Drinking distilled water is such a fad these days. Americans spend billions of dollars alone on distilled water. The notion is that distilled water is much safer and healthier than any other kind of drinking water. But since some bottled water say “distilled” while others say “spring” water, which one is the safer choice?
First, let us find out what the definition of distilled water is and what spring water is. Distilled water is water that has its contaminations removed by a process known as distillation. Distillation is not just heating or boiling water, but it involves evaporation and subsequent collection of the water by means of condensation thereby removing impurities.
Spring water differs from distilled water in the fact that it is naturally filtered through layers of sand and rock formations as they move to underground storages called aquifers. A spring is formed when an aquifer is filled and overflows to the land surface. However, when we say spring water, it is not automatically safe. Why? Because the quality of local groundwater usually determines the quality of the spring water. Therefore, if your local drinking water isn’t potable, it follows that the spring water in your area (if there is one) is not safe to drink.
So looking at these definitions, it is easy to see which type of water could contain contaminants. You see, just because it passes through sand and rocks does not make spring water automatically safe. Bacteria, viruses, and other microbes do not just die from being underground like some plants and algae. On the other hand, the distillation process in distilled water removes the the extensive range of contaminants over any other treatment system. Be it organic or biological, it is better than reverse osmosis, UV filtering, and virtually any other type of filtration. As you may have noticed, the distillation process is strikingly similar to our natural water cycle, which uses heat to evaporate water, and then condenses it produce a purer form. But that process does not only get rid of contaminants but also of the trace minerals found in water.
Thus, it is quite a dilemma when it comes to choosing the right water to drink. A few in-depth look of the facts may help if we want to learn more about distilled water, spring water, and basically any type of drinking water.
Let’s say the local government conducted studies and arrived at the conclusion that the spring water source in your area is safe enough to drink. Meanwhile, because you value your health and your family’s, you may have apprehensions whether you drink from that spring water or not. After all, distilled water is widely available. So which is which?
First, consider the question: Are the minerals found in water REALLY needed by our body? Without a doubt, minerals are needed for our body to survive. However, we get those minerals NOT from distilled water or spring water, or any other type of drinkin water, but from the food we eat. A fraction of it only comes from water. So if we want minerals, the main source is not necessarily WATER but FOOD.
Optimum health relies not so much on which type of water to drink as long as it is, well, safe to drink. You can correctly nourish yourself by eating the right kind of foods, especially legumes, grains, vegetables, and fruits. Therein lies the secret of good health.
