Water

I think I can speak for everyone when I say that I prefer bottled water over tap water. I've always thought tap water tasted like sewage, and couldn't be trusted as a clean source of water. I’m not alone in thinking this as more than 50 percent of Americans buy bottled water. What makes us believe that bottled water is cleaner than regular tap water? Perhaps this belief is influenced by the images of pristine waterfalls and glaciers printed on the label. A closer look will reveal that many big-time water bottle companies such as "Desani and Aquafina are just reprocessed tap water from cities around the country. Glacier Clear Water is not from a glacier in Alaska; it's source is tap water from Greeneville, Tennesee"; furthermore, "one of Aquafina's sources is the Detroit River!"

""20/20" took five bottles of national brands of bottled water and a sample of tap water from a drinking fountain in the middle of New York City and sent them to microbiologist Aaron Margolin of the University of New Hampshire to test for bacteria that can make you sick, like e. coli." The results showed no difference between the New York water and the bottled water.
More information on comparing bottled water and tap water can be found here.

Tap water is full of inorganic hard minerals, pollutants, pharmaceuticals, and corrective chemicals. The Environmental Protection Agency lists contaminants commonly found in water, the sources of contaminants, and the maximum level of contaminants allowed in tap water. A comparatively small list of the contaminants, as well as the allowable amount per liter, are as follows:

• Glyphosate (0.7 mg/L)
• O-Dichlorobenzene (0.6 mg/L)
• Nitrate (10 mg/L)
• Fluoride (04 mg/L)
• Cyanide (0.2 mg/L)
• Copper (1.3 mg/L)
• Asbestos (7 million fibers/L)

The full list of contaminants and maximum contaminant levels can be found on the EPA website. The primary sources of these contaminants are human and animal feces, discharge from factories, runoff from herbicide use, and corrosion of plumbing systems. The filtering process is insufficient in eliminating these pollutants from our water; therefore, chemicals such as chlorine, copper sulfate, and aluminum fluoride are added in order to kill bacteria, viruses, and algae still present in the water. We’re told to drink more than two liters per day! How many milligrams of contaminants do you consider allowable? I think I can speak for all of us when I say none.

Distilled water is the only type of water that doesn't contain these pollutants or chemicals. Dr. Allen E. Banik, M.D., author of "The Choice is Clear" has an interesting take on this matter:
"Distilled water is the greatest solvent on earth. (It is) the only water that can be taken into the body without damage to the tissues. What we as scientists and the public have never realized is that minerals collected in the body from water are all inorganic minerals, which cannot be assimilated (digested) by the body. The only minerals that the body can utilize are the organic minerals (from fruits and vegetables). All other types of minerals are foreign substances to the body and must be disposed of or eliminated.Today, many progressive doctors prescribe distilled water to their patients. All kidney machines operate on distilled water."

Some people think drinking distilled water is harmful to the body because it lacks vital minerals and actually pulls minerals from the body. Dr. Normal W. Walker describes this as a half truth in his book "Water Can Undermine Your Health":
"People who say that distilled water leaches minerals out of the body are, therefore, correct in this respect. This is only 50% of the truth. It is virtually impossible for distilled water to separate minerals, which have become an integral part of the cells and tissues of the body. Distilled water collects ONLY the minerals which remain in the body, minerals discarded from natural water AND from the cells, the minerals which the natural water originally collected from its contact with the earth and the rocks. Such minerals, having been rejected by the cells of the body, are of no constructive value. On the contrary, they are debris which distilled water is capable of picking up and eliminating from the system."

To find out more from doctors like Dr. Walker and Dr. Banik, click here.

If you are interested in learning more about the journey water takes prior to filling your cup, check out this 30-minute video called "Distilled Water vs. Filtered Water vs. Bottled: The Journey of Water Documentary". The video will grab your attention immediately and will keep you hooked until the very end!

I have made the decision to drink pure water, and  I recommend that everyone do the same. Unfortunately the only form of distilled water I've seen sold in stores comes in the form of one-gallon jugs for roughly seventy-five cents. It may seem a little extreme, but it’s a good way to keep track of how much water you’re drinking. I have a few gallon jugs in my dorm room right now, and drink between one-half of a gallon to one gallon per day!