Why Drink Bottled Water?
Why Did We Even Start Drinking Water From Plastic Bottles?
Saying this may age me, but I remember the days when we didn’t all walk around constantly with a plastic bottle of water in our handbag, sports bag, attached with a handy clip to the outside of a backpack or placed in the cup holder of our car.
We weren’t all desperately afraid to leave home without water attached to us somewhere. Generally, we felt confident that we wouldn’t die of thirst or dehydration without this constant supply of water at hand. And strangely – I don’t remember feeling thirsty.
Have you ever asked yourself…. Why am I drinking bottled water? Where can I get some healthy drinking water facts?
I know I’m going against today’s thinking when I ask this, but do we really need to drink as much water as we’re currently encouraged to do? And, should we be drinking it from plastic bottles?
In the past, trying to optimize my health I looked online for a chart telling me how much water I should drink for my weight. The recommended quantity seemed a lot, but I dutifully chugged down the required daily amount.
A huge water jug took up residence on my desk at work and I made sure I finished a full 2 liters by the time I left work for the day.
I can’t believe in those days I drank water out of a ‘plastic’ jug that I’d filled from a ‘plastic’ water cooler.
Anyway, to be honest, I can’t say I felt any amazing benefits from drinking all this water, but a few things did happen to me. For one, I couldn’t stop peeing. I was up and down from my desk constantly visiting the bathroom. Truly, it’s a wonder I got any work done at all with all the toilet breaks I needed.
A full night’s sleep was a thing of the past as I was awake during the night at least two or three times for bathroom visits. This happened even if I stopped drinking water by early evening.
Oh, and if I went to a movie it was impossible to sit through the entire show without a visit to the toilet. Usually I’d sit with my legs crossed, not wanting to rush to the toilet during a particularly interesting part of the movie.
She’s Going Into Business Selling Bottled Water….. What?
The first inkling I had of this drinking water from bottles ‘fad’ was when a colleague from the marketing department told me she was leaving her job to go into business selling bottled water.
Honestly I had always thought she was a bit of a cook, but now I was convinced she was an absolute nut. I’d never heard anything so crazy in all my life. And I clearly remember thinking all those years ago ‘that will never catch on, why would anyone in their right mind pay to drink water from bottles’?
Boy was I wrong, she’s probably a millionairess many times over now, retired and living in the Bahamas…….so what did I know!
7 Reasons To Drink Sufficient Water
There’s no doubt we should make sure to drink sufficient water as approximately 60% of our body consists of water, we are constantly advised to drink enough to be fully hydrated.
Doing so has many health benefits such as :
- AIDS ELIMINATION – In addition to a high fiber diet, drinking sufficient water helps relieve and prevent constipation.
- PREVENTS HUNGER PANGS – Can help with weight loss efforts as it fills you up and prevents feelings of hunger.
- TOXIN ELIMINATION – Helps eliminate toxins via elimination through sweat and the kidneys.
- PREVENTS HEADACHES – caused by dehydration.
- REDUCES MUSCLE CRAMPS – caused by dehydration.
- IMPROVES SKIN APPEARANCE – dehydration leads to wrinkled and dry skin.
- HELPS CONCENTRATION – ensures your brain is hydrated sufficiently.
Electrolytes And Adrenal Fatigue
If you’ve read some of my other blog posts you already know that I started my chronic fatigue journey with adrenal fatigue. I’m not saying that drinking loads of water a day gave me adrenal fatigue. But as I learned more about the illness, I found out how important electrolyte balance is and in particular how important sodium is to adrenal function.
Many people with adrenal fatigue have some form of electrolyte imbalance. Without sufficient salt your adrenals can’t function optimally.
In your blood, sodium is the most abundant of the important electrolyte minerals which include sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium.
The balance between potassium and sodium plays a part in the symptoms experienced by those suffering from adrenal fatigue.
As aldosterone (a hormone produced by the adrenal glands) is responsible for the maintenance of fluid and the concentration of the minerals sodium, magnesium, chloride and potassium, when aldosterone levels drop, sodium is removed from the bloodstream.
Low aldosterone levels can result in salt cravings experienced in adrenal fatigue syndrome.
In fact, some health practitioners will advise you to salt your water to make sure you are getting enough sodium while treating your adrenal fatigue.
In addition to drinking a lot of water, I was also naturally eating a very low sodium diet as I thought that was a ‘healthy’ way to eat.
I’d say in my case a combination of a ‘low’ sodium diet and perhaps drinking so much water further diluted my sodium levels and was definitely not helping my adrenal function any.
This in combination with the continued stress I was putting myself under no doubt contributed to my inability in recovering completely from my adrenal fatigue.
In any case now fully recovered, today I still drink adequate water, but not in the high volumes I used to. I live in a hot climate, so I’m conscious of being adequately hydrated.
However, I drink less water than I used to and I make sure I sleep through the night too without needing to get up for so many bathroom breaks.
Being able to get a full night’s sleep is important for adrenal function.
I use an insulated sports water bottle to carry my water outdoors as a great healthy alternative to drinking water from plastic bottles. It keeps water cold for long periods of time even outdoors in a tropical climate.
Glorified Tap Water At 2,000 Times The Cost!
One of the reasons I thought my marketing friend’s idea to leave her well paying job to go off and flog bottled water was nuts is that I just couldn’t imagine anyone in their right mind paying for water.
After all you can simply turn on the tap and get a glass of water for free. Well not entirely for free, in western countries we are all charged for healthy water supply via the various local taxes we pay.
But, I mentioned my friend was in marketing and I think we’ve all been hoodwinked to a certain extent by a giant marketing machine.
We’ve been told that water sold in plastic bottles is a healthier option to soft drinks – which is true. However, bottled water is really an alternative to tap water – not soft drink. The bottled drinking water is sold by the big soft drink companies. So whichever way you look at it, whether they’re selling us soft drink or bottled water, it’s a win win win for THEM.
Consumers are paying for water, an inexpensive commodity packaged in a plastic bottle with a label on it.
In an effort to be ‘healthy’, consumers are not only spending considerably more than they do for tap water, but they are also contributing to an environmental disaster by drinking bottled water.
Nowadays water bottles are generally made from PETE or PET (Polythene Terephthalate) which is considered to be safe, however it is known to allow bacteria to accumulate. This type of bottle is also recyclable, but figures show that less than 25% of recyclable water bottles ARE actually recycled and bottles made from PET take over 400 years to decompose naturally.
Learn more here about how long it takes stuff to decompose – it’s an eye opener.
In an effort to be Eco conscious, many of us are re-using purchased plastic water bottles.
However, a study discovered re-useable plastic bottles and water bottles carry bacterial contamination in 83% of the used bottles. Contaminants found in the highest concentrations were Staphylococcus aureus (27%) and E. Coli (17%). E.Coli can cause food poisoning with the resulting symptoms of diarrhea.
Additionally, other chemicals known as endocrine disruptors can leak out of the plastic when stored in hot conditions, such as your car during summer.
Using stainless steel or glass water bottles are a healthier option as these types of bacteria cannot easily adhere to their surface.
Are There ANY Valid Health Reasons For Buying Bottled Water?
There is a belief by many people that bottled water is healthier than tap water. Perhaps due to some clever marketing, they think they’re drinking mineral water from some secret health-giving deep underground spring located in an isolated pristine environment.
However, most bottled water sold is nothing more than purified tap water.
In western countries, public water supply is regulated and tested frequently on a daily basis for bacteria,with results often being openly shared with the public.
However, bottled water manufacturers are not held to such strict account, nor do they have to publicize test results.
If there is a truly extreme condition, say an outbreak of the plague, a cholera epidemic or your vehicle breaks down and you’re stranded in the Australian Outback then yes, you may have to resort to drinking bottled water. Otherwise, there are plenty of other healthy, Eco friendly alternatives available for your drinking water.
So What’s The Alternative To Drinking Water From Plastic Bottles?
If you’re concerned about the purity of your tap water, you can use various methods of purifying tap water. There are a good number of water purifying options available depending on the types of chemicals you want to filter out in keeping with your budget.
Some are drip filter units that sit on your counter top whilst other options are installed beneath the kitchen sink with water supplied through an additional tap. If you have a large budget, you can even go for whole house filters.
At times, you still need to carry your water around to sports events and during exercise, or on a long day out etc. So what do you use instead of buying expensive water in a plastic bottle?
My recommendation is to use a water filter at home that suits your needs and budget. Then carry this filtered water outdoors in a healthy sports water bottle.
Putting It All Together
Healthy Drinking Water Facts
- Hydrate adequately according to your own personal health requirements.
- Use a suitable water filter to treat your tap water.
- Avoid buying bottled water in plastic. IF you do have to buy bottled water DO NOT re-use the bottle.
- Do not drink water from re-usable plastic bottles, choose stainless steel or glass bottles.
You’ll be doing your health, your budget and the planet a favor.
Please leave any comments below.
I did not know that PETE in the plastic bottles can allow bacteria to accumulate…so does that mean that we are potentially drinking bacteria contaminated water in brand new water bottles just opened out the box?
I also didn’t know that bottled water is mostly purified tap water…good to know, so if thats the case…might as well, get a water filtration system just as you suggest. The Hydro flasks are great but the size seems to small for me while i work especially during the summer here in Hawaii, tends to be pretty warm, most would say hot, even more so in the sun. So i have to drink alot of water and so i stick to my big water jug.
Hi Isaac thanks for leaving a comment and I hope you found the information useful.
Hello Ann,
There has been an enormous drive globally to reduce the amounts of plastics that we as humans are creating and those which are unfortunately ending up in our oceans. In Europe there are bans on single use that will be shortly taking effect and this a massive step forward in combating the scourge of single use plastics.
The reason I bring this up is that people in Europe have long been using reusable glass, metal and BPA Free plastic bottles to assist with the right amount of daily intake is achieved.
Thanks for highlighting the importance of the correct water intake.
Rich
Hi Richard It’s a worry all that plastic that ends up in our oceans a real problem. However, as you say I think there is a growing groundswell of awareness happening not only in Europe, thankfully. Governments need to take more action than they already do. I watched a documentary recently about all of the plastic found inside seabirds, it was an eye opener.
Thank you so much for your post which has thrown a lot of light around bottled water and the health benefits of drinking adequate water.I am one of those people who struggle to drink enough water. Thanks for the awakening call, ‘Why drink bottled water?’.I will also take on board your advice. And try to remember to use a water filter I see fit for use but making sure I do it in a healthy way.
Hi Zegu thanks for leaving a comment and so glad you found the information interesting.
Hi Ann, I had to smile because I find myself asking the same questions “Do we need to drink all this water, and find ourselves running to the bathroom all the time?” I also look at the cost of buying all these bottles and I am taking your suggestion of getting a filter at home. It would save all these trips to the store and it would save money in the long run. Thanks for your article. I found the information very useful .
Hi JJ thanks for stopping by and great that you found the information interesting. Yes, all those trips to the store lugging home heavy bottle of water… uggh!
Water is an important factor that plays a lot of roles in our bodies. And the fact is that we have always been encouraged to take a lot of it on a regular basis. I for one am one of those that also experienced the regular need to want to ease myself because of the regular huge intake of water and whenever I want to stop I always remind myself that it is good for the body. It is really good for the body but I think we should take it in moderation.
Hi Jay thanks for your comments, I agree….moderation in all things is good!
Hi there Ann, thanks for this awesome post – I sometimes wonder if drinking so much water is really all that good – and I totally relate to having to pee every 5 seconds on a “healthy water drinking schedule” – so annoying! I don’t buy bottled water – plenty of folks here in South Africa do but it just feels sooo silly. I use a simple water filter hooked up to a large water mineral pot. Every house has a rain water tank that we use instead of tap water for drinking and cooking – this is the water I put through the filter. we haven’t died from it or gotten any strange side effects so I take that as a good thing lol. I’ll be looking into the on-tap filtration system soon as it gets a bit much carting water from the tank outside to the mineral pot every day.
Hi Nadia Glad to hear you already have a filtration system in place. I agree with you, it is silly to buy water in bottles if you already have access to decent water. Not to mention all that plastic that ends up in landfill or the oceans.
I think it’s a psychological thing. I mean, we see celebrities, fitness coaches, Instagram influencers… all carying their hip & trendy waterbottles. And what is one of the first things every weightloss or fitness program tells you to do when it comes to nutrition? That’s right! Drink a lot of water and make sure you have several waterbottles. Those bottles are big business on their own! 🙂
Also when in the grocery store, I think that people need to put something physical into their shopping cart in order to show everyone including themselves that they’re working on their health.
Drinking tap water isn’t really exiting and a filter system is an higher cost at first…
Hi Laura thanks for leaving a comment. You’re right, I hadn’t thought about the celebrity angle, but everyone seems to be photographed with a bottle of water in their hand. Yes there is an initial outlay for the water filter system at first. I read an article that it takes around two years to pay for itself, but need to do a bit more research on that.
Wow, what an interesting article! You definitely gave some cool history about it, especially when water bottles first came about and how a former co-worker left her job to go and try her hand at selling them when they first came around. I definitely need to read up more about adrenal fatigue and sorry to hear that you had gone through that. I can understand a little bit now on why there needs to an electrolyte balance as well as the importance of salt to adrenal function as you said. I do drink water from water bottles once in awhile, but I most often prefer drinking water from a water pitcher that has a filter in it so that way my tap water from home will go right through that filter and I’ve got some nice water to drink.
Hi Brian thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment, great that you found the article interesting. You can read more about adrenal fatigue here