.5 (Filtered treated spring water)
  • Fiji 7.5 (spring water from Fiji)
  • Whole Foods 365 Water 7.5
  • Mountain Valley 8.35 (Hot Springs, AR)
  • New York City tap water 7.0
  • Los Angeles tap water 7.5
  • St. Louis tap water 9.5

Filtered Water

Water filters

Water filtered through reverse osmosis tends to be neutral and is acceptable for regular use provided minerals are supplemented.

water filterWhat is the best water filtered system? EWG, a non-profit and non-partisan organization produced a water filter buying guide so consumers can find the best system based upon cost, effectiveness, water softener agents, and ones that removes specific contaminants.