How Clean is Your Water?

We all are conscientious about eating food that is not contaminated, but what about the water we drink? Clean water is essential nutrient for life. Our body’s weight is comprised of 50-60% water, and we need to continually supply our bodies with water for optimal function. No other drink substitutes that nutrient, not even tea. An easy gauge if one is sufficiently hydrated is our urine being pale to clear. Not only do we drink water, but wash and prepare food with water that we will eat. What is alarming is how many contaminants are allowed or are in our tap water, even high levels of excreted pharmaceuticals! You can check your local area water supplier water testing results here.

Even if your local municipality seems to have low levels contaminants, there still could be contaminants that get in the water as it travels from them to your tap or showerhead. It is a good idea to test regularly, at least annually, or more frequent if your water has shown concerning results or if your home was built before 1986 (when they typically used lead pipes).  If your water tastes off, if soap doesn’t lather or rinse off easily, you may want to test your water.  If you are want to become or are pregnant or have an infant, test for nitrates in the water which are harmful to growing babies. Here are some recommended water testing kits you can do yourself, some are more accurate than others, or you may want to hire an independent lab to test your water.

For safety’s and for better health’s sake you may want to invest in your own water filtration system and BPS-free water bottles so you can avoid buying bottle water which is stored in plastic which can leech into the water, yet takes hundreds of years to break down in landfills. Here are some pros and cons of common water filtration systems:

• Water Purifier Pros: removes 99.999…% of pathogenic bacteria-viruses-microorganisms, toxic chemicals and minerals/heavy metals, pharmaceutical drugs, at generally a low cost per gallon. Cons: does not remove nitrates, need to manually fill tank which takes up space, filter needs be properly stored if leaving for 4-15 days in a sealed bag, need to guess when its time to change either if has become slow in production or do a food coloring dye test. Here is a list of options compared with a Berkey.
• Reverse Osmosis Pros: convenient, can remove lead, arsenic, bacteria and most other contaminants including nitrates. Cons: requires additional plumbing, it wastes several gallons of water for every gallon, needs periodic filter change, removes minerals.
• Distillation Pros: removes heavy metals, kills bacteria and pathogens, removes fluoride, nitrates. Cons: removes needed minerals, takes up space, needs electricity and adds heat and moisture to a room, is noisy, and water is without typical taste.
• Activated Carbon or Charcoal Filters (either on faucet line or in a pitcher) Pros: removes harmful impurities and pharmaceuticals and improves taste. Cons: may not remove lead or heavy metals, does not remove all contaminants including nitrates, has a slow filtration.

Water is an important means to flush toxins out of our bodies. We do not want to be drinking in toxins to do so! It can be wise to invest in a system to have clean water to drink every day. Our health is worth it!

But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.
And does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. Jeremiah 17:7-8

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