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What’s IN my water and how can I drink the healthiest water?

Posted on: 10-12-2020 by: SarahDodd

OK so you’ve made your new nutrition habit to drink more water. So what’s IN it…?

Well sadly, despite decades of investment by water companies in replacing old Victorian pipes, our water can collect contaminants en route to our kitchen sink. Substances like heavy metals, chlorine, hormones, antibiotics, plastics, pesticides and bacteria can be present – whilst present at reportedly low levels or at levels considered acceptable by water companies. Apart from some of the health impacts of these – they also affect the taste of the water. Poor taste is a common reason cited by my nutrition clients for choosing sugary soft drinks over water…

Have you bottled it? If you buy bottled water it appears that much of it comes from the tap in the first place… But aside from that – plastic water bottles pose an additional threat; they can leach plastics into the water which is a known issue for hormone and cardiovascular health. (And that’s aside from what plastic pollution is doing to our planet. One study suggests that globally we are ingesting 1769 tiny particles of plastic – known as ‘microplastics’ – each week, 90% of it from water. This is an average of 5 grams of plastic every week or the equivalent of a credit card. Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic (less than 5 mm in length) that arise in the environment. In a study of plastics in common bottled waters by ORB* – Nestle Pure Life contained the most plastic per litre and San Pellegrino contained the least.

So what can we do about it?

What about a standard water filter jug? Many of us have a conventional water filter jugs to help make our water healthier. But what exactly do they filter out? The Brita water filter pitcher uses a coconut-based activated carbon filter that removes chlorine, zinc, copper, cadmium and mercury. But – it appears that these activated carbon filters don’t remove all nitrates, dissolved minerals, bacteria and viruses. Also – their performance can be impaired by infrequent filter changes. Finally – do they filter out the plastics? NOPE, most do not. I’ve found one filter jug that claims to filter SOME though not all plastics. (It’s the ZeroWater 7-cup filter).

Home water filters

Investing in a proper under the sink filtration system might be another safe – though more costly – option. For anyone serious about their health – not to mention the taste of their water, it might be worth considering.

My top 10 tips for drinking sufficient, clean water –

Drink 1.5 litres of water a day MINIMUM – more if exercising, pregnant or breastfeeding
Don’t ignore thirst! Get yourself a glass of water each time you get a hot drink
If your pee is darker than straw – it’s time to hydrate
Use a portable water bottle like the one from SBM Water with a built-in plastics filter which removes plastics up to 1 um (micrometer – that’s 0.0001 cm). This one also reduces chlorine, heavy metals, VOCs (volatile organic compounds including Trihalomethanes, Trichloroethylene, Diazinon, Fenitrothion, Chloral hydrate some of which are industrial waste materials), plus 99.99% of bacteria and viruses. It’s filter lifespan is 200 litres or 3 months. Costs £59.99 plus £19.99 for the filter.
Carry a bottle with time markings if you need a visual reminder such as – BE-ACTIVE £13.99 (made from glass).
Use a table top filter such as ZeroWater 7-cup which claims to remove PVC plastic
Change your water filter strictly regularly to avoid bacterial build-up. Ideal replacement interval varies between 4 – 8 weeks for jug filters.
Avoid plastic bottles especially if they’ve been left in a hot car and keep any water in a glass or stainless-steel bottle
Always run your water if you’ve been away on holiday to avoid drinking the build-up in the tank. You can always water the plants with it to avoid waste.
Consider a home water filtration unit like one from SBM Water which removes everything from bacteria to hormones to pesticides, plus the usual bacteria and heavy metals. Other vendors are available.