Would You Wash Your Car in It?

I had a request to revisit the drinking water controversy.  While I’ve covered this material, I decided to oblige this request at this time because I always find more people dehydrated in the winter than even in the dead of summer.  The reason for this is that heat kicks in our thirst mechanism from the brain and gives us the urge to hydrate.  As a result, people need to make a conscious effort to drink water in the winter months.  Let me stress that water is not optional.  Our bodies are approximately 70% water by weight and of the millions of chemical reactions occurring in your body every second, nearly every one occurs in a water medium.  Lastly, water detoxifies – it is a cleanser.  You wouldn’t wash your car with anything other than water, why would you wash out your body with anything less?

Once you accept that water is mandatory, the debate is what type of water to drink?  Ideally, you would walk out to your unpolluted mountain stream to fetch some high quality H₂O.  Since that is not a reality, here is a breakdown of your five basic options: 1. Tap Water – quick and convenient, but how many pollutants lurk in your water?  And what about the fluoride that has been proven to contribute to osteoporosis?  2. Bottled Water – Did you know that 40% of bottled water is actually tap water? With or without filtration – you’re paying through the nose for it. Worse, an independent test by the Environmental Working Group found arsenic, DPBs and 36 other harmful pollutants hiding in bottled water. 3. Distilled Water – While this is very clean, long-term use can invite health problems, because its minerals are evaporated out.  Distilled water actually sucks minerals out of your body.  4. Vitamin Waters – these contain high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, additives, preservatives, and caffeine.  Sounds a little like soda, right?  They are!  5.  Filtered Water – reverse osmosis is going to be your cleanest source of water while maintaining the proper mineral balance.  While this is ideal, any form of filtered water is better than unfiltered.  If you are drinking anything unfiltered, your body becomes the filter!

I hope this helps.  At a time of the year when most people are looking to what they can do differently with their life and their health, please resolve to drink approximately 6-8 glasses of water per day.  You will reap the benefits within the first couple weeks!