Bottled Water Challenge
Dr Jonny Bloomfield
Helping high performers to avoid burnout and reduce health risks. Health Coach | Speaker | Wellness Consultant
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Last week’s article was about encouraging you to simply drink more water, but should you also be more thoughtful about the water that you drink? This article’s aim is to make you think a little bit deeper about that…
Firstly, when at home, we usually will go to the kitchen tap to fill up a glass or a water bottle, but is your tap water really the best source of water to drink? Before you read on and be greatly alarmed, be rest assured that British tap water is among the best, and safest, in the world and millions of tests are conducted every year to guarantee the best possible quality. You can find out about the water quality in your local area by visiting the links at the end of this article.
About one third of tap water in England & Wales comes from underground sources, in Northern Ireland it’s 6% and Scotland just 3%, so tap water comes mainly from water sourced from rivers, lakes, reservoirs and groundwater. This water is screened, cleaned, aerated and disinfected to make it safe to drink. It arrives to your tap through a vast network of underground pipes - where it has potential to pick up lots of impurities such as lead and bacteria that live inside those pipe.
This cleaning process I just mentioned focuses on removing bacteria, parasites, particles, algae, insects and chemicals. It however, doesn’t remove all heavy metals and pesticides, especially when water is sourced close to any farms or industrial plants.
Contaminants commonly found in tap water are Chlorine (think swimming pools), Chloramines (chlorine + ammonia), Heavy Metals (such as aluminium, lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury) which are known causes of several diseases, Flouride (good for your teeth unless in high amounts when it then becomes bad for teeth and also causes other nasty bodily issues), Nitrates (chemical fertilisers), VOCs (volatile organic compounds which are chemicals from things such as cleaning products that enter our water system), PFAs (“forever chemicals” which never break down coming from industrial chemicals), Pesticides & herbicides (from agriculture), Pharmaceuticals (medicines flushed down the toilet or sink) & Cysts (nasty parasites entering the system from the likes of leaking septic tanks).
So now you’re thinking, oh my goodness, I’m never drinking from the kitchen tap ever again! I’m only ever going to buy bottled water. Well, that’s really not a great idea either… Despite very strict regulations on the quality of our drinking water (which remember is perfectly safe to drink), the issue arises once it’s poured into a plastic bottle (not including the carbon footprint it costs to produce the bottle in the first place and the impact of the disposal of the empty bottles which usually ending up polluting the oceans). Not only is there an expense (compared to tap water), the plastic containers leach hormone-disrupting chemicals, especially if they are stored for long periods of time and even more so if they receive any sunlight in that process too!
?? In fact, one of the worst things you can ever do is to leave a plastic bottle of water in a hot car, and then drink it! And then the second BIG mistake is to then go and refill it! Please don’t!! ?
Bottled water also contains a large amount of microplastics which occurs as a result of the breakdown of plastic waste and consuming these are not very good for your health, let’s just say! This is a reason why you’ve heard that you should never refill a plastic bottle (see above ??). Bottled water is one of the biggest single-use plastic culprits in the world with every single bottle destined for a 300-year life of decomposure.
Side note… did you know that every single toothbrush that has ever existed, still exists somewhere on this planet? That’s a frightening thought. Heard that mind-blowing fact recently…
So what’s the better alternative? Here it is. ?? Drink Filtered Water! ??
For staters, drinking filtered water is good for the environment and much more sustainable than using plastic bottles. Let’s get that one out of the way first. (Ps. if you are buying water to drink, seek still or sparkling water that comes in glass bottles, unless it says Peckham Spring on the label)??
Water filtration is a method for removing impurities and contaminants, but retains the important minerals such as magnesium, flouride, calcium and zinc. It protects you from any toxins and also help prevent limescale (the water also smells and tastes better too!). Drinking filtered water is also optimal for your health and is said to better support your immune system and mental health function.
Filters are very convenient and easy to use. From simple filter jugs (with an activated carbon filter), to counter-top filters that connect directly to a tap, holding up to 25L, to under-sink filtration systems which hooks up to the water mains and flows straight from the kitchen tap. Then there’s more expensive systems such as Reverse Osmosis filtration (which maybe goes a bit over the top) and Whole-House Filtration Systems which provides filtered water through every single tap!
For the FULL lowdown, watch this short video from Dr Steven Gundry (a cardiologist, heart surgeon, medical researcher, and author). ??
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So, this week’s challenge is to (i) stop drinking bottled water (ii) do your research on home filtration systems and choose a method that will work best for you and your family (iii) start filling your (non-plastic) water bottle with filtered water and bring it wherever you go.
Key message: ?? Own your Own water source.
Have a great week and keep up the #healthyhabits
?? For more info on Healthy Habits, please visit my website and sign up for my mailing list… https://www.jonnybloomfield.com/healthy-habits
For info:
Check Water quality Northern Ireland: https://www.niwater.com/water-quality-results/
Check Water quality Scotland: https://www.niwater.com/water-quality-results/
Check Water quality England & Wales: https://www.discoverwater.co.uk/water-sector
?? Best selling filter jugs on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Sellers-Water-Filter-Jugs/zgbs/kitchen/388890011
?? In our home, we’ve installed an under-sink filtration system made by Quooker (I’ve no affiliation, see image at the top) and we haven’t looked back! https://www.quooker.co.uk
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