This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
According to the National Institutes of Health, Americans drink about 2 gallons of bottled water every single day. This equates to over $5 billion being spent annually on bottled water. But what exactly is it doing to our bodies? And why do we even need to consume it in the first place?
We know that tap water isn’t always safe to drink. In fact, according to the Environmental Working Group, many cities across the United States fail to meet federal standards for contaminants like arsenic, lead, mercury, pesticides, bacteria, radon, viruses, herbicides, pharmaceutical drugs, hormones, and flame retardants.
But there are ways you can make sure you’re getting the healthiest source of H2O possible.
First off, stick to filtered water. “Filtered” simply refers to the process of passing water through a filter to remove impurities. Carbon filters, reverse osmosis systems, and distillation machines are some examples of filtration methods.
Next, choose a brand that doesn’t use plastic bottles. Instead, opt for glass bottles that allow you to see the amount of water inside. You’ll also want to avoid brands that contain added sugar, artificial sweeteners, dyes, flavors, preservatives, chemicals, or colorings.
Finally, don’t forget to hydrate throughout the day. If you wake up thirsty, drink a glass of water before breakfast. Then, sip another one during lunchtime. When you go to bed, drink a final glass of water before turning out the lights.
And remember: you don’t need to drink eight glasses of water a day. Just aim to drink enough to satisfy your thirst. Even a basic water filter pitcher will reduce or remove chlorine from your drinking water, making it taste and smell better.
What Are the Benefits of Drinking Filtered Water?
Your body needs clean water to perform optimally. Filters remove harmful contaminants like lead, arsenic, chlorine, fluorides, bacteria, viruses, and parasites. They also remove toxins such as mercury, cadmium, chromium, nickel, copper, zinc, aluminum, barium, strontium, beryllium, lithium, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, iron, cobalt, and radon gas.
There are many different types of water filters available including carbon, ceramic, and activated charcoal. All three remove impurities from tap water. Ceramic filters are the most effective because they filter out smaller particles. Carbon filters are great for filtering out larger particles. Activated charcoal is best for removing odors and tastes.
1 – Healthier Water
Water filters make the water healthier by improving its taste, odor, clarity, and overall quality. It’s important to note that not all filters are created equal. Some may be more effective than others at removing certain contaminants. For example, reverse osmosis (RO) systems are considered the gold standard for purifying water. However, they tend to be expensive.
2 – Better Tasting Drinking Water
Drinking filtered water is not only healthier than drinking tap water, but it also tastes better. The reason is simple – most tap water contains chlorine and fluoride, which makes it taste bad.
Water filters remove these two substances, making your water tastier and healthier. Plus, they help prevent tooth decay.
3 – Clearer Skin
Drinking filtered water is a great way to improve skin health. The benefits include clearer skin, fewer wrinkles, healthier hair, stronger nails, and better digestion.
Filtering water removes impurities and toxins that cause acne, eczema, psoriasis, and other skin conditions. Plus, drinking filtered water helps prevent cancer because it contains antioxidants that help protect cells against free radical damage.
4 – Save Money
Drinking filtered water is a great way to save money. Not only does it taste better than tap water, but it’s safer too.
Filtering out impurities reduces the risk of getting sick from drinking contaminated water. Plus, when you filter your own water at home, you’re not paying exorbitant prices for bottled water. And since most municipal water systems use reverse osmosis filtration, you won’t be able to tell the difference between your filtered water and regular tap water.
If you live in an area where there isn’t enough clean water available, then buying bottled water may be cheaper than filtering your own water. But if you live in an area with plenty of clean water, then you should definitely consider investing in a water purification system.
5 – Reduce Waste
Water filtration systems help protect our environment and our health. They are used around the world to filter drinking water, purify wastewater, and even treat swimming pools. But many people don’t realize just how much bottled water contributes to global warming, landfill waste, and other issues. A home water filtration unit helps solve these problems.
And even if you tend to buy bottled water on the go, using a portable glass water bottle, filled with filtered water from home, or a personal water filter such as a Bobble is a far more eco-friendly and sustainable option.
6 – Protect Your Clothing
Water filtration systems are great because they remove chemicals and heavy metals from tap water. But did you know that some of these chemicals can damage clothing?
One study found that washing clothes in chlorinated water damaged fabric by 50 percent. Another study showed that chlorine bleach damages fabrics by 30 percent. And another study found that laundry detergent contains ingredients that cause fabric shrinkage.
These findings suggest that you should wash your clothes in filtered water instead of regular tap water.
And remember, when you’re done washing your clothes, hang them outside to dry. This helps prevent mold growth and mildew.
7 -Cleaner Dishes
Your dishes will look cleaner if they are washed with filtered water. When chlorine is added to water, it reacts with minerals in the water to produce chloramines. These compounds react with aluminum surfaces such as sinks, faucets, and pipes to make them discolored and rusty looking. A water filtration system removes these contaminants.
8 – Longer Plumbing Service Life
A whole house water filtration system will extend the life expectancy of your plumbing system and household appliances. This includes everything from toilets and faucets to dishwashers and washing machines. In fact, it could even include your air conditioning unit.
Water filters remove sediment, chlorine, and other harmful substances from our drinking water. They are designed to protect us against health risks such as lead poisoning, giardia, cryptosporidium, and bacteria.
Whole home water filters reduce the amount we spend replacing appliances. When you install a whole house water filtrer, you don’t need to replace your entire plumbing system every five years. You’ll save hundreds of dollars over the lifetime of your home.
9 – Improved Cleaning & Cooking of Food
A water filter removes contaminants like Lead, Mercury, Copper, Arsenic, and other chemicals from the water before it gets into your kitchen sink. This way, you don’t have to worry about those nasty chemicals getting into your food. You’ll notice that your dishes are cleaner and easier to clean up.
10 – Puts you in Control of your Water Quality
A good way to ensure that you’re always drinking clean, fresh, healthy drinking water is by using a good quality filter. Don’t blindly trust the central water filtration system of your city. They add different kinds of chemical compounds to keep bacteria from growing in the water.
However, these chemicals are not good for human health. Getting your own personal water filter will allow you to purify the water yourself.
11 – Helps Protect your Immune System
Filtered water contains less chlorine, which makes it softer and leaves your skin feeling better. You might even notice you feel healthier.
Regularly drinking filtered water helps protect your immune system. Chlorine kills off good bacteria in our bodies, including those found in our digestive systems. When we don’t drink enough filtered water, we lose out on the benefits of having a strong immune system.
12 – Better for the Environment
Filtering water at home is not only convenient, but it’s better for the environment.
When we filter our own drinking water, we’re reducing the number of plastic bottles used and saving energy. We’re also helping reduce pollution and save trees.
Plus, when we drink filtered water, we avoid ingesting chemicals that may be found in tap water. These chemicals include lead, mercury, arsenic, fluoride, chlorine, nitrates, pesticides, herbicides, pharmaceuticals, hormones, antibiotics, heavy metals, and radioactive materials.
13 – Reduces Tap Water Odor
Tap water smells bad because it contains chlorine. Chlorine kills bacteria, but it doesn’t smell great.
Chlorine is added to tap water to prevent disease and illness, but it also makes drinking water taste unpleasant.
Fortunately, there are ways to remove chlorine from tap water. One method involves filtering tap water through activated charcoal, which removes chlorine and leaves behind only clean-tasting water.
Another option is reverse osmosis (RO), which uses pressure to force water through membranes made of special materials. The membranes filter out contaminants, including chlorine, leaving pure water behind.
Both methods work well, but RO produces the most effective results.
14 – Removes Heavy Metals from Water
Heavy metals are toxic chemicals found in many household items, including water pipes. They’re dangerous because they build up over time and cause health problems when ingested.
If you drink unfiltered tap water, you may be exposed to heavy metals, such as lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, zinc, and iron. These toxins accumulate in our bodies over time.
Fortunately, there’s an easy solution: drinking filtered water. The process removes harmful heavy metals from tap water, making it safe to drink.
15 – Reduces Acid Reflux
Drinking filtered water reduces acid reflux because it helps neutralize stomach acids. The body produces hydrochloric acid when food passes through the digestive system. This acid causes heartburn and indigestion.
When drinking unfiltered tap water, this acid mixes with bile and travels back up the esophagus causing heartburn.
But when you drink filtered water, the body doesn’t produce any acid. Instead, the water absorbs the acid and flushes it out of the body.
This means that drinking filtered water reduces acid reflux.
16 – Aids in Weight Loss
Filtered water helps to keep us hydrated and reduces our appetite. We know that drinking plenty of water keeps us feeling full longer, helping us eat less. But did you know that drinking filtered water could actually help you lose weight?
A study published in the journal Obesity found that people who drank filtered tap water lost about 2 pounds over 12 weeks compared to those who drank regular tap water. However, it was the number of calories consumed during the day that determined whether participants gained or lost weight.
Those who drank filtered water while eating fewer calories tended to gain weight, while those who drank filtered water while consuming more calories tended to lose weight.
So drink up! You’ll be surprised how much better you feel.
17 – Makes Better Coffee and Tea
Filtering water removes impurities and makes better coffee and tea. The benefits of drinking filtered water include improved taste, reduced risk of cancer, and fewer cavities.
Coffee drinkers who filter their water reduce their risks of developing stomach ulcers, kidney stones, and bladder infections. And those who drink tea benefit from lower rates of heart disease.
18 – Has Anti-Oxidant Properties
Filtered water contains antioxidants that protect against oxidative stress. Oxidation occurs naturally in every cell in our body. In fact, it’s part of how cells function. However, oxidation can cause damage to DNA, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. This process is called free radical formation.
Free radicals are unstable molecules that contain unpaired electrons. They are highly reactive because they want to steal an electron from another molecule. When this happens, the original molecule becomes damaged. Antioxidants prevent this reaction, helping to keep us healthy.
The antioxidant properties found in filtered water come from the minerals and trace elements within the filter. These include magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, iodine, molybdenum, bromine, chlorine, fluorine, strontium, barium, arsenic, and radon.
19 – Improves Digestion
Filtered water helps improve digestion because it removes toxins and bacteria. This improves the absorption of nutrients into the bloodstream.
Drinking filtered water allows your body to absorb more nutrients because it keeps the food you eat moving through your digestive system.
Water helps keep food moving through the digestive tract because it lubricates the walls of the stomach and intestines. When there isn’t enough water in the digestive tract, food tends to stick around longer.
20 – Gets Rid of Organic Contaminants
Drinking filtered water is one of the most important things you can do to stay healthy. The benefits of drinking filtered water include getting rid of organic contaminants, improving digestion, reducing bloating, and preventing cancer.
Organic contaminants are chemicals found in food and drink that may be harmful to human health. These contaminants come from pesticides, fertilizers, hormones, antibiotics, and other sources. They’re often called “toxins.”
Filtering out these toxins helps keep us healthier. But not everyone drinks filtered water because they don’t realize the benefits.
21 – Makes Healthier Smoothies
Using filtered water makes your smoothie taste better and is easier for you to digest. You don’t want to add extra calories or fat to your smoothies, so filtering water lets you enjoy smoothies without adding too many unhealthy ingredients.
Use filtered water for smoothies every day. If you use bottled water, look for brands that filter out chemicals and sodium. For example, Voss Water filters out 99% of contaminants and sodium.
22 – Reduces Cardio Stress
Drinking filtered water reduces stress because it contains fewer chemicals than tap water does. Chemicals found in tap water include fluoride, chlorine, heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, pharmaceuticals, and industrial solvents. These chemicals can cause health problems ranging from headaches to cancer.
When we drink tap water, our bodies absorb these chemicals through our skin, lungs, mouth, and digestive system. The body absorbs them at different rates depending on where they enter the body.
Some chemicals remain in the body longer than others. Some pass right through the body, while others accumulate over time. This accumulation causes chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, asthma, allergies, and cancer.
Filtering out the chemicals in tap water helps reduce the risk of developing chronic illnesses.
23 – Helps Prevent Headaches
Drinking filtered water helps prevent headaches because it contains magnesium, calcium, potassium, sodium, and vitamin C. These minerals help keep blood pressure at healthy levels and reduce muscle tension.
24 – Improves Healthy Teeth
Alkaline water filters reduce acidity levels in your drinking water, which prevents tooth decay. This makes it easier to keep your teeth healthy and strong.
Drinking filtered water is a great habit to develop because it helps keep your teeth healthy. The fluoride found in tap water is not only unhealthy for your body, but it can cause tooth decay.
When you drink filtered water, you’re getting rid of harmful bacteria and chemicals that lead to cavities. This means you won’t need to brush as often, saving you time and money.
Filtering water also removes impurities that can be hard to remove when boiling. So drinking filtered water is better than boiling water.
25 – Enhances Hydration
Drinking filtered water is beneficial because it helps keep our bodies hydrated. This means we’re able to stay active longer, feel better, and perform at our peak level.
From a simple water filter jug or pitcher to faucet water filters and countertop systems, you can have most filtration systems up and running in no time, with very little maintenance required.
Conclusion
The best way to improve our health is to eat well, exercise regularly, sleep enough, and avoid stress. But there are some things we can do to make sure we’re getting the most out of every day. One of those things is drinking filtered water.
Filtering water isn’t just good for you; it’s good for the environment too. If everyone switched to filtered water, we could save billions of gallons of water every year. So drink up — and let us know what you think!
