Today I have a guest post for you on bottled water. Many of us either drink or store bottled water. But how many even give it a second thought. Water is just water right? Well not exactly. The different typed of water all serve different roles. I like to drink a bottle of Perrier Lime water a day for the mineral content. Also It fills my need to have a carbonated beverage. Enjoy this read about the different kinds of bottled water -James

Bottled Water Overview

Americans alone consumed fifty-billion bottles of water last year. That’s a lot of water! With such a large industry there is bound to be a variety of products for sale.

When you go to the store and look at all the different kinds of bottled water, it can be confusing to know what the difference is. You may have questions like is one healthier than the other? Or you may even wonder, is there any difference between them all or is it just marketing?

Well it turns out that there really is a difference. While all bottled water is similar, different types come from different sources and may go through a different filtration process. Let’s take a look at some of the most common forms of bottled water and see how they differ from one another.

Distilled

Distilled water is filtered by evaporation. In a processing center, large quantities of water are boiled. The condensation is caught while heavy metals and other undesired chemicals are left behind.

It’s this condensation that you’re drinking when you choose distilled water.

While this filtering process is very efficient, it does have a major drawback. Many herbicides, pesticides, and other chemicals actually have a lower boiling point than water. That means that instead of being left behind, they will boil and evaporate with the water and be caught in the filtered product that you drink.

Some bottling companies further filter their distilled water possible with reverse osmosis while others don’t. There is some debate as to whether or not distilled and reverse osmosis water is safe to drink as they do remove minerals such as calcium from the water.

However, it does have a very useful application. Because of its complete lack of minerals and metals, distilled water is great to use in irons and other water based appliances. Unlike other varieties, distilled water will not lead to unwanted build ups of iron and calcium.

Spring

Any water that comes from an underground aquifer can be labelled as spring water. However, bottlers will often take great liberties with the name. Depending on the manufacturer, anywhere from 0% to 45% of “spring” water can actually come from a municipal source.

That means that you could potentially be paying for filtered tap water. If that’s the case, you would be better off buying a filter and filtering your own water at home.

Of course, since it has been filtered, bottled spring water is a good choice for drinking. However, you should be aware when you buy it, you may not be getting anything more than filtered tap water.

Purified

Laws governing the labelling of purified water make this a great choice for drinking. Purified water is highly filtered water that meets guidelines set out by the US Food and Drug Administration. The purity of purified water has come so far that instead of measuring pollutants in PPM (Parts Per Million), it’s now possible to measure in PPB (Parts Per Billion), and sometimes even PPT (Parts Per Trillion).

This high level of filtration is perfect for medical and scientific applications. With purified water, you know that the product is going to be nearly devoid of all unwanted chemicals and toxins.

However, like distilled water, this filtering can have its drawbacks. Purified water doesn’t contain the vitamins and minerals that some people may need. If you were to switch to drinking nothing but purified water, you would have to find another way to incorporate all those missing elements into your diet.

Artesian

Despite the pleasant sounding name, artesian water is actually no different in chemical structure than spring water. It comes from an underground aquifer, is bottled and then sold.

The difference between spring water and artesian water lies in how it reaches the surface. Spring water is pumped out of the ground with a modern drilling rig. On the other hand, artesian water naturally flows to the surface because of a high pressure difference underneath the earth.

The advantage of artesian water and spring water is that they’re naturally filtered. Before water can reach an underground aquifer it has to pass through many layers of silt, rock, vegetation, and other organic matter that naturally filters it.

Thus, depending on the quality, artesian water may be bottled without being filtered. This makes it a good choice because it means that all of the vitamins and minerals your body needs are left intact. On the other hand, some artesian water may be filtered. You should read the label of the bottle to see where the water comes from and whether it’s filtered or not.

Mineral

When you buy mineral water you should be careful to investigate what you’re getting. In some places, mineral water has become a euphemism for any water that comes from a bottle and not from the tap. This is especially likely to happen in bars and restaurants.

Real mineral water is legally defined by the US Food and Drug Administration as any water that comes from the earth, and contains a sufficient amount of desirable amount of vitamins and minerals. By law, mineral water cannot have any of these beneficial compounds added to it, they must occur naturally.

Like artesian water, mineral water may or may not be filtered. That depends on the quality of the water and what contaminants it contains.

Mineral water is another good choice for drinking because it contains the compounds your body needs to survive and is naturally healthy. Just be aware that while bottled mineral water must meet federal guidelines, bars and restaurants can label regular water mineral water and they are unlikely to face any disciplinary action.

Sparkling

Commonly used in a wide variety of alcoholic drinks, sparkling water is any water that has been carbonated with either carbon dioxide or hydrogen sulfide gas. It often comes in a wide variety of flavors and is very popular outside of the United States.

Sparkling water may or may not be filtered depending on the source it comes from. If it’s not filtered, that simply means that the source it was drawn from met guidelines for minimum allowable pollution levels.

Like every other type of water on this list, sparkling water does not contain any calories. Thus it shouldn’t be confused with tonic water, which is also carbonated but does contain calories.

You should be aware that a minority of people who drink sparkling water have an adverse reaction to it. This can come in the form of an upset stomach or problems with digestion. However, most people have no problem drinking sparkling water and find it a great alternative to other carbonated beverages like cola and energy drinks.

What’s the Best Choice?

Ultimately, the best bottled water depends on what your individual needs are. If you already have a large intake of vitamins and minerals than you can drink purified water and not worry about its lack of essential minerals.

On the other hand, if you’re worried about your intake of these essential nutrients, you should consider mineral water. It has naturally occurring nutrients and is a healthy choice for you and your family.

The facts suggest that drinking distilled water is not the best choice. Distilled water filters out all the vitamins and minerals your body needs, and it doesn’t completely filter out other harmful chemicals. That’s a worst of both worlds situation.

John Davis writes for YourWaterFilterGuide.com, a site dedicated to helping everyone find clean, safe, drinking water.

Sources

http://www.drinkmorewater.com/distilled-or-purified-water

http://www.livestrong.com/article/548249-purified-water-vs-spring-water/

http://www.mnn.com/your-home/at-home/questions/whats-the-difference-between-distilled-water-spring-water-and-purified

http://www.daleswater.co.uk/what-is-an-artesian-well/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/313171-health-risks-of-carbonated-water/

http://grist.org/news/bottled-water-doesnt-actually-come-from-where-you-think-it-does/