You probably have heard that drinking water is important, BUT did you know the TYPE of water you drink is important too?

Although it’s good to drink water (about half your body weight (in lbs.) in ounces of water daily), regular consumption of unfiltered water can significantly contribute to the toxic load of your body. Water quality varies from city to city, but in general, it’s a safer bet to filter municipal water with a multi- stage filter, than to drink from the tap. 

Why? Here are just a few reasons:

X Lead: Yep, there’s a fair amount of lead in your water, especially if your house or city supply has lead pipes.

X Fluoride: Although SMALL doses were shown to reduce tooth decay (and that’s kind of a long story) the amounts in most water supplies can be toxic to the thyroid.

X Chlorine: It’s basically a poison. Not sure how much more explanation that needs. Chlorines and Bromines are also toxic to the thyroid. 

X VOCs: LOTS of unknown mixtures of chemicals that basically ‘off-gas’ when heated. Who knows what that includes (shrug)

X Pesticides: Many of them have been linked to cancer in humans. 

X Medications: Okay this one is eery. Like antidepressants and birth control pills shouldn’t be in your water, right?

So what can you do? Get a REALLY good filtration system! 

Water cleansing technology is always changing but my top recommendation, at this time, is Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) water.

If you absolutely can’t get R.O. water, then I recommend Zero water (distilled water), BUT both require minerals added back in! The reason being, these systems are effective at eliminating heavy metals, chlorine and other contaminants, but it results in removal of (healthy) minerals in the process.

There are many Reverse Osmosis systems available (or, depending on your area, you can get glass jugs of it delivered to your house). Both systems are highly effective at removing contaminants. Reverse osmosis tends to require installation (under the sink or elsewhere in the home at the water tank). Zero water is more easily accessible for people who can’t make alterations to their home.

Reverse Osmosis systems are very diverse. One of the best ones I have found is the AquaSana system – which can be purchased direct, but is actually more accessible on Amazon (especially if in Canada). 

AquaSana under the sink version. See link here.

AquaSana whole house system. See link here.

Zero water system is the more accessible option for most people (versus Reverse Osmosis). However, since it generally is a plastic jug (though BPA-free), it still has the potential to leach the plastic into the water. Thus, I recommend not storing the water in the plastic jug (if you get the fridge door one). Plastics leaching from containers can accumulate in the body and disrupt hormones, increasing risk of disease and disorders like estrogen-linked cancers and menstrual irregularities. For this reason, I recommend avoiding all plastics whenever possible, but if not, at least the really ‘squishy’ types of plastics (they tend to leach the most).

If using the Zero water fridge door model, I recommend purchasing a glass jug or glass dispenser separately to store the water in. We use one of those glass jugs with a spigot in our house (plus we changed out the plastic spigot, for a stainless steel one). Though, Zero water did come out with a glass dispenser that I’ve seen recently (see link below). Ideally, the Zero water jug should be kept in the fridge (even if empty) to avoid mold and other microbial growth in the filter itself. The system also comes with a fun little meter to test the efficacy of the filter (should read at ‘Zero,’ so it’s an added bonus if you’re looking for a fun science experiment for the kids – or yourself).

Zero water filter (7 cup) for fridge door. See link here.

Zero water countertop GLASS dispenser (40 cup). See link here.

Zero water 2 pack filter re-fills. See link here.

Zero water 3 pack filter re-fills. See link here.

MINERALS

As mentioned, these systems will remove healthy minerals, in the process of removing all the contaminants. It’s important to replace the minerals in the water to ‘revitalize’ it. It helps your body absorb it better, and restores it more to its natural state (but without the toxins). Your Reverse Osmosis system may already add minerals back in, so that needs to be known prior to adding more minerals in.

I like to personalize as many recommendations as possible, especially since everybody needs different things. Minerals are considered a supplement, so I tend to personalize that recommendation as well (You want to make sure they are good quality and what your body requires most).

DON’T FORGET THE BATHROOM

Shower water is another source (actually can be a pretty big source) of chlorine and other contaminate exposures. I recommend a shower filter with KDF material that has been researched as one of the most effective at removing chlorine and heavy metals.

Aquasana shower head with wand. See link here.

Aquasana shower head without wand. See link here.

If you’re more into baths, and it’s combined with your shower, I recommend using the shower head to fill the bath, so you know your water is filtered. If it’s not a combo, I have seen charcoal-based filters that hang over the faucet for baths, but I can’t vouch for efficacy and I haven’t found one with KDF material yet. Please let me know if you find an option out there!

ENERGIZE IT

There’s also a whole other topic around water regarding ‘re-energizing’ it, so that it’s more like ‘living’ water, that you’d find in nature in babbling brooks, for example. I personally have crystals and other energetic balancing things that I keep by our water jug.

There’s also devices out there that will basically agitate the molecules and claim to ‘structure’ the water in a different way (as per Dr. Emoto’s work). This is a FASCINATING aspect of water (eg. water as being able to hold MEMORY and INFORMATION… changes EVERYTHING!).

I’ve been using a device that I’ve been LOVING to help structure the water we drink. PS if this resonates with you, use JOYFUL10 at CHECKOUT for 10% off!

There’s also VERY alkaline water out there (which I tend not to recommend long-term, but have used myself with benefit).

All that being said, I don’t claim one type of water to be best for anybody, or for anybody ALL the time! We all shift and change and our body has different requirements based on what we’re going through at the time. The key is being in tune with your body to hear when it requires something different (something I happen to love teaching people how to do).

Just remember, drinking water is important (and perhaps, the number one priority), but drinking the cleanest and least-toxic water you can is important too! If you get any of these products, let me know if you notice a difference in your water taste – and even desire to drink more! I know I sure have 🙂