So, if it literally is us, let’s focus on how to drink the best water we can. The phrase ‘You are what you eat should be extended to you are what you drink’ as we are made up of 68% good old water. The biggest and simplest health change we can make is to ensure we’re drinking enough good quality water. This often means improving the quality and increasing the quantity.
You are approximately 68% water. Just a 2% drop in hydration will cause symptoms of early dehydration, such a brain fog, headache, a drop in energy, anxiety, irritability and fatigue. Further dehydration may lead to reduced metabolism, digestive issues, mood changes, constipation, anginal pain, and further dehydration can contribute to further health issues.
Approximately 35ml per kilo of body weight. However this varies according to many factors. If the weather is hot, if you naturally sweat lots, your ayurvedic constitution, your amount of exercise, the time of the month etc… we are all individual.
Preventing dehydration is essential for health. It prevents the body becoming acidic which is often the starting point for many diseases. There are hundreds of reasons to ensure you’re adequately hydrated, including:
Healthy plants make healthy people. We can use all the fancy filtration systems we can want to, but most importantly for health and hydration are fruit and vegetables. Ensure your diet is high in both of these, not only for the water content, but also for the extra nutrients.
Fruit and vegetables contain between 75-90% water, and have their own sophisticated filtration systems. These count towards your daily water intake. Water obtained from eating fruit and veg is both filtered and structured.
Choose organic if possible. You may pay approximately 10-20% more, however the nutrient benefit far outweighs the extra cost. If you’ve space, time and are willing definitely grow your own. The benefits extend beyond your health, to caring for the planet.
Tap water contains chemicals we’d ideally remove from water. These chemicals are added to clean water before it reaches our homes. The permitted levels are based on what is deemed safe over the lifetime of a human. It’s better to remove these rather than risk them.
Many of the water treatment machines on the market aim to improve water for health and hydration reasons. The science behind these often tries to mimic what happens to water in nature, for example:
Hence the equipment we look at for water often contains a mixture of all or some of these abilities. Understanding the health benefits of each can help inform your choice of water equipment.
Method |
What |
Pros |
Cons |
Filtration |
There are various methods of filtration, as below. |
Water is cleaner and better for health and hydration |
All water filtration systems require maintenance, which is essential. |
Distillation |
Water is evaporated, the resulting steam then turns into purified water. |
Results in the most pure water, removing 99% of contaminants. |
Water is left without minerals, so these should be added and the water should be structured. |
Ionised Water |
The ions in water have been separated to produce alkaline or acidic water. With some machines the PH can be selected, so water can be made for differing purposes. |
Makes alkaline water, which is beneficial for health. Makes acidic water, which is good for bathing and cleaning. May increase ORP to make water more anti-oxidant. |
Acidic water shouldn’t be used long term for drinking.. Equipment can be expensive. Not all water can be ionised. The water must contain minerals to allow this to happen. May not provide adequate filtration of the water. |
Deionised Water |
Ions are removed from the water to create a water with no or very little electrical charge. |
Non reactive so excellent for use in pharmarceutical,industrial and cosmetic settings |
Requires prior filtration. Leaches minerals so not advisable for human consumption. |
Alkaline Water |
Water with a PH of over 7, which contains alkalising minerals. |
Improved hydration. Numerous health claims including for skin, brain, blood pressure, anti-ageing, immune, gut, neurological, detoxification, bone health. |
Health claims may be controversial and claimed by the manufacturers themselves. Alkaline does not necessarily mean filtered, so look carefully at this. Risk of alkalosis if diet is overly alkaline. |
Acidic Water |
Water with a PH of under 7. May be obtained from distillation or reverse osmosis. May also occur in nature (eg acid rain). |
Good for cleaning with, eg. house, fruit and vegetables as has antimicrobial benefits. May help skin conditions caused by bacterial or fungal overgrowth. May be used to treat dandruff. |
Leaches minerals so not advised for drinking. May be bad for bones, teeth and cardiovascular health. Leaches metals so may contribute to heavy metal toxicity if drank regularly. |
Kangen Water |
A brand of water which seeks to produce water as close to nature, by filtering, ionising and maintaining minerals in water. Can produce water between PH of 2.5-11.5. Produces 5 types of water for beauty, food, home, garden, pet. |
Multiple water types for differing purposes Many functions in one machine, eg filtration, ionisation, alkaline. Can help lead a more chemical free lifestyle. Adds molecular hydrogen so can increase ORP of water to be more anti-oxidant. |
Very expensive, from £3k upwards. Regular changing and maintenance of filters is required, which can be expensive. Filtration is limited, further filters can be added to the machine, at further cost. |
Ozonated Water |
Ozone, a colourless gas, is added to water to disinfect and clean the water. |
Chemical free water disinfecting solution. Good for washing vegetables. Claims that drinking ozonated water will help kill off bacteria, fungi, parasites, so maybe useful to support digestive health, clear UTIs etc. |
Water has a maximum amount of ozone it can hold. Once saturated ozone is given off, which is damaging to respiratory health. Ozone is an ‘oxidant’ so therefore not good for health. It is claimed to initiate a stress response in the body to produce an ’antioxidant’ effect by the body, however studies are limited and outdated. |
Mineral Water |
Water taken directly from source, such as underground reservoir or spring. The water is naturally high in minerals, and will have no chemical processing. |
Water as nature intended, that hasn’t been messed with. Naturally filtered. Often naturally alkaline so includes benefits of alkaline water as above. |
Often in plastic bottles, which presents problems. Otherwise in glass bottles, issue of carbon footprint and environmental concerns. If carbonated the PH is lowered, which may present problems for teeth. May not be suitable for low sodium diets. |
DeMineralised Water |
Water stripped of ions, thus salts and other charged minerals are removed from the water. |
Excellent for industrial and cosmetic uses, where mineral build up may cause a problem in machinery. In cosmetic applications the lifespan of a product is increased. |
May still contain contaminants and chemicals (unless well filtered prior to demineralisation) May leach minerals from anything it touches, including humans so not advisable to drink |
Reverse Osmosis Water |
Water that has been passed through a membrane under pressure, using reverse osmosis (ie. going from a more concentrated to a less concentrated solution) |
A very effective method of filtration. Membranes may last a couple of years and maintenance can be quite minimal. |
Removes all minerals from water so leaves water flat, possibly acidic and not ideal for drinking. Water should be made alkaline with minerals and structuring applied after filtration. |
Soft Water |
Water which is high in sodium and potassium as opposed to calcium and magnesium. Ion exchange is a way to make water softer. |
Soap lathers better in soft water. Softens skin. Extends the lifespan of machinery such as dishwashers Less residue from washing dishes, clothes etc |
May be high in sodium which may not be beneficial for some people. Concern for people with high blood pressure. More likely to pick up lead from the inside of old pipes. |
Hard Water |
Water which contains higher levels of calcium and magnesium than sodium and potassium. |
Can taste better than soft water. Has less sodium so good for people with high blood pressure Contains calcium and magnesium which have good health benefits. |
Contains more limescale which can cause build up in pipes and machinery. May be drying for skin and hair, and possibly cause itching. Tends to form a soap scum rather than a lather. |
Heavy Water |
Hydrogen in water is replaced with heavy hydrogen (Deuterum) which has more mass than normal hydrogen. |
Good for use in nuclear technology as less conductive. |
Toxic to the human body and damages cellular ability to repair and reproduce |
Structured Water |
Water where the molecule clusters are reduced in size, and is thus more fluid. Contains trace elements (which may come from nature, or from adding good quality salt). Flaska bottles are also a good way to structure water. Water can also be structured by adding 6 grains of organic brown rice (or wheat) per 4 litres of water. |
Alkaline, so health benefits of alkaline water Increased hydration and assimilation as the water can cross cell membranes and mucus membranes easier, including those of the digestive tract. If using good quality salt to structure the water there’s the benefit of adding approx 80 minerals to the water. |
Water must contain minerals to become structured. Distilled or reverse osmosis water will need minerals adding to become structured. |
For drinking water and health reasons we recommend that water is filtered, alkaline and structured. As above there are various ways to do this depending how much water you want to produce at once, how much you want to spend and how much maintenance you’d like. Below are some of our favourite water filtering options:
The above companies are all reputable suppliers and provide many options of water filter/treatment to fit your requirements and budget.
We love Flaska bottles. The technology in the bottle ensures your water is structured to improve hydration.
Shop FlaskaKylie Williams is a Co-Director of Therapy Organics, and also a Bowen Technique Therapist. She is passionate about natural medicine to optimise health.
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