Water
Facts
Hard or soft
Chlorine, fluoride and aluminum
Water treatment
When and how much to drink
Bottled water
Types of bottled water
Handling bottled water
Mask water taste
Books & articles
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Facts
- Did you know that up to 2/3 of the human body weight is water? What a tremendous hidden amount! The liquid plasma found in blood has about 90% water while the bones are made up of 22% water!
- The human body will not survive for more than 5 days without water.
- It is a natural solvent for many things such as vitamins, minerals, bacteria, fungi, heavy metals and radioactive substances.
- There are basically 2 groups of water: ground and surface water. Sources for ground water come from rain, snow and rivers where water has been absorbed and trapped into the ground. Common sources for surface water are rivers and lakes.
- Rainwater from the clouds is the purest and freshest form of natural water. However when rainwater is mixed with sulphur emitted to the air from factories, acid rain is formed.
- "Zero" is the word American water-tasters use to rate water that tastes like sludge while "Nirvana" describes clean, clear and sweet-tasting water.
- Carbon dioxide is sometimes added to give water a fizz.
- Water flushes waste, toxins and carcinogenic substances from the body. Urine is water containing these unwanted substances.
Hard or soft
- Hard water contains high amounts of calcium and magnesium which makes cleaning and lathering difficult while the more preferred soft water contains high amounts of sodium.
- There 2 types of hardness - temporary and permanent.
Temporary hardness can be soften by boiling but not permanent hardness which has to undergo distillation or with the help of water softeners to remove the hardness.
Softening simply means to remove the calcium and magnesium and in some cases even adding in sodium.
Chlorine, fluoride and aluminum
- Chlorine is often added to water to kill bacteria. It does give off a distinctive smell which repels most people from drinking it straight from the tap. Boiling the water can remove the smell.
- Fluoride is also added to fight tooth decay while aluminum hydroxide makes water clear.
Water treatments
- Boiling - The most basic method to ensure that bacteria is killed. However, this process does not eliminate traces of lead or mercury.
- Chlorination - The oxidizing agent, chlorine is dissolved in water to kill bacteria and then removed.
- Distillation - Water is heated till evaporation and cooled down.
- Filtration - Water passes through filters to remove pollutants like chlorine, particles and etc. Filters come in a variety consisting of oxidising filters, mechanical filters, neutralising filters and carbon filters.
- Reverse Osmosis - Water goes through a fine filter, eliminating much of the water's natural ingredients.
When and how much to drink
- A general guide for the minimum amount of water to drink is 2 litres daily. More is to be drunk when you exercise or perform strenuous activities.
The average amount of water the body losses :
|
Urine
|
5 1/2 glasses
|
|
Stool
|
1/2 glass
|
|
Skin (sweat)
|
3 glasses
|
|
Breath
|
3 glasses
|
Total
|
12 glasses
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(Glass size = 250ml)
The average amount of water obtained from :
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Food
|
2 1/2 glasses
|
|
Metabolism
|
1 1/2 glasses
|
|
Total
|
4 glasses
|
A daily water-drinking schedule :
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Upon waking
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2 glasses
|
|
After breakfast and before lunch
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3 glasses
|
|
After lunch and before dinner
|
3 glasses
|
|
After dinner
|
1-2 glasses
|
|
Total
|
9-10 glasses
|
- Since most fruits and vegetables have high water content, they are definitely good water sources.
Bottled water
- The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) is the governing body for the world's bottlers of still and sparkling water.
- Most plastic bottled water containers are made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) which is a high-quality plastic that does not give off any plastic taste to the water.
Types of bottled water
- Artesian water -
Also known as artesian well water. This water is drawn from a well tapping a confined aquifer (underground layer of porous rock and sand that contains water). The water level has to be above the top of the aquifer.
- Distilled water -
Water obtained from distillation.
Once upon a time someone while attending a chemistry laboratory lesson must have thought "Since distill water is so pure why use it only for experiments and not make available to everyone to drink?"
- Flavored water -
Flavorings either natural or artificial are added usually to mineral water.
- Ionic alkaline water -
Water undergoes the electrolysis process (basically the application of electricity) to separate and charge up molecules. In 1966, the Japan Ministry of Health officially approved this water as a health improvement drink.
- Natural mineral water -
Water comes from an underground natural source that contains minerals such as magnesium, calcium, sodium and iron.
- Oxygen-enriched water -
Packed with almost 40 times more oxygen content than natural water.
- Purified water -
Undergone distillation, reverse osmosis or other purifying processes.
- Spring water -
Untreated natural water that comes from a natural underground source flowing on the earth's surface. Contains not less than 250 parts per million of total dissolved solids.
- Sparkling water -
A type of water that has to retain the same levels of carbon dioxide that it first had even after going through treatment and possible replacement of carbon dioxide.
- Vitamin-enriched water -
As the name implies, vitamins are added to make water more healthy.
Handling bottled water
- Avoid leaving half-drunk bottles for long periods since bateria found on the bottle cap and brim can breed. Once the bottle is opened, bacteria enters into the bottle from our mouths and the environment.
Mask water taste
- Add slices of lemon, lime, orange, fresh mint leaves or fresh grated ginger into your drinking water. These natural and healthy ingredients perk up your drink instantly!
- Soaking herbal teabags work too.
- To get rid of the chlorine taste, pour water into a jug and leave it for about an hour.
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