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To your Health: The Importance of Drinking Pure Water by Caitlin McLeod, CCHT, CAT How many of you drink a gallon of water in a 24-hour period? How about 10 8-oz. glasses? Our bodies are made up of approximately 75% water, so in order to keep our tissues properly hydrated, we need to drink at least half our body weight in ounces of water. (For example, a 200 lb person shoudl drink 100 oz. per day.)Personally I consume about one gallon per day, including what I sip in the night. Does that seem like a lot of drinking? Not really, if you sip it throughout the day. Many of us drink lots of sodas, coffee, or even tea, and think we're getting enough water intake. This simply is not true. The body needs plain, pure water to keep itself hydrated and to function properly. Adequate water consumption also keeps our facial skin healty and vibrant, with fewer wrinkles than in the skin of someone who is dehydrated. The problem is, our city tap water is full of chlorine, aluminum hydroxide, and other pollutants, so what we're consuming is a chemical cocktail. In many cases, even our well water is polluted because of all the chemical runoff that ends up contaminating the table water in the ground. The best way to assure that you're drinking pure water is by having a sophisticated water purification system installed in your home. Faucet-mount and pitcher type water filters just don't clean out enough chemicals, and can actually become an environment for bacteria to grow in. There are several better options, including under-sink reverse osmosis (RO) systems, counter-top systems that are attached to your plumbing, and whole-house systems. One of the best on the market is a system made by Hague. Check to see if your town has a water purification store, or a company that installs home systems. The next best option is to buy water from a water store, or from self-service machines in place in certain health food stores that are installed and maintained by National Water Services, Inc. Look for the Fresh Pure Water brand on such machines. You can take your own sterilized containers to fill at these stores, and save a lot of money over bottled water on supermartket shelves. Bulk water usually sells for about 30 to 50 cents per gallon, versus $1-2 per gallon of bottled water. Buying in bulk also saves on landfill from discarded bottles, as you can re-use glass or polycarbonate bottles sold by water vendors. The other problem with buying bottled water is that there is no regulation on the bottling process, and the water can be sitting on shelves for up to 6 weeks, from bottling date to the day of purchase. Also, most of it is sold in unstable plastic containers which leach chemicals into the water, which is very active in its purified state, and the water molecules bond with the chemicals in the bottles. Again, you're getting a chemical cocktail. Some people prefer to use bottled water that is delivered in 5-gallon containers from various suppliers. Again, there is the question of how long the water has been on the shelf, and whether or not the bottling companies regulate their systems. Also, home delivery is not very cost-effective. OK, so you've installed a home water system, or at the least you're buying in bulk from local water vendors. You say water is boring? Try adding a drop or two of lemon, orange, or peppermint essential oils to a quart of water to spike up the flavor! The essential oils will also increase the oxygen level in the water, and enhance the purity even further. And if you don't have a whole-house filtration system, be sure to at least buy a high-quality shower filter, as our skin can absorb chemicals from the water, as well. So drink lots of pure water and enjoy more radiant skin and healthy vitality! For futher information on pure water and home systems, visit www.freshpure.com If you would like to experience greater health & vitality, |
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