Bottles of distilled water are slowly edging out bottles of spring water at our local grocery stores. And now I read that Dr. Weil prefers distilled water for drinking and cooking. Distilled water is becoming a thing. Why? Because most other water – tap, bottled, spring – is polluted, some worse than others. And because home purification systems are a marketing game.

Water, The Essential Nutrient, Andrew Weil MD.

He begins:

Water is a basic necessity, needed to maintain a healthy body, a clear mind, and a good balance within your tissues. About 60 percent of your body is water, and you must constantly replenish the supply, as it’s used continuously in the processes of life. Many people fail to drink enough of it. The standard recommendation is to drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses a day. I’m not sure you need to force that much down, but do try to drink as much as you can, and more than you think you need. While you’re doing all this drinking, however, make sure you’re not adding new toxins to your body.

I needed to hear hat. I seriously don’t drink enough.

He goes on to talk about home water purifying systems. Besides being expensive, he says:

Do not invest in one without doing some homework. The systems vary greatly in quality, efficiency and price. Be skeptical of the claims made by salesmen. … Don’t rely on the free testing offered by companies selling water purifiers – they’re not thorough enough. Instead, use an independent lab.

Also, most of them don’t remove microplastics.

He talks about bottled water, including spring water:

This is only a temporary solution to the problem. … You cannot count on its safety. According to an investigation by the Natural Resources Defense Council, bottled water is sometimes tap water in disguise – and even bottled spring water can be contaminated. The New York-based environmental advocacy group tested more than 1,000 bottles of 103 brands of bottled water and found that about one-third violated state standards or microbial impurity guidelines. Some of the brands tested were contaminated with bacteria, while others contained chemical contaminants. The NRDC report noted that FDA rules exempt bottled water from some of the standards and testing that apply to tap water.

Then distilled:

[Distilled water] has been turned into steam so its impurities are left behind. The steam is then condensed to make pure water. The process of distillation kills and removes virtually all bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, and other organic and inorganic contaminants. Once distilled, the water is as pure as water can reasonably be. While it’s true that distillation removes minerals as it eliminates various other contaminants from water, I don’t feel this is a problem. We get our minerals from food, not water.

As far as acidity goes, distilled water is close to a neutral pH and has no effect on the body’s acid/base balance. Distilled water is safe to drink, and the kind of water I use myself.

Go here to see what’s in your tap water, by zip code. You will be amazed:
Environmental Working Group Tap Water Database

At this point, we’re just witnesses to all this, to the contamination of our water. There isn’t much that can effectively change the trajectory of planetary pollution, not in a short time frame. What’s a short time frame? I don’t know … 20 years? 100 years? Certainly not in my lifetime.

I’m lucky to have water at all, given the rationing going on out west.