You want to make sure that you have the clean, pure water that your body is designed to consume. The water you are drinking, however, while it may not be making you ill immediately, more than likely has some interesting things in it.
What is in Your Water?
Bacteria such as e. coli. Chlorine and other chemicals used to kill bacteria. Chemicals from environmental pollutants. Toxic heavy metals. Microorganisms such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium. Organic chemicals like solvents. Even residues of other people’s prescription medication – gross!
One of the most crucial health improvements of modern society has been the creation of a constant supply of fresh water for the population. Underdeveloped nations struggle constantly with health problems caused by the lack of clean fresh water. In our society, we have complex systems to create a minimum standard of water quality. However, like many other examples today, the systems in place are designed to prevent acute illness, not promote health.
What Should You Do?
The quality of the water that you drink is important to examine strategically for several reasons. Get a high quality water filter.
A simple reason that is often overlooked is the water’s taste. Your water from the tap likely just doesn’t taste good. If your water tastes good, you will drink more of it, helping you stay well hydrated.
Another reason is to remove the chemicals and pollutants that you just wouldn’t drink if they weren’t hiding in your drinking water. You get exposed to enough chemicals throughout your day – you don’t need to drink even more. The chemicals that we get exposed to on a daily basis accumulate in our bodies. Check out this link about how many chemicals can be found inside you.
And lastly, sometimes the modern systems we have today fail. The safeguards slip and the water doesn’t meet basic safety levels. A recent NY Times investigative article suggests one in five people have been exposed to water that doesn’t even meet minimum water quality standards.
And it turns out that often bottled water is no different. Even bottled water regularly fails to meet basic safety standards, and has been shown to be no cleaner than tap water. In fact, it often is tap water! Read more in this report by the Natural Resources Defense Council on their four year study of bottled water.
The good thing about focusing on building health instead of preventing sickness is that the times when you do slip up, the fall isn’t as far. So get a great water filter and enjoy a good, clean glass!
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