I have this friend who ONLY swears by drinking Evian water. Of course, I thought to myself, “It’s not that big a deal…” as someone who swears by Poland Spring, but I can agree with him that all water doesn’t taste the same. I am constantly finding evidence that we should be paying more attention to the type of water we drink. (ADD STUDY) Me being intrigued, I looked into this theory, and here is what I found:
Let me first begin by saying having clean drinking water is a privilege. Not only is it essential to sustain human life on Earth, but the environment we live in thrives on it.
How is water deemed safe for consumption?
In the United States, The EPA (The United States Environmental Protection Agency) regulates the public drinking water systems. The Anthropocene Institute states, “Public water systems provide drinking water to 90% of Americans. Roughly 300 million Americans get their water from the public supply system.” Woah.. that’s a big deal. However, getting the water clean goes through being chemically treated to remove what isn’t safe to consume. There is the process of filtration and sedimentation used to filter out particles such as sand, dirt, and bacteria. But of course, it is a much more complicated process than that.
Experiments?
In a YouTube video from 2017, a guy decided to test the Ph balance of 16 different bottles of water. He used a product named “PH Perfect” with a color-coded guide on the back in the video. This experiment’s goal was to see if the water turned blue and get a PH balance of 7, which is neutral or anything above that.. Anything below that is deemed acidic with a yellow-ish tint in color. He proved that name-brand waters like Voss and Lifewater have a more acidic PH balance despite being advertised as the opposite. Although this video came out in 2017, you can find mass amounts of videos seeking the same outcome. To check out the experiment and many others, follow this link.
What about adding electrolytes? Is it bad?
There are various misconceptions when it comes to what type of water is best to drink. Water with electrolytes is typically the topic of discussion. Electrolytes are minerals that get added to fluids to aid in quenching thirst and replenishing the body. It is common among athletes and said to improve exercise performance. Now, is it bad for you? Absolutely not. However, it is best in smaller doses. Meaning, you don’t need to drink water with electrolytes all the time.
Is favored water in the discussion?
Flavored water is great! It adds to your daily fluid intake, but it’s best to drink water enhanced with fresh fruits such as lemon or lime.
So what type of water should I drink?
According to greenerchoices.org the BEST waters to consume are:
- Essentia Ionized Water
- Aquafina Purified Water
- Voss Artesinan Still Water
- FIJI Artesian Water
- JUST water Premium Pure Still Spring Water
- Perrier Carbonated Mineral Water
- Poland Spring Origin 100% Spring Water
- Glaceau Smart Water
- Perfect Hydration Electrolyte Water
- Icelandic Glacial Natural Spring Water
These are all based on criteria such as taste, environmental friendliness, minerals, etc. Just remember to not be fooled by fancy pictures depicting freshwater. Those photos are more than likely enhanced to look aesthetically pleasing and are impossible to examine without research.
Final Decisions
It is important to keep our bodies healthy and safe. The water we consume included. As someone who only swore by Poland Spring, doing my research helped me find different water that I drink more. If you are looking to try a new brand of water or anything for that matter, I highly recommend taking the time to research and assess the ingredients and/or potential benefits.
