What's the Difference Between Tap Water and Bottled Water?

You would be forgiven for thinking that if you buy water in a bottle it is in some way better for you than the water you get out of your tap. However that depends on the water you buy and where you live. For example I drink bottled water because even the filtered water here in Pakistan gives me very violent stomach upsets. I must say in my defense that I usually boil tap water and filtered water which is equally good, less expensive and less of an environmental problem.

There are several types of bottled water and you need to read the label to find out what is actually in the bottle you are thinking of buying. The sparkling water is natural water which contained carbon dioxide when it sprang from its underground source, this may have been removed but topped up later so that it is more or less as natural as it was before being bottled.

Mineral water should come from bore holes or a spring and a protected (both geologically and physically) source, such as an artesian well or aquifer. It should not have added minerals in it.

These are the main types of water, but there is also purified water which has been subjected to distillation, deionization or reverse osmosis and so on. It has had its natural minerals removed.

There have been several studies undertaken which have discovered that bottled water is only tap water, and these have led the public to be skeptical about buying bottled water. One of these studies was published in 1999 by the natural Resources Defense Council (USA) and the results showed that of the 1,000 samples 25% was the same as tap water, although sometimes this had been further treated. However, we should expect more than purified tap water when we pay for a bottle of water which is advertised as being natural spring water, for example.

Rather than buy bottled water, which is problematic as the bottles are plastic and not easily biodegradable, we should consider installing solid block carbon filters in our home water system. These provide us with the best purified water as most of the harmful substances, such as lead from out ancient pipes, or fluoride, which is added by the local authority which controls the water supply, as well as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Water filters can retain trace minerals but remove chlorine, VOCs and the protozoa which can cause gastrointestinal problems.

If you are not satisfied with the water that comes out of your tap then installing a solid block carbon filter will probably solve the problem. You will not have to pay for bottled water which may, or may not be as natural as it claims to be. You may also be interested in this quotation from the US Environmental Protection Agency in their booklet "Water on Tap: What You need To Know" published in December, 2009: -

"... although required to meet the same safety standards as public water supplies, bottled water does not undergo the same testing and reporting as water from a treatment facility."

So perhaps it is safer to drink filtered tap water after all.

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What's the Healthiest Vegetable?

Without a doubt as far as I am concerned at least, broccoli is the healthiest vegetable. It has a lot of competition from its relatives in the Cruciferous family, such as cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts etc, but I think it tastes better than the other family members and it also has some unique advantages over its rivals for the title of the healthiest vegetable.

Broccoli gets its name from the Italian word, "broccolo" which means "cabbage sprout" and it is believed that broccoli was developed from the same wild ancestor as that of the cabbage. Broccoli is actually the flower of the plant and can be either green or purple. All parts of the head can be eaten including the stem, which may be peeled and then grated and eaten raw in salads, although it is better, in my opinion if it is chopped and cooked and eaten with the flower head of the broccoli.

Broccoli contains several substances which provide it with potent antioxidant properties, and these include the vitamin C content of this plant, its vitamin E and the minerals manganese and zinc, along with the carotenoids, beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin and the flavonoids, kaempferol and quercetin. Antioxidants scour the body and combat the free-radical scavengers which can cause damage to healthy cells, making them cancerous. The vitamin C in broccoli is the most concentrated of all in the most commonly consumed Cruciferous vegetables. This means that it can help boost the immune system and so stave off the common cold and flu, and can help reduce their symptoms if we have caught these winter illness. This vitamin also helps the body to absorb iron.

Broccoli also has constituents which scientists believe to have anti-inflammatory properties; these include isothiocyanates such as sulforaphane which can help close down the genetic machinery that produces some of the enzymes which act as toxins in our cells. It also contains the glucosinolates, glucoraphanin, gluconastutiian and glucobrassicin which are not found in the same combination or concentration in any other vegetable. These help to detoxify our cells making us generally healthier.

The carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin contribute to our eye health as zeaxanthin is present in the macula in our eye which is close to the central part of the retina, while lutein is present in the peripheral retina. When we have a regular intake of these carotenoids we help to prevent cataracts forming and delay the onset of age-related macular degeneration.

Scientists have been researching another of broccoli's constituents, indole-3-carbinol which promotes the growth of 'good' hormones and works against destructive ones in the body. This indole may, scientists believe, help in the battle against hormone-related cancers such as breast and prostate cancers. The sulforaphane in broccoli also helps to increase the level of cancer-blocking enzymes.

Along with the Omega-3 fatty acid found in broccoli (more usually found in oily fish such as salmon) the isothiocyanates and flavonol, kaempferol and the vitamin C can help decrease inflammation such as is associated with rheumatism, inflammation caused by allergic reactions in the digestive system and other inflammatory conditions.

If this is not enough to convince you that broccoli really should be part of your diet, then perhaps I should add that broccoli can help with diabetes, calcium deficiencies, sun damage to skin, stomach and colon cancer (due to the dietary fibre content), heart disease arthritis and even the ageing process. For all these health reasons I believe that it is the healthiest vegetable that we can eat and it has the benefit of being tasty too. Why not steam, microwave of stir-fry some today- for the optimal health benefits of broccoli?

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Posted in: Healthiest,Vegetable,Whats