I used to scoff at filtered water, and I actually liked the taste of tap water better.
I haven’t done much research into why you should drink filtered water but I can tell you from personal experience, it upsets my stomach. Even worse, I made a bunch of chicken broth when I was pregnant to freeze, and for the first batches, I used regular tap water in it. I figured because I was boiling it, it would get rid of whatever was bad in it? Anyways the broth I froze that used boiled tap water upsets my stomach. I know I’m extremely sensitive but the fact that I can do a blind test and tell when it’s tap water freaks me out. Better safe than sorry.
I realized tap water was giving me stomach issues because I never filtered the water I made for tea… because I was boiling it. And then tea started to bother me so I was thinking I was sensitive to my tea. But it turned out it was just the water. Strange. So now I boil filtered water for tea and soup.
On the bright side, it seems to only bother my stomach (and by that I mean, it upsets my digestion, makes me bloated, and makes my stomach audibly squeak…. yup). It doesn’t seem to hit my arthritis or mood, but my stomach gets squeaky enough that people can notice (haha) soooo I don’t drink it. Also, that seems like something that water shouldn’t do…
Anyway, I have a fridge that filters water and that doesn’t bother my stomach, and I use a Brita like the following:
My parents have some sort of fancy filtration system built into their sink (googled it: it’s a reverse osmosis filtration system). I highly recommend that. It’s super convenient. But it’s expensive so I don’t have one. It probably filters water better than the Brita and my fridge filters, but the filters I use seem to stop tap water from making my stomach squeak sooo, good enough until I’m rich 🙂
This is their filtration system for anyone who can afford it. You don’t just buy it though, you have to spend more money… I’m not sure why but it’s not just the cost of the machine. It’s realllly nice though.
So yeah, switch to filtered water. If you’re trying to get rid of toxins and figure out what’s bothering you, it’s best to eliminate all variables. Tap water is definitely a variable.
UPDATE 2018: Since doing zero carb I’ve been able to drink tap water with no problems. Stomach upset back then may have been caused by what I was eating. I’d still be careful with tap water quality if you’re super sensitive, but don’t worry too much if your tap water is high quality. Doesn’t seem to bother me anymore.
UPDATE 2022: Don’t be a moron – get a filter, brita’s aren’t very good they can get moldy. Don’t drink out of plastic. And yeah, don’t drink tap water. What you eat is higher priority but just do your research and drink clean water.
Me and my mom also had the same experience since we started to use natural spring water instead of tap water. I use 3 liter bottled spring water for drinking and tea. Isn’t it the safest?
Honestly, I don’t know. It sounds like it could be, as long as it hasn’t hung out in plastic bottles for too long!
The thing with boiling tap water is some things do evaporate but some things concentrate, this is why in my opinion filtered water is better.
Spring water is good but it depends on the source and how long it is stored.
From what I can tell distilled water is the best. You can add the tiniest pinch of salt, or some kind of liquid trace minerals to it, to mineralize the distilled water.
And yes, tap water is a HUGE variable. It isn’t just what they add to the water (fluoride, chlrorine/chloramine), it depends if they put back filtered sewerage water into the water (this is disturbingly a thing in some places) and this can contain traces of pharmaceuticals and other drugs.
Also what needs to be taken into consideration is the material the pipes are made of and the condition they are in (rust, etc.).
Also chlorine reacts with certain organic compounds and produces trihalomethanes which are not good.
Even though the filter you mention your parents use is good, distillation is probably a better option.
I dunno though I just gave up filtering my water and instead opted for spring water and also use rain water for teas and cooking.
One thing to watch out for with your filters is you need to change them often or you will get sick. I got really sick from an expensive filter I purchased because I didn’t change it.
I think distillers are not as bad though as you can clean the container of any residue. It also wouldn’t hurt to have the distilled water run through a charcoal filter after if you wanted to be extra sure.
Our body is mostly water so it is very important in my opinion that we get the best water.
I can taste when the filters need changing but yes, I’ll add that to the post. No point filtering with dirty filters. Thanks for the post, very informative!
This might interest you:
https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/07/20/just-switched-water-filter-berkey/?_sf_s=Water+Filter
Highly recommend Berkey water purifier. Best bang for the buck. Water tastes great!
Hi Mikhaila,
Maybe you have already, but please consider viral infections. When doctors don’t detect a virus, they might quickly jump into the conclusion of autoimmune diseases, but current techniques to detect viruses are very fallible, so they can be wrong. There are strands of herpes 1, for instance, that hide and produce inflammation in the brain and joints, which in turn produces chronic fatigue and depression, as well as confusion, memory problems, myoclonic jerks, etc. There’s plenty of papers on this topic. If a treatment with acyclovir or similar, improves the condition, there’s a chance that he root cause was a virus.
Good luck!
Some Random Dude
I have a terrible response to acyclovir, unfortunately we’ve looked into whether or not it’s viral :/
Hello Mikhaila,
I’ve been an admirer of your fathers for some time now, and have heard him mention you (and your brother) on a number of occasions. I stumbled across your blog recently and wanted to reach out.
First off, congratulations on the birth of your daughter! Insofar as I can tell, she is in exceedingly competent hands with you and your family.
I’m reading my way through your blog and resonating with damn near all of it. I’m on a similar path to take control of the health of my family and myself. I’ll be using your blog as a resource on this journey, which may very well last a lifetime. Here’s a couple of helpful and/or interesting resources I’ve stumbled across.
Natural Spring Locator:
http://www.findaspring.com/category/locations/north-america/canada/alberta/
Ancestral Health / Hunter-Gatherer Podcast:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/rewild-yourself!-podcast-daniel/id892905009
I’ve noticed a subjective change in my health due to drinking spring water that I “harvested” at a local community artesian well. I’d say the benefit in taste vs. tap or filtered water is more objective 🙂
Daniel Vitalis. the host of The ReWild Yourself Podcast I linked to, also created the FindASpring website. He seems to be a wealth of information on the topics you blog about, and he’s actively in the pursuit of optimizing his lifestyle in a modern, hunter-gatherer way. He’s been a bit idealogical in terms of his abhorrence of all things agricultural. but he appears to be thinking more reasonably about these topics as of late. I dare not doubt your ability to discern the wheat from the chaff on these & other topics.
A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you & your family, Mikhaila!
Warm Regards,
Vaughn Barkhurst
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