The amount of water in the human body ranges from 50-75%. Simply put, water is essential for life. Clean water is one of the most precious commodities we sometimes forget about. In fact lack of clean water is the biggest problem facing huge numbers of people right now.
I have heard many health experts have mentioned “2 litre water” rule. While I do agree with hydrating body with quality water I feel it is up to individuals. Some people have diet that has abundant water rich foods, such as fresh vegetables and fruits. Some people eat more dehydrated foods or animal products. Some are more active than the others. It is possible to drink too much water which can lead to flushing out our important electrolytes, vitamins and enzymes.
Water is needed for movement of blood, wastes, nutrients, toxins, nerve impulses, hormones as well as functioning of the brains. Over time when we are dehydrated all the functions mentioned above gradually fails, which leads to even more dehydration. The result includes allergies, asthma, chronic pains, constipation, dry skin, dysfunction of internal organs and ageing etc.
The quality of water is important. We are blessed with abundant of clean water but unfortunately there are many chemicals we need to be aware of. Water regulators in Australia does a good job “disinfecting” the water, monitoring for 70 different contaminants.
But is this good enough? There are more than 70 chemicals polluting our environment, in fact there is a cocktail of over thousands of chemicals on food and water.
The main concerned material is
– heavy metals (lead, mercury and cadmium, Arsenic)
-chlorine – used to disinfect the water. Unfortunately it is one of the most toxic substance related to bladder, colon, breast cancer, miscarriages, birth defects, reduction of sperm counts, IBS, and eczema. It is also known to dry your skin and destroy beneficial bacteria in your colon
-bacteria
-VOC
-Fluoride – It is ADDED as medication to prevent dental cavities.
Does this work? There is no solid evidence that fluoride makes a difference in terms of dental health (in fact, New Zealad formal dental officer, Jon Colquhon has stated that “when any unfluoridated area is compared with a fluoridated area with a similar income level, the percentage of children who are free of dental decay is consistently higher in the unfluoridated area”
so is this safe? Firstly fluoride is present naturally in soil, water, plants and many foods. The fluoride used in the water is a toxic waste by product from the industrialisation. 99% of western continental europe and many other countries have rejected, banned and stopped fluoridation, including China, Austria, Germany, Finland, Norway, Japan, Hungary etc. Fluoride is sternly linked with cancer, arthritis, nerve damage and metabolic diseases. A new study has revealed that fluoride can increase absorption of aluminium into the brain, which are often found in Alzheimer’s patients.
We are not just talking the water you drink here. You absorb more chlorine in a 15 minute hot shower than you do by drinking 8 glasses of the same water throughout the day, through the skin as well as your lungs.
Bioavailability
all water is not made equal. The molecules are bond together to form “water molecule groups” The smaller the groupings, the more bioavailable the water is – the more easily it is able to pass through the cells and hydrate your body. Pure spring water has the surface tension that is low, making it much more absorbable.
Conclusion
The best water in my opinion is “pure spring water” bottled in a glass. Nothing beats the mother nature. Unfortunately it is not convenient and unrealistic to get them for all our water needs. A great water filter is to be researched to suit your needs but i do recommend the one , which can remove fluoride as well other toxins and bacteria. For myself I decided against distilled water (as it removes all the minerals from the water) and reverse osmosis (because of its high requirement of wasted water).