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It would seem that making the recommended standard of at least 1,5 liters of water a day is simple. It is enough to buy this water and then drink it. Is it really that easy?
Water everywhere
Whether we like it or not, the human body is 70% water. In rainy autumn water attacks against our will. At the seaside, we see its vastness and the same amount of bottled water surrounds us in supermarkets. In a word, water accompanies us at every step, and because it is transparent and tasteless, it seems to be the least complicated drink in the world. But that’s not true.
Does all users know, for example, that “mineral water” is not the term for any bottled water? On the contrary, this term appears in ministerial regulations and EU directives, which, moreover, some time ago changed the definition of natural mineral water. According to specialists – for the worse. Until recently, the necessary condition for considering water to be natural mineral water was the content of minerals that had a beneficial effect on our health. At this time, this condition is no longer mandatory. So, watch out for the labels on the bottles, we cannot be fooled by the name itself, we must carefully read the composition of the waters. Why the waters? There are more of them?
Water initiation
In order to have an orientation in the subject as such, it is enough to learn the difference between spring, mineral and healing waters at the beginning. And again a surprise: spring water may seem to be of the highest quality. After all, we associate the “spring” with a crystal clear stream of icy water flowing down mountain rocks. Meanwhile, spring water is only suitable as a substitute for tap water (note! Not as bad everywhere as it is believed!). They are perfect in the kitchen as an ingredient in soups, sauces or drinks, but they are not recommended to be drunk “raw”. Their advantage and disadvantage at the same time is the minimum content of minerals. This indifference is useful in the kitchen, but it can be fatal to health, because sterile water flushes natural minerals from our body.
There are healing waters at the other extreme. They should be treated with extreme caution and consumed only after consulting a doctor, because some of them are so saturated with minerals that they can be dangerous to your health. Who would have thought water could be harmful, right? And it is enough to mention that the average natural mineral water, about which in a moment, contains an average of 1000 mg of health-beneficial ingredients per liter, and for example, Zuber healing water has over 20 mg / l of them!
Middle-aged and older children
The average water drinker (analogous to the bread eater) usually deals with natural mineral waters, those recently damaged by European law. They are divided into highly mineralized and medium-mineralized waters. Again, the criterion of division is general mineralization. Information about it should be found on each water bottle label. In the case of highly mineralized waters, the level of mineralization ranges from 1500 to 4000 mg / l, and in the case of moderately mineralized waters from 500 to 1500 mg / l.
Do codziennego picia w nieograniczonej ilości nadają się najlepiej wody „średnie”. Zawierają dobroczynne składniki, ale w takiej ilości, która na pewno nie zaszkodzi.
“High” waters are a bit of a higher driving school, because thanks to them, or rather thanks to the content of minerals specific to each type, we can consciously influence our condition and health.
This is the theory. What about practice? Bubbles or no gas? Plastic or glass?
Healthy bubbles
Dr. Małgorzata Pieniak from the “Water for Health” program claims that the material from which the bottle is made does not matter:
— Każde z tych opakowań jest dopuszczone do użytku przez władze sanitarne, więc nie może mieć szkodliwego wpływu na zdrowie. — Pani doktor dementuje także powszechną opinię, jakoby woda niegazowana była zdrowsza od gazowanej. — Dwutlenek węgla nie zaszkodzi zdrowej osobie. Co więcej, w średnim stężeniu wspomaga proces trawienia i diurezę oraz wpływa na zwiększenie resorpcji składników wody i pożywienia. Działa również bakteriobójczo i jest czynnikiem konserwującym wodę. Wody ze znaczną zawartością dwutlenku węgla są niewskazane tylko dla osób ze skłonnościami do nadkwasoty i owrzodzeniami żołądka, a także przy niewydolności układu krążenia, w schorzeniach gardła i strun głosowych. Nie poleca się ich małym dzieciom.
Mendeleev drowned
Experts of the “Water for Health” program claim that out of over three hundred bottled waters available on our market, only 30 are genuine mineral waters. That is, those whose composition has a prophylactic and therapeutic effect. How can well-chosen water help? It facilitates digestion, reduces the overproduction of gastric acids, affects the mood, bone health and the circulatory system.
The composition of mineral waters is very complex, but in practice only ten minerals are measurable: magnesium, calcium, sodium, chlorides, bicarbonates, sulphates, iodine, fluorine, iron and carbon dioxide. Of course, it would be good to precisely choose the water to your individual needs, but we can certainly all pay attention to the magnesium content. It is a very valuable element, the deficiency of which is common. It is easy to adjust its level just by drinking water. It would be good if its content in a liter of our water was 100 mg / l, but even 50 mg is already a good amount.
Calcium, on the other hand, is beneficial to our bones. Let’s look for waters that contain at least 150 mg of calcium per liter.
During the next visit to a waterhole (read: in a supermarket), do not take any better or attractively advertised water, but read the labels and symbols remembered from Mendeleev’s table. Water is in us and around us; is important. It is worth choosing the best one. Provided that it will be synonymous with the healthiest.
The best of water:
Magnesium
Responsible for the immune and neuromuscular systems. It has a positive effect on the fetus. It eliminates stress, reduces nervous tension. It lowers blood pressure. It reduces the risk of cancer, atherosclerosis, heart attack, and kidney stones.
Calcium
The basic component of bones and teeth. It is good for the metabolism. It helps heal inflammation.
Sodium
Necessary for maintaining proper neuromuscular conduction. It helps to replenish the mineral fluids excreted in sweat during heat or exercise. Its excess is as harmful as a shortage, so you do not need to be afraid of it.
Chlorki
They take part in digestive processes. They help maintain the proper pH of the plasma.
Hydrocarbons
They eliminate hyperacidity by alkalising stomach acids. In order for them to work, there must be a minimum of 600 mg / l in the water.
Sulfur
Wpływają na przemianę materii. Stymulują wątrobę i trzustkę. Działają leczniczo w stanach zapalnych dróg moczowych i przy nieżytach jelit. Korzystnie oddziałują na aktywność insuliny – wskazane w początkowych stadiach cukrzycy.
Iodine
The basic component of thyroid hormones. Regulates the body’s metabolism. Low content in the body can cause, among others hypothyroidism and impaired fetal development.
Fluorine
Ma znaczenie w mineralizacji zębów.
Iron
Supports metabolism. It helps with anemia.
Carbon dioxide
It improves the taste of water. Provides a feeling of refreshment. Eliminates bacteria.
Julia Wolin