By Melissa Kehagias
Keeping hydrated is an important part of staying healthy and looking great, but with so many options – from filtered water, boiled water, bottled and tap water – it’s difficult to know which type is the best for your body and what’s just marketing hype. Rescu. spoke to the experts to find out what type of water is the healthiest for us and why.
Filtered Water VS Tap Water:
We asked our health expert Monique Bolland from the Alkaline Spa and Clinic to tell us whether or not filtered water is actually better for us than tap water.
“In developing countries, epidemic disease is spread through contaminated tap water. Even in most modern cities, the pipes the water travels through to get to your tap are old, rusted, and full of bacteria and toxic material. Municipal water treatment facilities screen out debris and clean the water through chemical processes. The purpose of filtering water in the home is to remove all traces of these chemicals leaving with you pure, fresh water.”
Boiled Water VS Filtered Water:
Monique also explained to us that boiled water and filtered water clean our drinking water through two methods. Boiling water kills the bacteria and parasites (such as cryptosporidium, which can cause diarrhea) that live in our water whilst filtering water actually removes potentially toxic debris.
Cold Water VS Warm Water:
We also asked Monique if drinking warm or tepid water is more beneficial to our health than drinking cold water.
She told us the number one rule: It is important to consume an adequate amount of water each day, regardless of the temperature.
“Some research suggests that cold water isn’t absorbed as easily as tepid water as the body needs to use energy to warm it up to body temperature. Drinking cold water while eating can make digestion of the food more difficult.”
Bottled Water:
With so many brands and choices of bottled water, you’re never sure if there is any difference between them or not. It’s important to know where the water in these bottled come from so that you know that you’re hydrating your body with the right stuff.
Rescu. Loves:
Our favorite bottled variety is FIJI Water. This delicious and pure bottled mineral water is a natural artesian water sourced from Viti Levu in the Fiji islands. Beginning as rainfall, FIJI Water filters through volcanic rock over hundreds of years and finally accumulates in an underground aquifer. Here, it is isolated from external impurities, then bottled at the source where natural artesian pressure forces the water through a sealed delivery system free from human contact. The upshot is that it’s a celebrity favorite and one of the most pleasant and chic ways to hydrate!
So what important minerals should we be looking out for in our mineral water and why?
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Benefits |
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Silica |
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Electrolytes |
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pH |
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Potassium |
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Chloride |
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Fluoride |
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Calcium |
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Bicarbonates |
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Magnesium |
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Sodium |
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How Can Water Help Us Lose Weight?
Hypnotherapist and Think Slim founder Mark Stephens gave Rescu. his expert opinion on how water can help us when dieting.
“When slimming or any time at all, you need to get the most nutritional value from every kilojoule you consume. That’s why you need to drink more water.
Many studies have shown that soft drinks and even fruit juices can contribute to obesity. The main reason is simple; we are not biologically designed to drink our kilojoules. The average can of soft drink contains 10 teaspoons of sugar.
The reason that we drink is to flush our digestive system of impurities and to minimise the amount we eat. Water quenches your thirst, hydrates your body, has no added sodium to make you thirstier and has zero kilojoules.
Every time you drink water imagine you are washing away the fat. Make this your new mantra:
The more I drink the more I shrink.
Be sure to drink a glass of water 30 minutes prior to eating. If you still feel hungry after eating have another glass of water or a cup of tea and wait for the hunger to pass: it will!
When you’re slimming down, when you’re moving toward slimness, the water helps to flush away the toxins and the fat.”
How Much Water Should We Drink?
Mark also advised us on the amount of water we should be drinking each day to help us stay healthy.
“The minimum amount of water to drink is 8 to 10 glasses or the equivalent of one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half litres of water a day. The bigger you are, the more water you need to drink.
The more water you drink between every meal, the easier you will be able to stop the hunger and the cravings.
Do you realise that most of the time when you think you’re hungry you’re actually thirsty? Your body craves water. Your body via your unconscious mind sends a message of thirst. Somewhere along the way the message gets confused with hunger. Therefore you need to drink more water, drink more water, drink more water. All you need to do between meals is drink more water.”
To find out more about Mark Stephens and his Think Slim program watch our exclusive interview.
More On Wellbeing:
1. Super Foods: Which One Is Right For You?
2. A Deadly Diet: What To Do If You Suspect An Eating Disorder
3. How To Improve Your Sleep The Natural Way
