Is bottled water better than tap water?

Some health-conscious people are starting to wonder, ‘is bottled water better than tap water?’ In fact, many are being misled into believing that bottled water is better for them than tap water, which is evident in the forecasted $102.44bn increase in the bottled water market during 2022-2027, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 5.8%. 

The two main reasons stated for this  mass adoption around why tap water is better than bottled water are “health” and convenience.

But the cost of drinking bottled water adds up and may NOT be better for you after all.

Water is vital to every bodily function we have. Drinking the right quality and quantity of water will assist our bodies (which, as adults, are 70-75% water and children even higher) to perform at their best, increase energy & vitality, promote better cognitive performance, and is essential for optimum hydration. Peak cellular hydration is the key to the prevention of, and recovery from, illness and disease.

When it comes to water, there's more to choose from than simply tap water vs bottled water in Australia. Let's closely examine each so you can make informed decisions about your water and your health.

Pros & Cons – Bottled Water 

Pros

Bottled water offers a level of convenience when you’re outside of the home or travelling, especially in areas where the local tap water source is not safe to drink. 

Given how the liquid inside is drawn from many different sources from across the world, a lot of bottled water brands will also claim to offer a selection of highly beneficial minerals within their products, including calcium and magnesium (although this is hard to confirm as a consumer). 

Cons 

When we compare bottled water vs tap water, there is naturally a far higher economic cost with bottled water that will add up over time. Moreover, bottled water’s production and transportation can hold many negative environmental impacts, including excessive plastic waste and carbon emissions.

Plastic bottles can also contain a chemical called bisphenol A or BPA, which is a synthetic hormone disruptor linked to serious health problems.

Most bottled water is acidic – many we have tested have a pH below 7. Water in this state cannot hydrate your body. When water is acidic, it seeks to rebalance itself by drawing minerals right out of your body – we have a term for this type of water and call it “Hungry Water”. It will also draw out contaminants from the container it's stored in for this same reason (e.g. leaching plastics!).

Drinking bottled water that is not hydrating you on a regular basis means the body becomes dehydrated, and it struggles to get rid of metabolic waste, acid build-up and toxins and will store them. Over time this can lead to illness, imbalance in the cells and disease. 

Hungry Water vs Balanced Water is the key! For example, one of the key principals and purposes of the zazen Alkaline Water System’s 10 Stage State-of-the-Art microfiltration process is to rebalance, remineralise (with a balanced range of alkaline minerals) and restructure your drinking water into an ideal state for cellular hydration. This means that the water is in a “balanced state” and “not hungry” – it has reached homeostasis and won’t seek to draw anything more from anywhere else – it will be absorbed immediately into your cells (other water will sit in your stomach and often gives you the feeling of being bloated!)

Pros & Cons – Tap Water

Pros

So, is tap water safe to drink in Australia?

Well, when comparing tap water vs bottled water in Australia, most tap water is generally considered safe to drink by the National Health and Medical Research Council (although many do believe the legal limits on contaminants are not stringent enough).

Tap water also tastes just as good as bottled water and is far cheaper over both short-term and long-term consumption. Moreover, tap water is a more environmentally friendly and sustainable option, reducing your overall plastic waste and carbon footprint.

Cons

There may still be a concerning amount of heavy metals and toxins present in our drinking water (whether it be from town supply / tap water or tank water), such as lead, copper, mercury, nickel, aluminium and cadmium.

It is necessary to remove these contaminants from your drinking water prior to consumption as studies have shown that many of these chemicals (especially disinfectant by-products (DBPs) can cause cancer. Filtering water is a great first step, and essential so that your body is not the filter, but it is only 50% of the answer! (more on this below).

So, is Bottled Water Better for You Than Tap Water?

While both options will help to some degree towards hydration, it is considered that tap water is better than bottled water. Most bottled waters are stripped of their mineral content in the filtration process, leaving you with “hungry”, acidic water. This results in a water that is not able to properly hydrate the body. Dehydration prevents your body from performing at its best and may even lead to more serious health issues if a person becomes chronically dehydrated. 

Tap water is also more cost-effective and offers a lower environmental impact. And yet, there are ways to improve the quality of this water, particularly through a filter that offers remineralisation with the necessary electrolytes for better cellular absorption. 

zazen Alkaline Water is a living water!

Remember, filtering water is a great first step, but it is only 50% of the answer…

To get the next 50% we must ask: 

What are the properties of water that support health and wellbeing? 

Another way to ask this question is to ask What is the purpose of water in the body?

zazen Water is balanced alkaline mineral water! Our balanced range of natural mineral salts are critical for hydration. For water to act as a nutrient to your body and increase your well-being, energy and vitality, it must be filtered (cleaned of toxins, bad bacteria and chemicals), be mineral and electrolyte rich, mildly alkaline, naturally energised and have smaller water clusters for cellular hydration.

zazen Water mimics what Mother Nature does naturally. People love the taste of zazen Water – especially children. zazen Alkaline water is not only for drinking but used to cook with, rinse vegetables (which last longer), put fresh cut flowers into (again, they also last longer) and for making great tasting tea and coffee. 

Water that contains the right properties, including a balanced range of minerals, is readily received and absorbed into the body for cellular hydration. Cellular Hydration will provide increased energy and vitality and can support a whole health strategy for a longer, healthier life! That is the true purpose of water!