There are light waters, with not too many minerals (trace minerals), heavy waters, still and natural sparkling waters, mineralised waters with carbonic acid, purified waters with reverse osmosis and naturally distilled waters, such as rainwater, snow, hail and glacier and iceberg water.
But what is the best water for humans?
Let’s start by saying that humans, in a healthy condition, following a basically raw vegan diet, are not a heavy drinker of water. In fact, lots of raw fruit and vegetables guarantee optimal hydration and salt and water balance. They are rich in water (which is a water 100% distilled by the plant) and at the same time it is mixed with the juices the plant produces thanks to sunlight; they are sugary, vitamin and mineral juices, which make it the best water to drink.
Consumers of meat and fish, cold cuts and dairy products, salty, sweetened and cooked food, are constantly plagued by a great thirst, regardless of the climatic conditions and the rhythm of their physical activity. The usual advice by doctors, in this case, is to drink at least two liters of water a day.
However, anyone may find themselves in a water emergency, due to physical over-activity and intense exudation. What water should they drink? It’s irrelevant either you drink from a glass, from the tap, from any bottle, from the spring in the middle of the woods, from the rain, from the reverse osmosis or distillation equipment.
On occasions, however, for example in the case of water fasting, the type of water that is taken may be important.
So let’s analyze the various types of water available and their characteristics.
In this post:
- DISTILLED WATER
- IS DISTILLED WATER SAFE TO DRINK?
- IS RAINWATER SAFE TO DRINK?
- HOW TO COLLECT RAINWATER
- SPRING WATER
- BOTTLED MINERAL WATER
- TAP WATER
- ALKALINE WATER
- DOES IT REALLY WORK?
- SIDE EFFECTS
- PH AND ACIDOSIS
- WATER FROM REVERSE OSMOSIS
- IF THE MINERAL WATERS WERE HEALTHY, WE WOULD DRINK SEA WATER
Distilled water
Distilled water is kind of water free of dissolved salts and gases, free of impurities, free of solid-mineral-chemical components, and reveals a neutral pH around 7.00.
The pH level indicates the acidity or basicity of a substance on a scale from 0 to 14. The lower this number (it approaches 0) the more acidic the substance is, while if it is closer to 14 it means that the substance is basic. The middle number of the Ph scale 7 indicates a neutral substance.
Is distilled water safe to drink?
Distilled water is used in many countries. In Japan, China and Southeast Asia, distilled water for consumption is offered in different containers, from the usual bottles to 5, 10 and 20 litre canisters. Not in Italy, where there is a ban on sale to the public supported by the powerful mineral water cartel. This cartel has spread absurd and misleading prejudices about distilled water.
There’s a foolish and superficial idea, spread by the factories of heavy mineral waters, that distilled water steals minerals and demineralises the bones of the human body; that idea has been disproved a thousand times by experiments, as well as from statistics relating to the effects of various waters on populations.
It is water purity and its solvent quality that allows it to remove minerals from the body.
But certainly not the organic minerals we have in our bones, which go out only by a specific order of the hypothalamus during the antacid buffering phase, whenever man consumes meat, dairy products, animal proteins, caffeine and other acidifying foods.
The only thing distilled water extracts from the body are wrong minerals deposited in wrong places; minerals that are linked to cholesterol form arterial plaques that can resist a hammer, and minerals turning into stones, as well as those that calcify our painful and arthrosised joints.
During a Sheltonian water fast, the best water to drink in small sips is distilled water or, if unavailable, a light water, and therefore low in mineral content.
Distilled water is obtained artificially through a distillation process, through which the water is boiled, evaporated and finally condensed, obtaining a pure liquid, completely free of dissolved salts and minerals.
Distilled water requires a guarantee of purity and drinkability, and that’s why, though it is distilled water, the water for irons should not be drunk. In Italy it cannot be found on the market, but it is still possible to produce it at home thanks to a distiller.
However, distilled water is also present in nature. Atmospheric phenomena such as rain, snow and hail are in fact made of naturally distilled water. It was to be expected that people would even start selling bottles of iceberg water, obviously with champagne prices.
Is rain water safe to drink?
The water from rain, glaciers, snow and hail is naturally distilled water, and therefore it can be drunk if filtered and purified in a simple and mechanical way from the atmospheric dust absorbed in the cloud-soil section and then stored in jugs and demijohns.
When rainwater falls on the earth, it absorbs carbon dioxide, ammonium and other soluble gases, and also washes the atmosphere of dust particles and impurities. However, it contains bacteria and should be filtered for potable use.
The purity of the rainwater collected depends on the level of pollution of the surrounding environment, the frequency of rains, the season and the method of collection and conservation. The rainwater conveyed in tanks through the roof gutters is perfect for wetting plants and for other uses. However, it is not suitable to drink, as when it comes into contact with the roof of the house, it can be contaminated by many substances, for example bird droppings, other organic residues and any chemicals released from the roof construction materials.
How to collect rainwater
To obtain good rainwater to drink, it is therefore necessary to equip yourself with demijohns and large funnels and wash everything very carefully.
Furthermore, it is advisable to start collecting water only after a storm, especially in case of rain after many days of dry climate.
Once collected, and avoiding contact with potentially dirty surfaces, it is left to rest for a few hours in order to deposit the heavier particles on the bottom. However, it must be collected at the right time and in the correct way. Therefore, avoid collecting it when:
- Once a storm has begun, especially after a period of persistent dry weather.
- Near industrial areas and areas with polluted atmosphere.
- During thunderstorms with rain containing sand carried by the winds.
- Rainwater is distilled water, so it should have a neutral pH of around 7. However, during the fall it comes into contact with the air and the carbon dioxide present in it, absorbing it, thus bringing the pH to a height of about 5.6. This is completely normal and does not cause any problems. It is however possible to measure the pH with a digital meter to verify that it is not excessively acidic.
Spring water
If it is true that the ideal water is the one coming from its origin and snowy proximity, what should we do with the many magnificent sources of fresh water that gush naturally at the edge of roads, woods, hills and streams?
For those who do their jogging, or for the cyclist who is puffing and sweating for their climb, finding these sources is a real blessing.
There’s nothing better than that water, it doesn’t matter if it is the ferruginous source of Ovaro (between Tolmezzo and Forni Avoltri), or the sulphurous or pudia one of Arta Terme (and also of Bagni di Lusnizza, of Artegna and of Tarcento), or of the alkaline-earthy ones of Citòn (Fontanabona di Pagnacco) or of Santa Margherita, or of the radioactive ones (of Leonacco Basso), just to mention those of Friuli (knowing that every region of Italy has its excellent waters).
Nobody gets sick from improper iron and sulfur deposits, for a nice occasional drink, with a refreshing and regenerating character, at a real spring.
The hardness of almost all spring waters is mainly due to its calcium bicarbonate content, formed because of the rain’s action of the carbonic acid which acts on the limestone material present on rocks.
Especially since that type of water, as well as being divinely fresh, has been enriched with excellent natural terrestrial magnetism, a value as imponderable as it is precious.
Quite different, however, is the case of those who claim to make a real cure with those specific waters, and sit there to sip liters, and take demijohns home, perhaps because they are convinced that the ferruginous water are full of iron that will cure their anemia, and that the sulfur water provides them with precious detoxifying sulphides for the liver, or that the radioactive water gives themenergy and vitality.
In fact, they don’t know that these are authentic bales because, as already mentioned, the inorganic minerals of hard waters are not assimilable and are deposited around the body, with the calcium atoms enlarging pre-existing kidney stones or create new ones, the iron atoms that make cholesterol plaques in the arteries harder and more devastating, and the sulfur atoms that must be promptly excreted in the urine.
Bottled mineral water quality
Below is a general list of MINIMALLY MINERALIZED waters with a fixed mineral residue of less than 50 mg / liter, characterized by a quick absorbtion via the gastric route, also suitable for those with urinary tract problems and stones, for those who need to increase diuresis, for those who needs to eliminate uric acid and waste products of metabolism from their body. The fixed residue in unwanted minerals is shown in brackets:
- Lauretana – Biella (14 mg/l),
- Forte Argentiera – Genova (17),
- Amorosa – Massa (20,2),
- Plose – Bolzano (21),
- Fonte delleAlpi – Cuneo (21,2),
- Sparea – Torino (26),
- AlpiCozie – Torino (29),
- Fonte Alta – Torino (29),
- Monviso – Torino (30),
- Fonte del Lupo – Savona (33),
- Fonte Santa Barbara di Lurisia – Cuneo (35,4),
- Bernina – Sondrio (36),
- Fonte Vallechiara – Savona (36),
- LevicoCasara – Trento (36,3),
- Valverde – Vercelli (36,9),
- San Bernardo – Cuneo (38),
- Surgiva – Trento (38,8),
- Sant’Anna – Cuneo (39),
- Pian dellaMussa – Torino (40,4),
- San Virgilio – Bolzano (41),
- Fontedoro – ReggioCalabria (43),
- Alba – Vicenza (44),
- San Michele – Torino (45),
- Calizzano Fonti Bauda – Savona (47),
- Valmora – Torino (48),
- Stella Alpina – Bergamo (48,1),
- AlpiBianche – Cuneo (49),
- Alte Vette – Cuneo (49),
- Daggio – Lecco (49).
And what about the other waters? With over 700 official sources, Italy is the leading producer in the world.
We don’t want to prevail on anyone. Light or heavy, a glass of water is something you can drink everywhere. Provided, however, that its producers do not lie about it and do not make use of false experts ready to tell nonsense.
For example, the producers of “Acqua Fonte Essenziale”, a water rich in minerals, with benefits such as better digestion and calcium intake, or the new “Levissima +”, water intended as a supplement for athletes, with minerals, inorganic and therefore with the side effects we talked about previously.
When choosing bottled water, choose water in glass bottles, a material that, unlike plastic normally used (PET), does not release harmful substances such as phthalates (in the case of plastic bottles left to the sun, or close to others sources of heat) and antimony.
If you buy water in a glass bottle, be aware of possible metal residues that the cap may release (usually aluminum).
Tap water quality
The quality of tap water clearly depends on the type of local aqueduct supplies and on the type of treatments.
The views expressed by Dr. Sergej Filonov on water are interesting in his magnificent text “Digiuno Secco”. He talks about water and the false myths about fasting. Some so called doctors say that “it is madness to give up water, especially if during a fast, because it could cause dehydration and the accumulation of internal toxins”.
Actually natural tap water in a modern city is capable of causing catastrophic effects because it is soaked in industrial residues. It is also treated with chlorine. Free chlorine, chlorine dioxide and other similar compounds are rapidly released from this water. Chlorine kills the beneficial bacteria that synthesize essential vitamins in the intestine. Chlorine, bound to organic products, when heated turns into a fearsome poison called dioxin, a carcinogen more toxic than cyanide.
If you put the water at rest and in the cold for no less than 3 hours, the concentration of free chlorine decreases. Furthermore, iron ions, salts of heavy metals, carcinogenic chlorinated organic compounds and radionuclides are removed (see pages 250-251 of the Digiuno Seccobook). Distilled water (created through steam) is drinkable but not in large quantities. Constant consumption leads to immune system disorders. You should keep in mind that commercial distilled water is lacking in terms of electromagnetic strength, like the rest of all bottled waters.
Even filtering tap water may not give the desired effect. If you want to know which filter to buy, whether carbon, membrane, bactericidal or universal, you need to know the composition of the specific water you are dealing with, since each aqueduct is different. It is also necessary to regularly replace the filters to avoid accumulations of impurities and microflora. Avoidable complications by minimizing water intake and at the same time maximizing the fruitarian and raw food diet.
What is alkaline water?
Alkaline water, known as kangen water, is water with a higher pH than normal drinking water. It is a kind of water produced through machines with a chemical process called electrolysis. The pH level is raised through the use of an ionizer which, according to the manufacturers of these instruments, should separate the most acidic molecules of the water, which are then discarded to only keep the alkaline ones.
This process does not filter and does not purify the water of any contaminants. The use of water obtained from reverse osmosis is therefore recommended, and then passed through the ionizer which adds mineral salts and increases the pH.
Normal drinking water generally has a neutral pH of 7. Alkaline water, on the other hand, has a pH of 8 or 9. In addition to a more basic pH, alkaline water also contains alkaline minerals and is characterized by a negative reduction potential, also called redox potential (a measure of the tendency of a chemical species to acquire electrons). The more negative the redox potential, the higher the antioxidant capacity of the substance.
Many benefits are attributed to it due to its alkalinity, which would allow it to neutralize the acidity of the body.
Does alkaline water really work?
The alkaline water issue is generally controversial. Many experts argue that not enough research has been done to confirm the beneficial effects that are attributed to it.
Even according to the famous Mayo Clinic, normal water is optimal for most people.
However, there are some studies that suggest the good effect of alkaline water against some diseases:
• It was useful in cases of acid reflux, by deactivating pepsin, the main enzyme causing the disorder, thanks to its pH of 8.8. (Source)
• In cases of hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia it has been useful to drink alkaline ionized water (Source)
• A lower viscosity of the blood was found following significant physical efforts compared to that obtained with normal water, thus improving circulation and transport of oxygen to the cells. (Source)
Despite the lack of studies and reliable evidence, kangen water is advertised attributing to it striking results such as:
- Antioxidant properties with anti-aging effects
- Colon cleansing
- Strengthening of the immune system
- Better hydration
- Weight loss
- Antitumor properties
- Detoxifying properties
- Improvement of the skin
Possible side effects of alkaline water
During an interview (in English) the famous Dr. Mercola with Houston Tomasz, a water filtration expert, stated:
Some people experience an initial phase of wellness when they start drinking alkaline water. This is probably because of detox, and increased hydration.Detoxification is the only benefit of this type of water, a benefit limited to the SHORT PERIOD (no more than one or two weeks)
And more:
To drink alkaline water very often will raise the alkalinity of your stomach, which will reduce the acidity of the gastric juices, preventing the proper digestion of food, since low stomach acid is one of the most common causes of ulcers.
This can let in parasites into the small intestine, and the digestion of proteins can be impaired. It also means that over time the ability to absorb nutrients and minerals will decline – something that has already been seen in heavy alkaline water drinkers. Alkalinity is also a potential problem as it has antibacterial properties, which could have negative effects on the balance of the intestinal microbiota.
PH and acidosis
An estimate indicates that 80% of Europeans suffer from hyperacidity or acidosis, meaning that the physiological pH is lower than it should normally be. But the vast majority of humanity feeds on foods that induce acidity, and therefore we should change our eating habits, eating 70% alkaline and only 30% acid every day.
The normal pH value in human blood is around 7.4. A variation of this value, even of just 0.1 points, leads to an 80% reduction in the blood’s ability to carry oxygen. The body has numerous compensation mechanisms to keep the blood pH as stable as possible, otherwise it would constantly risk death.
To implement these compensations, every time we feed ourselves with acidifying foods, we are forced to recover the alkaline reserve because the body needs minerals with a basic effect, such as calcium and magnesium, which are taken from the connective tissue, bones, cartilage, ligaments, teeth, scalp. The amount of minerals present in the body is limited. If we use more minerals than we introduce, we end up without resources in the long run.
Prolonged acidosis and opportunistic disease
Due to prolonged acidosis, the body’s mineral reserves are depleted to the point where the connective tissue weakens (cellulite), the texture of the bones decreases (osteoporosis), the teeth become decayed or fall out (periodontosis), the hair falls out ( baldness), joints ache (rheumatism, gout, arthrosis), fungal infections multiply (feet, nails, genitals), just to name a few symptoms.
In the presence of acidosis, the metabolism does not function properly. Acidosis also causes an increase in pathogenic microorganisms that produce so-called diseases. Bacteria can only live if they have a suitable medium available, and viruses can accumulate only in conditions of thick blood and laziness in turnover.
Acidifying effects of animal proteins in human diet
Urine is usually slightly acidic. Meat-based diets adds more acid to it, while vegetarian diets make it alkaline. The correct diet for humans is a vegetarian diet. That’s how our body maintains its alkalinity. The more meat we eat, the more our body, blood and urine, become acidic and expose us to various health problems.
An alkalized body with alkaline water is equivalent to taking supplements and then becoming intoxicated, depositing inorganic iron in the brain, inorganic calcium in the arteries and gravel, among other things. You don’t even need to waste time talking about this. If they were right, everyone would drink salt water every day. As we will see next, we could all end up on the ground.
In conclusion, instead of spending money to buy gadgets that ionize or alkalize water, it would be wiser and less expensive to change one’s wrong diet, to obtain all the advantages the manufacturers of machines and merchants of alkaline water talk about.
What is Reverse Osmosis water?
The principle of osmosis is a relatively recent discovery, since it was discovered by the Dutch nobel prize winner Jacobus Hendricus Van T’Hoff only in 1901.
Osmosis is a natural process through which two solutions with different concentrations of mineral salts communicate with each other through a semi-permeable membrane. Osmosis also occurs naturally in the cells of the human body. The more aqueous solution crosses the membrane to dilute the more saline-concentrated solution. This allows the exchange between the cells, which must be nourished and cleaned, and the liquids such as lymph and blood that carry nourishment and collect waste, and then deliver them to the organs that must expel them, such as skin, lungs, liver and bladder.
Reverse osmosis, on the other hand, is the opposite process. It is obtained by applying pressure to the saline solution which, by being forced to cross a semipermeable membrane (generally made of polyamide), becomes pure water. The result will be, on the one hand, a highly concentrated liquid of impurities and, on the other, pure water. Thus the impurities present in the water (arsenic, fluorides, chlorine, bacteria, nitrates) will not be able to cross the membrane and will be collected and expelled.
There is therefore nothing to object against the reverse osmosis systems and against the ultrafiltration of water, transforming it from a poisonous and undrinkable liquid, like the salty water of the sea and oceans, or like the waters with a high fixed residue bottled by the manufacturers of mineral waters, in light and pleasant water like all distilled water at best and like the water of rain and snow, electromagnetically distilled, and therefore with a pH close to the ideal neutral level of 7.00.
If mineral waters were healthy, we would drink sea water.
The worst water, obviously apart from chemically or biologically polluted waters, is the water richest in minerals, namely sea water.
If minerals in the water were good to drink, we would have solved every problem by drinking sea water, which is full of them.
So what happens if we decide to drink mineral water? It depends.
- Drinking a glass of salt water, when you are well hydrated and on a full stomach, may not be traumatic.
- If it’s to glasses, we would feel nauseated, up to the point of vomiting.
- Drinking half a liter of seawater without vomiting, is something to go to the hospital for, to have it removed from your body as soon as possible, as you would risk dialysis for kidney failure.
- Finally, if, for example, you were shipwrecked in the middle of the sea, without water or food, and you drank a glass of salt water when thirsty, you are likely to die.
Why?
What is the composition of sea water? Each liter contains approximately 11mg of sodium, 3mg of sulphates, 4 mg of magnesium and 423 mg of calcium. Minerals the body needs, but minerals it cannot assimilate because they are in an inorganic form.
These minerals need to be filtered by the kidneys, and they also need even more water to do so. So if we drank salt water in a state of dehydration, we would risk kidney failure as well as delusions and all the problems deriving from severe dehydration.