Water Healthiness

LightKnow

Can someone advice or correct or add further knowledge to my question please.
So Tap water has chemicals in them but depending the area you live in.. the content varys.  So I have mixed information regarding tap water 
1. The chemical in tap water are actually beneficial ? If not does simply boiling water remove all the nasties or would you have to filter the water and this brings me to my next point .. would over time the system or taps silver crumble into are drinking water ?
Soo another thing.. are bottle waters just water filled from taps or are they actually all different in what lake they come from and how much they purify it ... Reason I ask ... There so many different types of waters out there each one or majority of them state there from x or y or they have extra added minerals etc ... Is there such thing as healthiest water ? 

Debran

Just drink what comes out of the tap.  It's cheap compared to bottled water and it's safe.   

You can get information if you look up the Drinking Water Inspectorate.  Your local water supply website is another place to have a read at.

Grumpy_chap

Hi Bill,
I could bore you, and I mean really bore you, with science, facts and data on this. 
I will restrict myself to answering your direct questions and I do so assuming you refer to the situation for the UK consumer as different geographies have different situations relating to public water supply:

1. The chemical in tap water are actually beneficial ?
Most are, but the levels are quite low and generally will not be sufficient to supplement a diet that is deficient.
There are also trace elements of chemicals in water that are detrimental.  Concentrations so low as to do no harm.  Similar levels are found in bottled water.

If not does simply boiling water remove all the nasties or would you have to filter the water
The chemicals in water are generally not nasty in terms of health effects and the bacteria that can be detrimental in terms of health (the real nasties if you like) are controlled through the treatment undertaken at the water supply works.

Chemicals, other than hardness salts, are not removed by boiling. The small filter inside the kettle provides filtration to prevent the hardness salts (which you see as limescale) from spilling out into your tea.

Boiling will decrease the bacteriological load in the water but, ordinarily, tap water has such a low bacteriological load that it does not require boiling and, to be effective, boiling would need to be held boiling for longer than you simply achieve using the kettle and the auto-shutoff.  Very occasionally a "boil water" notice will be issued if something goes wrong.

Some people choose to use a local filter and say they prefer the taste of the water and / or the look of the water.  Taste and "look" are personal preference but the filters that are readily available for the UK do nothing to aid control of factors that may be detrimental to your health.  If used as per the manufacturer's instructions, these filters will not do anything that is harmful.  Most people do not use the filters as per the manufacturer's instructions and in operation these filters can, therefore, increase the level of bacteria present in the water that is consumed, though you are unlikely to find that this is to harmful levels.

and this brings me to my next point .. would over time the system or taps silver crumble into are drinking water ?
No, not in the case of silver or other modern materials.  You won't find much silver in the system anywhere.
Old lead pipe work does leach into the water.  Most of this has now been replaced.  The water supply companies also often does a chemical (orthophosphoric acid) to protect the system from lead leaching out into the water where there are high proportions of lead pipe work remaining.
In considering the possibility of material leaching from the water supply system into the water that you drink, you must also consider the higher possibility of material (plasticiser) leaching from the bottle of bottled water.  
One of the worst products for leaching into the drinking water is the old 1970's school water enamel jugs.  I can't remember the last time I saw on of these in use.

Soo another thing.. are bottle waters just water filled from taps
Some are.
Most aren't.
Some take tap water and then further purify it.  This is of little benefit but, hey, marketing...

 or are they actually all different in what lake they come from and how much they purify it
Yes, bottled waters are all different depending on where they come from.
Bottled waters rarely come from lakes but from underground boreholes or natural springs - hence the term "spring water".  
The exact mineral content of bottled waters will vary depending upon the geology where the borehole / spring is located.
Bottled water generally does as little treatment as they can to deliver the water at a suitable product quality for drinking and comply with regulations.  This benefits the bottled water companies promoting a "natural" product.  Hey, marketing again...

... Reason I ask ... There so many different types of waters out there each one or majority of them state there from x or y or they have extra added minerals etc ... 
A healthier and more environmentally-friendly alternative is to buy a reusable water bottle.
What benefits do you gain from the "added extra minerals"?  Are these at a level sufficient to supplement a medical need or dietary deficiency?  I would rather take medical advice and supplements (if necessary) from a qualified Doctor, Pharmacist or Dietician than a marketing team...
Remember, once produced, bottled water is a stored food product and starts deteriorating.  Tap water is not stored in the same way and keeps flowing which keeps it chilled and fresh.  

Is there such thing as healthiest water ? 
In summary the healthiest, and most environmentally sustainable water for human consumption within the UK is tap water.
I wouldn't panic if you drink bottled water, though. The difference in health terms between tap water and bottled water is so marginal as to be inconsequential.  

One other consideration for your thoughts:

• Tap water costs about £1 for 1,000 litres
• Bottled water costs about £1 for 1 litre.  Maybe marketing is expensive...

Bottled water does have its place and is a very important and useful product to meet modern day convenience.  It is healthier to drink that many of the alternative conveniently packaged drinks, but no significant difference when compared to tap water (though the latter wins ever so slightly).

The most important thing is to always ensure you drink sufficient water to maintain a sufficient level of hydration - about 8 glasses (2 litres) every day.

Hope that helps.

LightKnow

@Debran , I wasn't aware there was such site 😅 it has quite the information. Thank you for this

@Grumpy_chap don't worry about boring me, I actually enjoyed reading that.. I must say.. am glad I asked, 
I been curious about water benefits and how theres "types" in a sense... Honestly I was browsing supermarket... I seen water with Cbd , water with added electrodes, waters with higher calcium etc.. so my brain got interested 🤣

MrsStepford

Our tap water is spring water. The water company has to add chlorine by law, ( supoosedly stops bacteria build up when it's languishing in pipes) and nothing else. It comes from a spring at the base of the North Downs so it's very chalky. It's a constant battle to stop chalk deposits forming in the loo. Not good for taps,kettle, central heating and washing machine either. Plus side, it contains calcium and it should have less run-off of fertilisers than water supplied from an open resevoir.

I drink cold Evian, because it has a softer taste, neutral pH and because I started drinking it aged eleven on a school trip to France, so it has memories for me. The 500ml bottles are portable so pre-Covid, they were really handy, to shove in the 12v cooler in the car. 

My husband prefers Badoit, which is naturally carbonated but difficult to get hold of and expensive eg cheapest on Amazon is over £13 for 6 litres. It isn't  officilly sold in UK by Badoit since 2019 French fizzy water brand Badoit is no longer on sale in UK | Daily Mail Online 

I found this Polish sparkling water Muszynianka on sale at Sainsbury's £1.20 for 1.5L Muszynianka Green Still Water 1.5L | Sainsbury's (sainsburys.co.uk) Much cheaper, different taste but he likes that as well, thankfully. 

Spoonie_Turtle

Biil said:

@Debran , I wasn't aware there was such site 😅 it has quite the information. Thank you for this

@Grumpy_chap don't worry about boring me, I actually enjoyed reading that.. I must say.. am glad I asked, 
I been curious about water benefits and how theres "types" in a sense... Honestly I was browsing supermarket... I seen water with Cbd , water with added electrodes, waters with higher calcium etc.. so my brain got interested 🤣

Marketing, in other words!  Water with electrolytes can be great if you're exercising a lot and sweating buckets, or if you're really ill and can't keep food down, but for normal everyday water drinking just plain tap water is fine.  The only reasons for most people to be looking elsewhere are convenience (if you need to buy a bottle whilst out and about) or taste, if you don't like the taste of your tap water. 

[Some people with extreme chemical sensitivity genuinely react to their tap water, but chances are they also react to certain bottled water and not others - that kind of chemical sensitivity impacts your whole life and not just what water you drink!]

coffeehound

The best tap water I ever tasted was in south Birmingham.  Later found out it is because the water is piped in directly from the Welsh valleys

pollypenny

coffeehound said:

The best tap water I ever tasted was in south Birmingham.  Later found out it is because the water is piped in directly from the Welsh valleys

try our water here in Wales. 

LightKnow

Is it a myth or actual fact , once you had food you should wait 30min before drinking water ?  And I heard and read two separate things... Drinking cold water speed up stomach metabolism because it's works harder  or if you drink cold water it slows  food breaking down , leaving fat behind?

marylusa76

I don't think so

MrsStepford

Instead of drinking water with electrolytes, you can add pink Himalayan salt. Doesn't need to taste salty.