Today, the growth in the bottled water industry is unparalleled aspeople consume twice as much bottled water as they did a decade ago. But, is bottled water healthy for you? Does the attractive bottle with the pictures of snowy mountains and crystalline streams really mean the water inside is pure?
A study of one hundred popular brands of bottled water showed that some contained arsenic, trihalomethanes, bacteria, or other contaminants, man-made chemicals. And if you think bottled water is lead free, think again.
The problem with plastic bottles
The major problem with bottled water is that it comes in plastic bottles. Studies show that some forms of plastic are not as safe as people believe. The very worst plastic used in some water bottles and food wraps, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), is a known carcinogen that emits pollutants from the moment it is created until long after it is discarded. PVC leashes vinyl chloride and other pollutants, thus disrupting the hormonal balance, causing fertility problems and damaging cells, organs and tissues.
Most water bottles are made from a plastic called PET or PETE (which stands for polyethylene terephthalate). This kind of plastic is considered safer than PVC, but it has been shown to leach plasticizer chemicals called phthalates into the water when used repeatedly or when water is bottled for too long. Phthalates disrupt the production of fatty acids and interfere with the production of sex hormones. However, these bottles appear to be safe if the water is drank within a few months after the water was bottled (if the manufacturer has assigned an expiration date), and then used only once and not refilled
Another common ingredient in some plastics, bisphenol A, is used in reusable water bottles. It can change the course of fetal development and cause abnormal chromosome loss or gain, which leads to miscarriage or disorders like Down Syndrome. It has also been linked to obesity. Those hard, brightly colored, reusable bottles and five gallon bottles also contain bisphenol A. Studies showed the chemical leaks into the water at room temperature.
It is fairly easy to avoid bad plastics because producers must label the bottle with the type of plastic it is made of. This labeling system is easy to follow:
- PET or PETE: is used to bottle most bottled water, cooking oils, juice, salad dressing, peanut butter, and other foods.
- HDPE: is used to milk jug, one-gallon water bottles, some bottled foods.
- PVC:is used as cling wraps, Reynolds Wrap, Stretch-tite, Freeze-tite (used by many grocery stores for meats), some plastic squeeze bottles.
- LDPE: is for food storage bags (like Ziplock)
- PP: Rubbermaid containers, cloudy plastic baby bottles, ketchup bottles, other cloudy plastic bottles.
- PS: some disposable plastic cups and bowls, and most opaque plastic cutlery.
- "Other" resins, usually polycarbonate, which contains bis phenol A: most plastic baby bottles, five-gallon water bottles, clear plastic "sippy" cups, some types of clear plastic cutlery, inner lining of food cans
- PLA: bio plastic called poly lactic acid
The debate over which plastics are safest will continue, and so will the recommendation. As for now, the safest plastics to use are PET (or PETE) and bio plastics.
Proper Usage and Storage of Bottled Water
Reusing your water bottle may seem kind to the environment, but it's terrible for your body. Studies show that dangerous levels of bacteria accumulate on and in the bottle as you reuse it. So, the water in the bottle may become contaminated. It is best to use the bottle once, then, throw away.
Store your bottled water properly. Always keep it away from paints, gasoline, household or industrial chemicals. Don't store in the garage or shed, or in direct sunlight. If possible, store it in the refrigerator(to retard bacteria growth) or in a dark, cool place in the house.
Also check the mineral content of your bottled water. Spring or mineral water is also important. The ideal water is water that is high in magnesium (at least 90mg per liter) and low in sodium (less than 10mg per liter).
Alkaline Water
Your body thrives in an alkaline environment since it is able to detoxify more efficiently than in an acidic environment. In an alkaline environment your tissues get rid of impurities more efficiently. When cancer patients begin nutritional treatment, their bodies are almost always very acidic and toxic. The first task is to get their tissues alkalinized with alkaline water and alkaline foods.
Alkalinity and acidity are measured in terms of pH. On the pH scale of 1 to 14, a pH of 7.0 is considered neutral. Anything under 7.0 is acidic, anything over 7.0 is alkaline. Blood has a constant pH of 7.4 - it's alkaline. But most people's tissues are very acidic meaning their bodies are less efficient at removing toxins. Many health problemsincluding chronic fatigue, arthritis, most cancers, diabetes, autoimmune disease, osteoporosis and practically all degenerative diseases are associated with being too acidic.
Many patients with painful osteoarthritis who are on different medications for arithritisbecome pain- free within a couple of months after adjusting their urine pH of 7.0 to 7.5 simply by consuming adequate amounts of alkaline water and alkaline foods. As a result, many are able to go off their anti-inflammatory medications.
By drinking alkaline water, you start to bring your tissues back to an alkaline state. Some spring waters are alkaline, but you can create alkaline water from tap water or spring water by using an alkalizing filter. These filters sit on your kitchen counter in your home and office and use activated charcoal and an electrolysis process to produce alkaline water.
Because water alkalizer use an electromagnetic process to separate acidic water from alkaline water, the water you put into it must be rich in minerals and not distilled or reverse-osmosis water.
Some alkalizing filters also make the water clustered or "hexagonal," meaning that at a molecular level, it is denser, richer, and more energetic. All of these attributes benefit health in many ways. Clustered water moves easily within the body and aids nutrition absorption and waste removal. It is readily taken up by the cells and is therefore more hydrating to the cells and helps them to detoxify.
I recommend alkaline, hexagonal water to even young patients. A 10- year old girl had crippling juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and weighed only 26kg. Her hands were swollen, and her knees were swollen too. She takes alkaline water, about 50cl a day. A week and a half later she was pain-free, and her swelling was significantly diminished. She was taking nutritional products as well. She was actually able to walk without pain after only a week and a half of drinking the alkaline water. The pH of her tissues was raised. After a month, her hands were almost normal size.
There is nothing more important to your health than water.
Did You Know?
- Long-term storage of bottled water may result in off-odor or taste.
- Plastics including baby bottles should not go in the microwave.
- Drinking water from glass bottles or from bio-based plastics, which are made of natural products like starch, cellulose, and raw rubber is the best.
ACTION STEP
If you would like to know how acidic your body is, buy pH strips at the pharmacy. Collect your first morning urine and dip pH paper into it. It will indicate your urine's pH level with a change of color. The change of color can then be matched to a numerical reading. A card is included in the pH paper that correlates a color to a pH number. It is similar to checking the pH of a swimming pool.
Most people will have a pH test reading of about 5.0, which means their bodies are very acidic. It should be between 7.0 to 7.5. Close enough doesn't count. Even though five is only two points less than seven, a pH of 5.0 is actually a hundred times more acidic than a pH of 7.0. It may take you a while to achieve this pH, but keep at it. Continue drinking alkaline water and eating alkaline foods such as fruits and vegetables, and take natural supplements. Be patient and know that a foot step is the beginning of a journey of million miles.
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