Water Changes Everything!
Water is everything in our life. We are literally made of water and yet most people – 80% of people in the UK – live in a state of chronic dehydration.
Worldwide 50% of adults live with at least one chronic condition. 1 in 3 suffer with 2 or more. And these are largely preventable, rather than genetic.
Dehydration has a lot of health consequences over time. So hydration is a really important area of life to understand and act on when looking at health and wellness. Water quality is a priority for our health.
‘Dehydration is the mother of all epidemics – the first step we need to take in addressing chronic disease’ Gina Bria, Cultural Anthropologist.
We need to change our mindset about water – not just seeing it as a drink we can choose but see it as an essential nutrient. If we change our way of thinking, maybe we will drink more water.
Once we wake up to the fact that drinking enough water every day is the foundation for a long healthy life, we can then look at the quality of the water we choose to drink.
Not all water is equal. Most people drink tap water and think they’ll be fine. We may not realise we are not hydrating properly and this is a conversation we don’t have often as so many people are unaware that water consumption doesn’t always equal proper hydration.
In the UK we have water choices and that is an amazing privilege over many other countries. We can choose tap, bottled or filtered and there are many options with bottled and filtered.
Bottled is expensive, unregulated and unacceptable for the huge amount of plastic it uses. Bottled spring water loses its vitality on the journey to the store. Its best to drink spring water at source.
High grade filtration is a must – you just need to check the list of contaminants removed by a good filter and then think – do I want to be drinking all that every day? Use a filter or be the filter! Contaminants may include the following (as well as other toxins that may not be listed here): bacteria and pathogens, chlorine, heavy metals (lead, mercury, copper…) and volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) such a pesticides, herbicides, pharmaceuticals.
Check that essential minerals such as Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium etc are present in your filtered water. This helps to naturally adjust the water’s pH level, the alkalinity of the water. (pH is the scale used to measure acid alkaline levels.) Drinking alkaline water can help to offset the acidic nature of typical modern diets and lifestyles to assist the body to maintain a balanced pH.
As mentioned previously, essential minerals can assist with alkalising your drinking water. There are also other ways to create naturally alkaline water using a filter with natural filtration processes. Some filters create artificially alkaline water using electrical processes to adjust the water’s pH. Do your research to find one that creates naturally alkaline water.
Please note that some filters actually make the water more acidic. I’ve done pH droplet tests using a popular UK jug filter, only to find the pH level more acidic than the tap water I poured into it.
Structured / Micro-Clustered / Bio-Available / Hexagonal / Energised/ Living Water These are all terms to describe the actual quality of the water. Piped or bottled water is essentially de-natured and tends to ‘clump’ together in large clusters of 30-40 molecules, making it harder for your body to absorb. Water in nature, ‘Living Water’, and water in your body is ‘micro-clustered’ (2-3 molecules) with a hexagonal structure. It is easier to absorb into the cells - it is more bio-available.
I would suggest that you avoid anything artificial, especially anything that uses an electrical connection to treat your water. This is unlikely to be a natural filtration process and while it may take some of the chemicals out, it will also be likely to alter the quality of your water. There are some ionisers / alkaline water treatment systems which will artificially create alkaline water without adding the essential minerals that do this naturally.
My personal recommendation is Nikken’s PiMag Waterfall Filter. It is a countertop unit with recyclable filters. It has a generous 5 litre capacity which is perfect for families. It removes contaminants to the Gold Standard of the Water Quality Association. It then adds essential minerals for health and taste. It uses processes that replicate the conditions found in nature to re-energise your water, making it much more effective for hydration as it is easier for your body to absorb.
It tastes great – sweet and very smooth to drink. Children love to help themselves to water. Pets love it – you can test that by filling a bowl with tap water and one with Waterfall filtered water – they won’t touch the tap water. Plants thrive too and you can do growth experiments to prove it.
It’s affordable, costing just pennies to run every day, It is gravity fed so uses no electricity, is recyclable and so good for you, the environment and your wallet.
We use and lose water all the time as our bodies perform so many different functions. We need to be replacing water regularly for our bodies to work well. You can create fresh spring water at home and see the difference in your energy and wellbeing.
Here's to your health.
Words courtesy of Louise Coe
If quality water is something you now recognise as being a key component to your true health then you can click here to show you how.
