Replenish your electrolytes naturally with spring water. It has more of the minerals we need without all the artificial junk.
It’s hard to know what to drink these days. Tap water is full of toxins, filters take out all the minerals, and bottled waters pollute the earth and taste like plastic.
Gatorade was on to something with their idea of putting minerals back into water, but they didn’t put them in a balanced ratio (mostly sodium and potassium) and they added a bunch of artificial sugars, colors and flavors:
Other brands, like VitaminWater, have done a better job, but nothing comes close to natural spring water when it comes to really quenching our thirst.
Spring water from a protected source has the perfect balance of naturally occurring macro-minerals (electrolytes) and micro-minerals, in their most bio-available form.
Also known as “living or wild” water, spring water is water that’s gone through the natural hydrologic cycle. This occurs when rain or snow percolates its way though the soil, rocks, and other minerals before it gets down to an aquifer where it can stay for hundreds or thousands of years.
It’s a complex process, where the earth and sky work together to provide us with the highest quality hydration available. From the moment rain hits the earth, it begins a series of interactions with the soil microbes and the layers of minerals below.
Health benefits of mineral water
Our body is made up of dozens of minerals, which need to be constantly replenished in balanced ratios for optimal health. Ideally we get these minerals from food grown in balanced, organic soil and, since our body is 2/3 water, from water that has traveled through the earth.
Many of the minerals missing in the Standard American Diet — like magnesium, calcium, sulfur, bicarbonate and trace minerals like lithium, selenium, copper and zinc — are present in high-quality spring water. Here are a few of the big one’s we don’t get enough of from other sources:
Calcium may have benefits beyond bone health, perhaps protecting against cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure.
Magnesium is critically low in American soil. It’s essential for calcium absorption and is used by naturopaths in the treatment of headaches, muscle aches, Fibromyalgia, insomnia, anxiety, depression, ADD, autism and osteoporosis.
Bicarbonate helps maintain a proper pH balance in the body, aids in digestion, helps prevent kidney stones and fatigue in athletes and plays a key role in maintaining overall health.
Sulfur, the third-most abundant mineral in a healthy body is used in the treatment of blood pressure, cholesterol, heart disease and skin disease, like psoriasis and dermatitis.
In high-quality spring water they are present in concentrated amounts and balanced ratios, making them “bio-available” or easy to absorb.
These minerals also act as detoxifying agents by attaching themselves to toxic minerals like mercury or lead and flushing them out.
Toxic Tap Water
Almost all tap water is contaminated with heavy metals — like lead, aluminum and mercury — and sanitizing chemicals like chlorine. According to the EPA, high levels of chlorine, arsenic and benzene in drinking water are associated with an increased risk of cancer.
Also, fluoride, a nuclear waste byproduct, has been pawned off on most major cities in the name of public health.
Other pollutants that make it through water treatment plants include plastics, pesticides and pharmaceuticals.
In addition, if your tap water is hard it will have plenty of “bad calcium“ in it, in the form of limescale.
“Dead” water versus “living” water
Reverse osmosis filtration and machine distillation result in essentially “dead” water. Devoid of minerals, these waters leach the already low levels we have in our bodies.
According to the World Health Organization, water low in calcium and magnesium is associated with the following health problems:
- Cardiovascular disease
- Neurodegenerative diseases
- Various types of cancer
- Increased risk of sudden death
- Higher risk of bone fracture
- Weakness, fatigue and muscle cramping
- Pre-term births, low birth weight and preeclampsia
Because of their lack of minerals both reverse osmosis and distilled absorb carbon dioxide from the air, making them acidic.
Additionally, while most filters boast of removing 99 percent of bacteria and viruses, the microbes found in living spring water serve a vital role in replenshing our gut bacteria and keeping our immune systems strong.
UV light, ozone gas, and a sub micron filters sterilize water, similar to the way fruit juices and dairy products are sterilized by pasteurization.
According to LivingSpringWater.com, “living” spring water is “the key to unlocking the perfect micro-biome balance.”
“Microbes outnumber human cells in the body 10 fold. The micro-biome of our gut produces about 95% of the serotonin and 50% of the dopamine in our brains. Anxiety, weight gain, fatigue, and countless other ailments are linked to an imbalance of proper gut bacteria.”
The company provides a list of probiotics exclusive to its local springs, and suggests drinking water from your own local springs could familiarize your immune systems with your regional microbes.
What to do
Find a spring near you on FindASpring.com. Take your 5-gallon jugs (preferably glass) and load up for free.
If there are no public springs or affordable spring water delivery services in your area, the next best thing would be a simple charcoal filter, which does not remove minerals. The Berkey is a good one and has an optional fluoride-removing cartridge you can add.
If you want to supplement with some of the highest-quality mineral on Earth, we highly recommend Gerolsteiner, which has much higher mineral content that most brands in highly bioavailable ratios. The cheapest we’ve seen them is at Trader Joe’s.