Is Distilled Water the Healthiest Option for Drinking?

[Saint]

The tap water is unclean, for the sake of health and long life, it is better to invest in distiller to get the cleanest water to drink.

 

[kuengb]

I think this is immoral.






















...Nevermind

 

[DarkAnt]

how is tap water "unclean"? Where I live its checked multiple times a day. Wouldn't using a distiller get rid of some of the good stuff in tap water such as floride?

 

[amwbonfire]

Saint... why do you keep trying to say everything is IMMORAL (In capitals.)

Drink your distilled water, and I'll stick mine in the iron, where it goes.



EDIT: Saint's location is given as "Planet of MARS". I think this is pretty much spot on - he's not joking.

 

[jimmy p]

I have two (well, 3) types of water that come from my tap - hard cold, (hot) and soft cold. Is soft water the same as distilled?

 

[jimmy p]

Actually I'm surprised George Foreman hasnt coined that one...

"My lean, mean, hard water reducing distilling machine... I'm so proud of it, I'll put my NAME on it!"

 

[Monique]

My american tap water came in blue and yellow shades

 

[humanino]

Now I get it. Saint is the joker.

 

[BobG]

If it's 'distilled water', then it is not healthy to drink. It leeches minerals from your body.

If it's 'filtered water', then it might be healthier to drink, depending upon your local water supply.

Filtered water is probably purer than most bottled waters, since most bottled waters are just the normal local water in the vicinity of the bottling company. I have been to places where I would definitely prefer water bottled somewhere else to the local water supply (some places I've even used bottled water to pour in the coffee maker).

Best bottled water in my (non-healthy oriented) opinion? Water Joe. Its caffeinated water. One bottle has the same amount of caffeine as 1 and 1/4 cups of coffee.

 

[humanino]

I smoke, I drink tape water and alcohol, i have sex even before mariage. Damn, I'll die young and go to hell. At least, I enjoy my short life.

 

[The Binary Monster]

You drink "tape water"? :O

 

[humanino]

I'm trying to quit and stick to alcohol, I want to avoid rust.

 

[Moonbear]

Yep, distilled water is bad for you, and if you've ever taken a sip just to find out, it tastes AWFUL (or so I've been told)

My tap water is just fine. I prefer knowing my water has been chlorinated to kill the germs and fluorinated to try to keep some semblance of healthy teeth in my mouth (I'm terribly prone to cavities no matter what I do). Filters are okay as long as you clean them often enough. Too many people use them until they are contaminating their water with mold and algae from the filter.

Of course, if your house still has lead pipes for some reason, then by all means, use bottled water. Or if you rely on well-water and aren't sure of how clean it is, same thing.

If you think there may be little beasties in your water that shouldn't be, call the water company and have them check it! Or boil it.

 

[The Binary Monster]

What is this "tape water" anyhow? I only know of tap water, mineral water, heavy water, distilled water, boiled water, etc... I haven't heard of tape water before!

 

[humanino]

tape water is the way french people mistype tap water. But that's fine, you are allowed to ignore a few things

 

[ray b]

I smoke, I drink tape water and alcohol, i have sex even before mariage. Damn, I'll die young and go to hell. At least, I enjoy my short life.

" ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG "


char-coal filtered at the tap
that may not get everything out
but it sure does taste better

soft water is a small amounts of salt added to reduce some minerals but is not really pure or distiled

 

[The Binary Monster]

We use soft water for everything but drinking... apparently it's not too good to drink in large amounts?

 

[jimmy p]

Hard water contains minerals which are good for you, but can cause kidney stones and such like.

Soft water doesn't contain kidney-stone-causing minerals, but people who drink it have a higher risk of heart disease than hard water drinkers.

Kinda catch 22 isn't it?

 

[Monique]

Yep, distilled water is bad for you, and if you've ever taken a sip just to find out, it tastes AWFUL (or so I've been told)

So what if you make coffee or tea with distilled water, that would be ok to drink? Not that I would, but I know people who do

 

[Averagesupernova]

If soft water contains salt it is simply residue. Softener salt is used to disolve the crud that collects on the filter in the softener. If you never recharge your softener then you will never use any salt. The salt is not deliberately added.

I have owned a still and I personally think the water tastes good. At first it seems bitter but it is actually a lack of taste. You get used to it. I also found that I drank a lot more water when I used the still. Just had the craving. Never heard about it leaching minerals from your body though.

 

[Saint]

our bodies obtain the required minerals from food, fruits etc. , not from the water we drink.
Water is a medium to perform metabolism, it should be as clean as possible.

Distilled water is the best.

 

[Moonbear]

I looked into it further, and a number of sites, including an EPA site, said distilled water is okay to drink, just tastes "flat." I've noticed that some bottled drinking water actually adds back some minerals, probably for taste. But there's no need for it. The minerals are in very small amounts compared to what you get in your food, so are neither sufficient to provide your nutrient requirements nor high enough to do anything to harm you.

 

[Saint]

I looked into it further, and a number of sites, including an EPA site, said distilled water is okay to drink, just tastes "flat." I've noticed that some bottled drinking water actually adds back some minerals, probably for taste. But there's no need for it. The minerals are in very small amounts compared to what you get in your food, so are neither sufficient to provide your nutrient requirements nor high enough to do anything to harm you.

Exactly, you're absolutely right!
So, please drink distilled water!
To prolong your life and free from cancer!

 

[Saint]

2. Are there any minerals missing from distilled water that my body needs?
It is true that you need minerals, but these are best obtained from your food and food supplements. There are two sources of minerals: organic and inorganic. Our bodies cannot easily assimilate minerals that come from an inorganic source such as the water we drink. Our bodies receive the minerals they assimilate from organic sources such as the food we eat. Green, leafy vegetable, meat, and dairy products are all good sources.

Distillation removes the minerals out of the water before they can enter the body's system, and distilled water may also remove mineral deposits already there(in arthritic joints, for example). The minerals our bodies depend on are absorbed and remain in the tissues. Therefore, distilled water is best as it removes virtually all of the contaminants from your water. Of course, we do need some inorganic minerals, like sodium, but these are also found in abundant supply in food.

3. Does distilled water leach minerals from my body?
No, that is not an accurate statement. Distilled water is the purest form of water, the universal solvent. Pure water does absorb discarded minerals and with the assistance of the blood and lymph(mostly water), transports them to the kidneys for elimination. It is this kind of mineral elimination that is incorrectly referred to as 'leaching'. The expression that distilled water leaches minerals from the body is inaccurate. Distilled water does not leach out body minerals, it collects and removes minerals which have been rejected by the cells and tissues, which if not evacuated, can cause arterial obstruction, arthritic deposits and other potentially serious bodily damage.

 

[Evo]

I read an article recently about the water supply in New York containing living crustaceous "animals" and Orthodox Jews were advised not to drink the water.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/Northeast/06/02/kosher.water.ap/

 

[recon]

Saint, aku hanya mendidih airku. Bolehkah tu?

A man once tried to sell us a distiller. It cost 2000 dollars. Anyway, I find that boiling water is enough to get rid of anything harmful. Of course, I'm only 15 and the effects may not show themselves for a few more years.

 

[chronon]

The tap water is unclean, for the sake of health and long life, it is better to invest in distiller to get the cleanest water to drink.

When I was ill and had to watch out for the possibility of infections I was given a list of what foods were OK and what to avoid.

No. 1 on the allowed list: tap water

No. 1 on the avoid list: filtered/bottled (still) water.

 

[Crumbles]

I looked into it further, and a number of sites, including an EPA site, said distilled water is okay to drink, just tastes "flat." I've noticed that some bottled drinking water actually adds back some minerals, probably for taste. But there's no need for it. The minerals are in very small amounts compared to what you get in your food, so are neither sufficient to provide your nutrient requirements nor high enough to do anything to harm you.

Exactly, you're absolutely right!
So, please drink distilled water!
To prolong your life and free from cancer!

How about the fluoride content of tap water you miss out on?

 

[Kalimaa23]

Were I live, the tap water is actually cleaner than bottled water. Bit too much calcium though for my taste.

 

[Gokul43201]

The "cleanest water" is not necessarily the best for the human body. Drinking pure 18.2 mega ohm de-ionized water in the long term is not good. At least the warning on our Helix De-ionizer says to avoid drinking it, so we don't, though a little bit won't hurt.

I would think the real argument here is between the choice of distilled over filtered water for long-term consumption..

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,

"Distilled water, being essentially mineral-free, is very aggressive, in that it tends to dissolve substances with which it is in contact. Notably, carbon dioxide from the air is rapidly absorbed, making the water acidic and even more aggressive."

I also found this :

During nearly 19 years of clinical practice I have had the opportunity to observe the health effects of drinking different types of water. Most of you would agree that drinking unfiltered tap water could be hazardous to your health because of things like


parasites
chlorine
fluoride
dioxins

Many health fanatics, however, are often surprised to hear me say that drinking distilled water on a regular, daily basis is potentially dangerous.

...

There is a correlation between the consumption of soft water (distilled water is extremely soft) and the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Cells, tissues and organs do not like to be dipped in acid and will do anything to buffer this acidity including the removal of minerals from the skeleton and the manufacture of bicarbonate in the blood.

The longer one drinks distilled water, the more likely the development of mineral deficiencies and an acid state.

I have done well over 3000 mineral evaluations using a combination of blood, urine and hair tests in my practice. Almost without exception, people who consume distilled water exclusively, eventually develop multiple mineral deficiencies.

Those who supplement their distilled water intake with trace minerals are not as deficient but still not as adequately nourished in minerals as their non-distilled water drinking counterparts even after several years of mineral supplementation.

The ideal water for the human body should be slightly alkaline and this requires the presence of minerals like

calcium
magnesium

Distilled water tends to be acidic and can only be recommended as a way of drawing toxins out of the body. Once this is accomplished, the continued drinking of distilled water is a bad idea.

Water filtered through reverse osmosis tends to be neutral and is acceptable for regular use provided minerals are supplemented.

Water filtered through a solid charcoal filter is slightly alkaline. Ozonation of this charcoal filtered water is ideal for daily drinking. Longevity is associated with the regular consumption of hard water (high in minerals). Disease and early death is more likely to be seen with the long term drinking of distilled water.

Avoid it except in special circumstances.

Zoltan P. Rona MD MSc

http://watershed.net/purified.htm