The Health Benefits Of Bottled Water
According to the Institute of Medicine, as well as the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, one-third of American adults are overweight, with another one-third obese. Since the 90’s, children’s obesity rates have more than tripled, rising from 5% to 17%. With more and more of the population facing high rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, emphasizing healthier lifestyle choices has never been more important.
When it comes to making these choices, one of the best things you can do for yourself right now is to drink more water and less sugary beverages. By eliminating those extra calories, added sugars, artificial flavors, and other ingredients from your diet, you’re doing yourself a major favor. One of the best ways to get this habit going? When you find yourself reaching for a sugary drink at the nearest grocery or convenience store, reach for a bottle of water instead.
Bottled water is great for people who are constantly on the go, or people who don’t particularly like the mineral taste of tap water. But aside from taste and convenience, did you know bottled water has some health benefits too? Here are some of the best benefits of bottled water:
THE BENEFITS OF BOTTLED WATER
Convenient on-the-go hydration solution
Everyone needs to drink a certain amount of water every day to stay hydrated and healthy. The standard amount to drink is usually around eight 8-ounce glasses a day, and though that might not seem like a lot, you’d be surprised by how many people find it difficult to do!
Especially at school or work, we’re usually quite busy during the day and are easily distracted from seemingly insignificant tasks like hydrating ourselves. When we’re stressed out, we’re also more likely to reach for a coffee or soda than we are to reach for water.
But the simple act of having a bottle of water around not only gives you that visual reminder to drink more water, it offers you the option to drink water anywhere and everywhere you go. Not to mention, bottled water is found in almost every single grocery and convenience store. The convenience benefits of bottled water is immense, as it’s so easy to transport and comes in handy in any situation. Whether you’re traveling abroad, at the gym, at work, or running errands in the supermarket, bottled water is the way to go.
Can easily be stored
Water is vital for survival. While human beings can live without food for as long as three weeks, we’d only last a week or less without water. In emergency situations, such as in a storm or other natural disaster, it’s best to have bottled water stored in a safe place at home or in the office, just in case.
Bottled water is the best option here as water does not expire. The water will be sealed tightly in the bottle, guaranteeing its cleanliness even if you drink the water five years after you initially bought the bottle.
Great taste and added nutrients
While most people usually can’t tell the difference, generally bottled water tastes much better than tap water. Due to the purification process that the water undergoes, bottled water has a less mineral and metallic taste than tap water does. If you’re someone with a sensitive sense of taste, and are hindered by the taste of tap water, then bottled water may be for you.
It’s also worth mentioning that some companies sell bottled water with natural flavoring, and have added other ingredients, such as electrolytes, to the water. These flavored waters are a great benefit of bottled water, as it not only enhances the water’s flavor in a healthy way, but provides our bodies with additional nutrients as we hydrate.
Free of impurities
While tap water is made to be drinkable, it passes through a lot of pipeage before getting to your faucet. Also, depending on how you store it, contaminants and impurities may return to the water even after it’s been filtered.
Bottled water is safe from these issues, as the production of bottled water is strictly regulated and monitored to make sure it is 100% impurity-free. The water that goes into the bottle is water in its purest form, and has already been tested for all sorts of chemicals and bacteria.
One of the reasons why bottled water is still so highly in-demand is because it’s safe to drink. Especially after natural disasters, where water lines may be disrupted, or the water supply is contaminated, the impurity-free benefit of bottled water is a godsend. In situations like these, bottled water can actually save lives, as drinking contaminated water may lead to severe illnesses that can spread out and affect the entire community.
DEBUNKING THE BOTTLED WATER MYTHS
While the benefits of bottled water are numerous, sadly, a large portion of the population stay away from bottled water due to misinformation.
Many people seem to think that the PET bottles used for bottled water aren’t safe or contain harmful chemicals. This is untrue, as with all food packaging materials, bottled water containers must be made from substances approved by the FDA. This means that the materials—whether it be plastic, aluminum, or glass—used for bottled water products have undergone FDA scrutiny prior to being made available for commercial use in supermarkets and stores.
There is also the myth of how bottled water in warm environments (such a hot car) are not safe to drink, as they “leach” chemicals into the water and cause breast cancer and other severe illnesses. This is also blatantly untrue, as the PET bottles used for bottled water do not contain ingredients capable of producing such substances—even if they were subjected to hot temperatures.
In short: the FDA has assured that containers used by the bottled water industry are safe for use and pose no health risk. PET plastic has been 100% approved and deemed safe by the FDA. There is absolutely no science to back these myths on bottled water.
Read more about the myths and facts about water here.
BOTTLED WATER FOR YOU
Now that you’re more informed on the benefits of bottled water, we hope that next time you’re reaching for a soda on a hot, humid day, you might reach for an ice cold bottled water instead! Here’s to staying hydrated and making healthier life choices!
