Drinking plenty of pure water throughout the day instead of soft drinks, juice drinks, and coffee will improve your health substantially. Every cell in your body needs water to survive. Water is used in the body to flush out waste and toxins, lubricate tissues and joints, and help assimilate the food we eat. Pure water is increasingly difficult to find. Most of our water supply is full of potentially toxic and dangerous chemicals.
Not only are chlorine and fluoride routinely added, but a wide range of toxic and organic chemicals can be found in our drinking water. These are largely agricultural and industrial wastes including PCBs, pesticide residues, nitrates, and the heavy metals lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium. Our bodies need about 64 ounces of pure water each day.
That’s about 8 glasses. But what constitutes pure? Tap water contains chlorine, which increases free radical damage in the body, contributes to certain forms of cancer, and increases the risk for hypertension. Chlorine also contributes to magnesium deficiency while increasing urinary excretion of calcium and phosphorus, thus increasing the risk of osteoporosis. Mineral-rich, rural well water would be an ideal option if the risk for agricultural chemical contamination wasn’t so high.
Well water is so rich in minerals, especially magnesium and calcium, that drinking it is like taking a mineral supplement every day. Is there a middle ground? Yes, installing an under-the-sink water filtration system would be ideal. Most systems use a solid carbon block filter, which effectively removes chlorine, bacteria, pesticides, and other organic chemicals, yet maintains dissolved minerals such as calcium and magnesium. To avoid pharmaceutical residues, many people are choosing reverse osmosis (RO) filters.
Finally
The ideal would be a filter with both a carbon block and an RO system. Filling up reusable water jugs at your local co-op or health food store is a great option if you cannot invest in a home filtration system. These filters are typically the reverse osmosis type, which remove almost all contaminants and dissolved minerals. It is important to make purified water consumption a regular daily habit. Make sure to use purified water for all of your cooking needs, including the soaking of beans and nuts, the cooking of grains, and the steaming of vegetables.
