Water is water, right? Not according to Zach Efron and Darin Olien who cohost a Netflix original show Down to Earth, episode 2 to be exact. In this episode they explore the water we drink and how there is a better system for our body and environment. I am not going to give you a full depiction of the episode but will give you the important details. I highly recommend checking out the show for the full play by play, well worth it. We will focus on the total dissolved solids (TDS) in water and your better options. Again, I am just relating the show information to you.
Total dissolved solids represent the total concentration of dissolved substances in water. Common inorganic salts that can be found in water include calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium, which are all cations, and carbonates, nitrates, bicarbonates, chlorides and sulfates, which are all anions. (safewater.org) Now that you know what TDS is, let’s move on to the levels and what water to drink and stay away from.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), TDS level less than 300 mg/liter is considered as excellent, between 300 and 600 mg/liter is good, 600-900 is fair,
900-1200 is poor and TDS level more than 1200 mg/liter is unacceptable. Some waters that were shown in high regard were Vichy Catalan from Spain and ROI from Slovenia. So, where can these waters be found? Online, high end restaurants, or high-end stores. What was also stated continuously was to stay away from purified and filtered water (mainly all the bottled water we find on the store shelves in the United States (US). (according to water.org)
Bottled water in the US erupted in the private sector (corporations and private companies) decades ago and has made a fortune for these companies. There seems to be a new company bottle on the shelves every month it seems like. It’s argued that water a free product should not be charged and taxed to the public, but it is and we as consumers don’t seem to pay the price for it. Hence the higher prices for some bottles over others. But Paris, France has a different spin on water for their citizens, FREE! They have countless water stations throughout the city, with both still and sparkling water for people to fill and drink as they please, again for FREE. There is even an app for your phone to show you where all the fountain scan be found in the city. The reason behind this is that a free and natural product should stay that way, what a novel idea. The disinfecting process is pretty cool too.
They take all the water in the city and run it through a huge water treatment plant that kills the bacteria, microorganisms, and pesticides. They do this by using UV Lights and Oxygen. UV Light and Oxygen in the proper doses is safe and destroys bacteria and microorganisms. The best things about this process is that’s it’s natural and no Chlorine is used. Unlike here in the US where chlorine is the number one way to disinfect (purify) our drinking water supplies.
Again, check out the show for more details and educate yourselves on what you are putting into your body. It does make a difference. I bring this to your attention for your knowledge and benefit. We always preach about quality in our workouts, our food choices, and what we read and watch. What we drink should be at the top of this list as well. Make good and educated choices folks!
-Coach Anthony
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