Water

[RawChicky]

Hey all

Does anyone have any info on the healthiest kind of water to drink. I've read so many conflicting facts about distilled and different purified drinking water. Anyone know anything??

[rawpriestess]

We have an artesian well, no chlorine, simply water from 300+ feet down into the Earth, we usually drink this water, and we are very healthy and happy.

it tastes so much better than any bottled water we've tried, which always tastes like plastic to me. ICK

[RawChicky]

Rawpriestess: LUCKY!!!! I wish I had a well! :p

[Tirza]

We used to have a spring-fed well when we lived in the Okanagan Valley in B.C. The only thing we had to worry about was the hardness of the water, (scale in the tea kettle and pots-which wouldn't apply now that we are raw) some muddiness in the spring and the odd little critter that would somehow find its way in and die in there.

Shall we all say YUK together?

We were SO proud of our water. We had it tested periodically, especially during spring and after finding squirrels etc. in it. It always tested top-notch-excellent. (Now I feel that I should have been boiling it even then.)

Now that I live in Toronto, I feel my only option is to treat it myself. I cannot be drinking chlorine and flouride, etc. Maybe I don't know enough about reverse osmosis etc. but the only water treatment I trust is distilling. THAT is absolutely pure, steam-distilled H2O. I don't mind cooking my water for the purpose of purifying it.

I have the Waterwise distiller model 8800. I know it has a carbon filter in the top of the carafe, but I have a Brita, so I pour it off into that for storage in the fridge. It seems to take away that 'taste' or 'lack-of-taste' that some complain about in distilled water.

I heard somewhere - for those who are worried about de-mineralizing the water by distilling - that you only have to put a few grains of brown rice in the jar and it remineralizes it. That concern seems like a lot of fuss if just a few grains of rice will resolve it. I am sure I can get lots of minerals from the fruits and vegetables I eat, especially raw. Maybe SAD people have a concern. I don't know why we should. I am not looking to my water as a nutrition source anyway, but for hydration.

As for commercially bottled water, I have seen many warnings about it. Some companies have been discovered to put straight tap water in the bottles. (Maybe just sometimes) Others - especially self serve water don't change their filters often enough. In that case the water going through the filthy filter would end up dirtier than before it started. Again, YUK.

One other thing that I do is ozonate a glass of my water every day for other health benefits. I bought a little ozonator that has surgical tubing attached with a little ceramic end on it. I insert the end into the water, let it bubble for several minutes, and then drink it right away. I hear you should be careful not to breathe ozone too directly so I go into another room while it is bubbling.

On another related topic, you can also make your veggies last a lot longer by blowing ozone into the container or the fridge. It apparently kills a lot of bacteria/spores/whatever. With it, you can deoderize and disinfect a room or clothing or bedding or.....

I have seen bottled water that has been treated with ozone and I believe that is a popular method of water purification in Europe. It is supposed to be very good. A lot of major cities use it.

My instructions say that the ozone leaves the water within a few minutes so it should be drunk right away but I think that this is just to get the direct benefit of the ozone and has nothing to do with the purifying of the water. But that as I say is another issue.

Personally, I still want to start with pure H2O. No chemicals, organic pollutants killed, etc.

[dreamrawalwz]

We have an artesian well, no chlorine, simply water from 300+ feet down into the Earth, we usually drink this water, and we are very healthy and happy.

it tastes so much better than any bottled water we've tried, which always tastes like plastic to me. ICK

We have a well too. I won't touch other water. One exception was last week when I ran out of water and wasn't going to have any for hours! I wanted one bottle, but my dad insisted a case since it was on sale. After drinking a bottle and STILL thirsty my mom looked at the ingredients!! WHY WOULD THERE BE INGREDIENTS BESIDES WATER IN WATER!? To make you thirsty and drink more, that's why. There was potassium sorbate, sodium chloride, salt, and water. Now they're messing with the water...that's going too far.

[Lay-Lay]

My parents are on a well. There is a nautral spring that runs under the heal we both live on. I am on county water so I bottle my water from my parents house. Their water is from a natural underground spring about 100 feet or so under ground. The water comes out ice cold. We had it tested a few years ago. The only thing in it is iron.

[rawpriestess]

Dasani water is made by pepsi, and they add sulfites to the water, my bf had one sip, and immediately threw up all over the place, then he was sick for several days with the sulfite issue.


It is clearly labled on the bottle under ingredients. YIKES!!!
I wasn't with him when he drank it, as I usually read all that fine print.

he won't drink bottled water anymore, we simply take our own in a Nikken bottle when ever we leave our home.

then we KNOW what we are getting.

to each his own, sulfites don't bother me, but my bf gets deathly ill.

[Tirza]

Wow, I didn't notice that about Dansani, Raw Priestess! When in a pinch we buy water too. I'll have to keep a closer watch.

What is the prevailing opinion about Perrier? I like the fizz.

You mentioned the Nikken bottle. That is something else I do. I always take my water in that Nikken bottle when going out. Usually I use the distilled water in it. But then again, who wants to clog up the filter so soon with Toronto water?

I also have the Nikken water thing that looks like a whole water dispenser. It has stones and sand and magnets and who knows what in it. I was very impressed, but mine isn't working right now as it is leaking or something. We have it set on a table top cooler/heater thing with the taps. That is what is leaking. Have to get it fixed. Magnetic treatment is supposed to be very good.

I was in a bit of a quandary when I had it working, trying to decide which one to use or in which order. Do I put raw tap water through the Nikken and leave it at that, or do I distill it first and then through the Nikken. Paranoid? YUP!

[exurb]

I also agree with Tirza that it's a good place to purify what you have if you don't have access to a source that you're comfortable with. Bottled waters are more problematic than they are generally perceived to be.

but Tirza, don't ozonate IMO... it's scientifically exhausting to go into all the details, but I think you're better off not doing it. carcinogens and free radicals, and no benefit IMO. In fact,ozonation is one of the roots of the problems with bottled waters. I think it's great to purify what you have, avoid bottled water wherever possible.

if you need more info, google: carcinogenic bromate "bottled water"

here's a quick quote
When bromide is present, the ozonation process can turn the harmless ion into carcinogenic bromate Dasani had to do a mass recall of their water when exported to England because it was found to have unacceptable levels under the european standards of carcinogenic bromate. Bottled water in North America is a very unregulated business, many point out that even municipal water is better tested and has stricter limits as to what can be in it.

ozone is 03, which has an unstable electron pair ie free radical, we spend all this time trying to eliminate free radicals and eat antioxidants, etc., I think you'd be better off tossing that ozonator, and avoiding bottled waters, which are generally ozonated.

As for distiller vs RO, I had a distiller when I lived in the city for many years and was very happy, it's a little easier in that you don't have to change the membrane, however I have recently been doing some research and there are actually some agricultural chemicals that are removed by RO that are not removed by distillation, so it appears to me that an RO unit can actually remove some additional impurities that pass through in a still.

[Lay-Lay]

Dansani water is made by pepsi, and they add sulfites to the water, Dragggon had one sip, and immediately threw up all over the place, then he was sick for several days with the sulfite issue.


It is clearly labled on the bottle under ingredients. YIKES!!!
I wasn't with him when he drank it, as I usually read all that fine print.

he won't drink bottled water anymore, we simply take our own in a Nikken bottle when ever we leave our home.

then we KNOW what we are getting.

to each his own, sulfites don't bother me, but Dragggon gets deathly ill.


RP, didn't you know, dragons aren't suppose to have sulfites???.....LOL

[veeg]

I used to work in an office building owned by Coca Cola, and they'd stock fridges on every floor with various Coke products (including their version of bottled water which I thought was Dasani...I think Aquafina is Pepsi's -- but maybe I have them reversed.)

Anyway...I sent an email to Coca-Cola asking why they add anything to their water (sulfates). And their response was that, based on customer feedback, people liked the water better that way. It seemed like a bizarre answer, and certainly not truthful. Needless to say I stopped drinking Dasani even though it was free.

[rawlapalooza]

Interesting about Dassani! I heard Figi water is very good as it's PH is 7.5. As well it is so far away from contaminating pollutants and never comes in contact with humans until you drink it yourself.

Anybody know anything about Figi?

[Tirza]

Tirza, don't ozonate IMO... it's scientifically exhausting to go into all the details, but I think you're better off not doing it. carcinogens and free radicals, and no benefit IMO....I have recently been doing some research and there are actually some agricultural chemicals that are removed by RO that are not removed by distillation, so it appears to me that an RO unit can actually remove some additional impurities that pass through in a still.

That is some real food for thought, exurb!! Thanks!!! I will definitely check this out. So everyone please disregard ozone until you also check it out. What happens in those large cities that ozonate though, I wonder?

I wonder if distilling THEN putting it through RO would be good. I am sort of fixated on the idea.

I am alarmed at the thought of ozone activating free radicals etc. I was doing this because an alternative source said it was good for cancer patients!!! Now it could actually cause it???? EEK ! :eek:

Thanks again for the heads up.

[dreamrawalwz]

Not sure who makes it, but it was Disani I was talking about. I think Aquafina was clean though? Havn't looked at an Aquafina bottle in a LONG time. I know Poland Springs is pure water and is really good lol. I do prefer my refrigerator water though :D

[alex]

I have concluded from all my reading that both RO and distilled water are fine.

Add a little lemon or lime juice to distilled and that also remineralizes it plus the lemon or lime is alkaline forming in the body and will raise your pH (which is desireable as most of us are way too acidic).

Dr Young tested 700 different waters from all over and found only three that meet his standards other than RO and distilled. Since I also live in Toronto and don't have access to these I did not remember which ones they were.


alex

[Linda1970]

Does anyone know what kind of water filtration system Nikken uses?

[Graciebeliever]

I love this water and have used it for a few years now.

http://www.trinitysprings.com/source/faqs.asp

I have always trusted them and Whole foods carrys both the original and the distilled versions

Yellow Label is actually sold as a "Natural Mineral Suppliment"

Blue label is distilled and therefore called bottled water.

They have added a line of other drinks which I have not tried nor wish to but I have always been happy with their product.

[lavendarJ]

Distilled is my first choice; I will sometimes boil the water myself (like my grandma) and let it cool off. I started drinking distilled water years ago after attending some health seminars, reading books and doing my own research on water. I've come to the reality of something grandpa said, he said nothing is 100 % organic anymore and I think he's right. Even when I buy or grow organic I don't believe it to be 100%; the earth is far too polluted thanks to indifference & lack of human kindness.

[Linda1970]

I found a water filter that uses:
Reverse Osmosis,
Ultrafiltration, and
Carbon Filtration

It is sold by NFL here: http://www.costplusappliances.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=89&fl=W




Has anyone tried it?

[Naiad]

It's expensive as sin, but, Penta is pretty good.

[cayako]

hey all,

i agree with the other person who put the trinity springs website up...they are an INCREDIBLE co-op company. i volunteered once with their business manager(who introduced me to it) and after doing some extensive research on water, i have found that their water is the best..here are some of the reasons why it's so special. i took this off of their website:

THE TRINITY DIFFERENCE
Deep
Trinity rises from an astonishing depth of more than two miles. This fact makes Trinity one of the deepest known sources on the planet.

Pure
The most compelling evidence of Trinity’s pristine state is the absence of tritium, the pervasive radioactive byproduct of nuclear testing which is found in all surface environments. Trinity is also free from all other manmade pollutants such as the MTBE gasoline additive, fertilizers and pesticides, which are increasingly found in much of the ground water throughout the United States.

Protected
Trinity flows through faults in an impermeable granite batholith ("deep rock" in Greek) that protects it along its 16,000-year journey to a depth of more than two miles and then back to the surface. The faults in the granite batholith are lined with silica quartz crystal.

Ancient
Trinity is the purest known source on the planet. The water coming from the Trinity Springs fell many thousands of years ago during an age when the earth was still free from manmade pollution and it has been protected ever since. Trinity has been carbon-dated* at more than 16,000 years old. For most of that time, Trinity has been boiling and purifying within the earth. It emerges at 138°F, perfected over a vast period of time.

and to top it off, the pH is 9.6!!!!! and they recommend that if you drink their water everyday, that you do NOT use a flouride toothpaste (i don't anyway) because their water has an abundance of it. the first time i heard about this water, i thought that it was going to be like the fountain of youth! and when i tasted it, i was surprised to find such a difference. maybe not fountain of youth grade water, but pretty pure for sure. one more thing, i like the ethics of their company, they do not pump the water, but let the spring naturally come up and they bottle it as the earth gives it.

they have gone through a lot of growth in the last two years since i've discovered them and i hope that they stay true in their committment to the environment and quality of product.

my two cents!
:p

[light food]

I have drunk distilled water my entire life (34 years). My first major purchase after moving out from home was a water distiller. (And it couldn't get here fast enough.) When I open it up, I see all the hard minerals and filth which line the distiller and which aren't in me, and I'm happy.

I don't really understand why there should be any debate about distilled water. When science experiments call for the best quality water they call for distilled water.

As far as minerals and bone health I went to the dentist and they did some kind of a test which measures bone health and I tested fine.

It does heat up the house during the summer but I put the distiller in the bathroom and run it at night with the vent on, another anoyance is that it can be noisy.