Everyone should drink 8 glasses of water a day – and when it comes down to it – there are two real choices, bottled, or tap. Which is the best, and is it worth paying the extra for bottled?
Tap Water
Tap water is cheap and is usually a very high quality. If you have a tap water source, such as at home, this should usually be the option of choice. Do not be ashamed to ask for tap-in clubs, bars or restaurants.
This discussion is intended for countries and areas where the tap water is considered safe to drink. If you live in a country where drinking from the tap is not recommended, bottled water is the only safe option. If you are traveling or visiting other countries on holiday – also consider bottled water, as the local water could cause stomach problems. Use your common sense, and seek advice before traveling.
Bottled Water
Bottled water is more expensive but very convenient – perfect for days out, or when the tap is unavailable. Unfortunately, when tap water is unavailable, some stores and venues charge a very high premium for water that is of no better quality than tap. Some bottled water claim higher purity, and high mineral content filtered, and clean. These claims may all be true, but the only real requirement of water is that it tastes fresh and clean. You can get a private label water bottle to suit your occasion too.
If the tap is unavailable, buying a single bottle is fine, but if you want to use bottled in place of tap, you should consider purchasing very large containers, as this will work out much cheaper than smaller bottles. If your tap water is hard or has a high PH, or strange taste, one alternative to bottled water is having a filtering system installed. This can work out cheaper in the long run over bottled.
So what’s the difference between tap water and bottled water? Is spending all the extra money on bottles even worth it? Should I feel safe drinking bottled water?
Now more than ever are people wondering these exact questions, and with good reason too. Most people are aware of all the problems with tap water contamination as it includes everything from chlorine to synthetic chemicals to lead to chlorine resistant bacteria and organisms.
This is why so many people buy bottled water instead. But are you sure that what you’re drinking is any better what comes out of your faucet at home?
The multi-BILLION-dollar bottled water business gives everyone the image that what they are bottling comes from the purest natural springs and rivers in the mountains or some magical aquifer in the middle of nowhere. But this image is FAR from how it all actually goes down…
In fact, the difference between tap water and bottled water is at best unknown! Why? Because there is no regulatory standard by the government in place that requires all water stored in bottles to be any purer, better, or offer more safety than tap water.
It’s estimated by the Natural Resources Defense Council that up to 70% of all bottled water is completely exempt from the FDA’s standards simply because they package and sell their product in the same state! If that’s not a loophole, then I don’t know what is!
So unlike tap, the bottle doesn’t have to be tested for E-coli, Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and certain synthetic chemicals, and it doesn’t have to be disinfected either.
You know what’s even more upsetting? It’s been said that up to one-fourth of all bottled water is simply repackaged tap water, and as much as 40% comes from city treatment plants! Tests have also shown that about one-third of all the brands contained bacteria or other kinds of chemicals.
So what’s the difference between tap water and bottled water? In all honesty, who knows! In my opinion, the best thing you can do to assure that you’re drinking safe and healthy water is to install a simple water filtration unit in your home.
This doesn’t have to be expensive either. You can get a quality filter that connects to your kitchen faucet. The system my family and I use filters out over 99% of all contaminants in tap water, and it only costs us about 9 cents a gallon to have pure, safe, healthy drinking water whenever we want! That sure beats spending $50-$60 on bottled water.