What water is the best water?

While a lot has been said about the quality of water around some parts of the country, it shouldn’t detract from the importance of adequate water consumption during the day to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

While we all know the importance of enough liquid consumption, do we know how much and what we should drink?

Health professionals recommend that women drink eight glasses (of 250ml) of water per day and that men need even more, up to 12 glasses of water per day. Principal officer at Fedhealth Peter Jordan warns that we should take care not to drink too much fruit juice, flavoured water, sweetened sports drinks and sweetened tea and coffee.

“Rather eat fruit and drink water to get your fluid intake. You can always enhance the flavour of water by adding lemon, cucumber slices, mint leaves or pieces of fruit,” Jordan advised.

This leads to the issue of whether tap water is as safe as bottled water.

The two are generally comparable in terms of safety, according to the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which oversees bottled water, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which regulates tap water. In other words, the choice of tap or bottled is mostly a matter of personal preference.

However, the EPA does not regulate private wells and if your tap water comes from a private well, it should be tested at least every year for contaminants.

“It’s important to note that some people are more vulnerable to getting sick from contaminants in drinking water than others,” Jordan highlighted.

“You may be in this group if you’re undergoing chemotherapy, living with HIV/AIDS or have received a transplant. Pregnant women, the elderly and children also may be at greater risk. It’s always a good idea to ask your doctor about whether you should take additional precautions, such as boiling tap water or drinking bottled water.”