Many people prefer the taste of minerals in the water. Bottled water companies realize this and add minerals to the water for taste, not health benefits.
Inorganic Minerals in Water
The minerals in tap water and bottled spring or mineral water are inorganic, a form that the body cannot use. If you cook scrambled eggs in an iron skillet and the iron flakes off into the eggs, is that okay? No, of course not. It’s not the right kind of iron. Inorganic minerals can build up in the body and become toxic.
According to Dr. Norman Walker, over a 70-year lifespan, a person will drink about 200 to 300 pounds of rock that our body cannot use if it is not R/O (reverse osmosis) water.
Most will be eliminated, but some stay in the body, causing gallstones, kidney stones, hardening, and blockages in the arteries. As a result, many hospitals ask patients admitted for gallstones if they drink tap water.
Which Minerals Are in Drinking Water?
Calcium, magnesium, and lime are often found in city water. In addition, some cities and private wells often have manganese and iron, which can give the water a bad smell if found in high amounts. Other toxic minerals and heavy metals commonly found in the water that usually have no taste unless present in elevated amounts:
- aluminum
- arsenic
- asbestos
- barium
- cadmium
- chromium
- copper
- fluoride
- lead
- mercury
- nitrates
- nitrites
- selenium
- silver
According to Colin Ingram, author of The Drinking Water Book, from where the above list of toxic minerals comes, “These toxic minerals and inorganic compounds occur naturally in water, and they also enter the water from artificial sources…Asbestos is also present in tap water wherever asbestos-cement water pipes are used to deliver water to customers.” (p. 9, Celestial Arts/Ten Speed Press, 1991)
Organic Minerals in Water and Absorption into the Body
Our bodies need organic minerals that plants have transformed from the inorganic minerals in the soil into a negatively charged ionic or electrical form. So we need to eat the plant or the animal that ate the plant to get the form of minerals that our bodies can assimilate.
In a fairly comprehensive article entitled, “Not All Minerals Are Created Equal,” Dr. Steven E. Whiting, Ph.D., states that several factors affect mineral absorption and uptake. Dr. Whiting asserts that “pH, electromagnetic circuitry, particle size, and source contributions to the final ability of the body to derive benefit from the minerals ingested.”
The issue is not one of the liquid or colloidal minerals but whether or not the minerals are organic.
Dr. Whiting discusses the biochemistry of mineral absorption in the human intestines in “Colloidal Minerals: Facts and Myths” (1997, Institute of Nutritional Science).
Water Softeners and Reverse Osmosis Filters
A water softener in your home can be a positive step in removing heavy metals and inorganic minerals from your drinking water. Yes, the water softener should be hooked up to your home’s hot and cold water lines.
Suppose you are concerned about ingesting a minute amount of salt in your water (about the same amount as a slice of white bread in a whole gallon of water). In that case, you can buy R/O (reverse osmosis) bottled water or a reverse osmosis water filter system.
You can also permit yourself to get used to the taste of softened water, knowing that it is much better for your health than ingesting inorganic minerals and heavy metals. A R/O filter will remove the salt and other contaminants in the water – whether well water or city water.
Jay
Jay is a health and wellness enthusiast with expertise in water quality and nutrition. As a knowledgeable advocate for holistic well-being, Jay successfully manages Type 2 Diabetes through informed lifestyle choices. Committed to sharing reliable and authoritative insights, Jay combines firsthand experience with a passion for enhancing health."
