There are so many different types and brands of water out there, but which ones are the best for us? Which types of water do you drink on a day to day basis? For example, do you just drink bottled water or tap water? Do you have a filter on your faucet that gives you the quality of drinking bottled water? Mineral water, steam distilled, or sparkling? 
Are you one of those people that only buy the most expensive water out there because you believe it is better for you than all the others? Before you dip into your wallet and spend unnecessary money on expensive bottled water, you may want to first know the differences between all the different water types out there. Let’s begin with the water that we get directly from our faucet.
Many people stay away from drinking tap water because they may think it is contaminated. This is because the bottled water companies want you to see your water as being unsafe to drink. These companies then offer their water as being safer, filtered, and contaminant free. But is this true? A four year study by the National Resources Defense Council showed that one-third of the one thousand bottles they tested, out of 103 brands, showed to be contaminated. The problem with this is that the FDA had flimsy regulations on bottle water standards. On a national level the FDA is strictly responsible for bottled water safety. On a state level these rules go right out the window. The FDA rules are not applied to bottled water companies that bottle and sell their water in the same state. Bottled waters are tested less frequently than city tap water and are allowed to have small amounts of contaminants in them like E. coli or fecal matter. Yes, I just said fecal matter. The reason for this is not everybody buys bottled water and therefore the standards are lowered. City water supplies are not allowed any trace of any contaminants in the water supply which shows that it is safer to drink than bottled water. Sales in bottled water have tripled in the last decade which may convince some that bottled water is the only way to go. After all, if sales in bottled water went up it must be because of the purity and cleanliness of the drinking water. Wrong. This is a marketing ploy to blind the public into buying their bottled water. Once again, these companies do not care about the health of the general public. They only want to make money. It is even reported that one water company called “Spring Water” bottled their water right next to a hazardous waste site. 
Another company even re-bottled their local tap water and put a label on it. These problems need to stop which is why you should consider not drinking bottled water anymore.
Tap water contains certain minerals we need to stay healthy. Also, most city water supplies contain fluoride which helps promote teeth health. A lot of bottled water is filtered over and over to remove these minerals. There is also no fluoride in bottled water which more studies have shown this to ruin the teeth of whoever drinks it. Distilled water is water that had been boiled and the steam is condensed and collected into a clean container. This helps to remove any impurities in the water making it virtually germ free and safe to drink. Although minerals are removed, we get most of our vital minerals from the food we eat. Mineral water alters the taste of natural drinking water to give it a more therapeutic value. Mineral water can be smooth or carbonated to give it more of a bite. Hard water contains calcium and magnesium metal while soft water contains next to none of these minerals. You may notice a huge difference in the texture of soft water when taking a shower or bath. Now that you know a little more about bottled water vs. tap water, you may want to make the smart decision to save money and just drink your local city water. Although some bottled waters are high in quality, others may contain fecal matter. With city water you do not have to worry about contaminates because they are controlled on stricter guidelines. Also, empty bottles stack up in the trash dump resulting in even more pollution this planet is already facing. My advice to you is stick with drinking tap water because it is just as good as bottled water. It is more reliable and you know where it comes from.
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