Clean water is one of the most important factors to maintaining good health, second only to oxygen. We can live without oxygen for two to five minutes, and without water for two to five days. Our bodies are made up of more than 50% water. It carries oxygen and essential nutrients throughout our bodies. We need it daily to sustain life and flush away pesticides and other impurities.
Many centenarians are relatively poor, yet they’ve aged well, in part, because they’ve had access to naturally clean water sources for much of their lives. Some have lived in secluded rural areas so remote that roads are sometimes impassable. Many don’t have material things that others consider necessities. But just because they’re poor by worldly standards doesn’t mean they’re unhappy. On the contrary, they’re rich and satisfied in different ways, with things that are more essential to life, like water.
Do you assume that good water is any water that looks clear, tastes okay, and doesn’t make you sick immediately? Be careful. Don’t judge water by the way it looks. It may contain clear odorless poisons such as chlorine, fluoride, arsenic, and many others, that can eventually cause a slew of side effects, and lead to disease. Because these poisons accumulate over time, it’s difficult to pinpoint the cause.
Avoid drinking from plastic bottles unless they’re Bisphenol A (BPA) free. BPA mimics estrogen which can cause cancer or dozens of other negative health effects. Consumer attorneys Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman spell out some of the health problems associated with BPA. Don’t presume that bottled water is more or less safe than tap water. If you do buy bottled water, choose purified or distilled. It’s less likely to contain harmful additives.
Purchase a small water testing device so you can regularly test the quality of the water you use for drinking, cooking, and bathing. HM Digital makes an affordable handheld TDS meter , as shown above, for example. If necessary, install a water filter in your home, and have the quality checked by a professional at least twice a year.
If you spend a time outside your home each day, take one or more (glass or stainless steel) water bottles to go. Develop strategies to ensure that you consume safe water wherever you are.
Although many people who live in developed countries take water for granted, water quality is declining worldwide. Nearly one third of the world’s population, billions of people, don’t have access to adequate water sanitation. And it is a growing concern for every nation. If you haven’t already seen Blue Gold: World Water Wars or Flow, watch one or both of these documentaries soon.
