"Nope. Can't do it."
...said one of our members from New York as she set down two of her water containers. 'It doesn't feel right that I'm drinking tap water.' It’s a big transition for some of our members to move away from their preferred bottled water or a Reverse Osmosis filtration system. One of our member’s sister didn't trust their East County tap water and so they decided to drink bottled Arrowhead water for 25 years?! Think of all that plastic that has gone into the environment from this one family and the plastic they ingest daily (up to 2500 plastic particles found in an 8oz bottle of water). (Li, 2019) An Arrowhead distributor told my mom one day that only 5% of Arrowhead water is actually in the bottle and the rest is reverse osmosis. We did a newsletter back in February that explains what's added to alkaline bottled waters so check that out on our website. In this month's bi-monthly newsletter, what can you expect?
Solana Beach's water comes from the Santa Fe Irrigation District and there are 22 Total Contaminants with 11 exceeding Environmental Working Group's Health Guidelines (EWG) (which are more stringent than the Environmental Protection Agency guidelines). You can look up your city's drinking water too; see the source links at the bottom of the newsletter. The EWG suggests drinking filtered water instead of bottled water so more and more people are turning to home-based filtration options (RO) that remove as many containments as possible from their drinking water.
At first glance that is a good thing. What is critical to understand however is that you are 75% water and if the water you drink is stripped of minerals your body pulls from your bones, joints, muscles to seek the needed mineral replacement. Please feel free to research more about this. We'll also add some research on this topic in future newsletters. Understanding this is pivotal to your long term health. In the EWG chart below are some embedded suggestions on this topic plus extra suggestions.Installing a Reverse Osmosis filter may seem like the logical choice to remove as many contaminants as possible but just because it removes many (not all) contaminants, it doesn't mean it’s healthy for the body or the best way to clean your produce. In fact, it fails as drinking water.
Here’s where our research and personal experience come into play. We believe, filtered, alkaline, and hydrogen-rich water is THE healthiest for you AND the environment.
Let’s first start with the filtration. If we are not using a RO system, then what are we using? We prefer to use filters that remove certain contaminants as they retain minerals such as potassium, magnesium, sodium, calcium, and trace elements that are hugely important for hydration and balanced cellular health.
For transparency, below is our latest 3rd party water test from 2020. We have another one from Olivenhain Water District from 2016 for reference at the shop.
2020 Water ReportOur water is free of chlorine, fluoride, arsenic, barium, lead, chloramines, and nitrates.
Out of the 111 minerals and contaminants tested, 3 are notable. Bromodichloromethane, Chloroform, and Trichloroacetic Acid are considered toxic however they were detectable at the lowest levels and tested below EPA's guidelines.
We are happy to answer water filtration questions, please don't hesitate to reach out as you search for the best home-based systems!
Sources:
1. Dr. William Li, Eat to Beat Disease, p. 286
2. Santa Fe Utility: https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/system.php?pws=CA3710023