The water controversy continues Know Your Ingredients Recipe of the Month Directions:

Transcription

1 The water controversy continues Why Good Clean Water is there a difference in water? There are so many different types of water to choose from it can be a very difficult choice to determine which water is actually the best to drink. There is bottled drinking water, spring water, distilled water, Reverse Osmosis, filtered, tap, and alkaline water just to mention of few of the options available. When making a decision on water it is important to know not only what your choices are, but what they mean. The question is, is one type of water better than another. In my opinion, yes some choices are better than others if you are purchasing water; it is necessary to know the source of the water before drinking it. Know Your Ingredients: Water, sucrose, glucose syrup solids, citric acid, natural lemon flavor with other natural flavors, salt, sodium citrate, mono-potassium phosphate, caramel color, ester gum, brominated vegetable oil. Recipe of the Month: I found this recipe online at For those who are not familiar with the Paleo lifestyle, it is one where processed foods, especially grains are eliminated, leaving healthy whole foods. While we do not eat exclusively Paleo, I like to include a good percentage of whole foods on a daily basis. We also like to enjoy deserts occasionally and this is an easy to make chocolate (is there any other kind) desert. Easy Flourless Chocolate Cake (Gaps/Paleo) Ingredients: 3/4 cup salted pasture butter (you can sub 3/4 cup coconut oil + about 3/8 tsp salt) 2/3 cup honey 6 pastured eggs 1/2 cup cocoa 1 tsp vanilla extract Directions: Heat the butter and honey until melted. Pour the mixture into a large bowl. Add eggs, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract. Beat at high speed for about 5 minutes. The batter will appear a little bubbly and very thin. Pour into a greased 9" round cake pan. Bake at 300 degrees for about 45 minutes - or - until the middle is set and looks a little bit dry. Use your own judgment on this one, I've noticed some difference in cooking times with different types of pans (insulated, glass, etc.) While cooking the cake will puff up, but it will deflate after you take it out of the oven.

2 There's over a billion people on this planet that don't have access to clean drinking water. A simplified description of water choices: Michael Moore Bottled Drinking Water this is probably the worst water to choose. All bottled drinking water is someone filling the bottle from the tap and marketing it as drinking water. Bottled drinking water can contain the same chemicals and toxins found in tap and river water. Spring water is similar to bottled drinking water, except being filled from a tap, it is filled from a natural spring. Years ago, before industrialization, spring water was a good source of water. Now, with the chemicals saturating the ground, there are no guarantees the spring has not been contaminated. Spring water typically has a high mineral content. Distilled water the distillation process converts the water to steam and then back to water in another container. In this process the chemicals and toxins are left behind and only the clean water is bottled. Distillation removes chemicals and minerals from the water and it is acidic. Reverse Osmosis is not a filtration system; it is a process of water treatment which removes the contaminants from the water creating one of the cleaner waters available. It also removes minerals leaving the water acidic. Filtered water is water that has been run through a filter, usually carbon. There are several types of inexpensive pitcher filters on the market including Brita and Pur. Be sure to read the information as they have different levels of filtration. In the past Pur s filters have advertised removing a higher percentage of the chlorine, bacteria, parasites and other contaminants than Brita, but things can change. Tap water is the water you have coming into your house. If you live in a city, your water has many chemicals added which do not always guarantee there won t be bacteria or parasites, but does guarantee chemicals. Alkaline water is probably the newest and most expensive water craze, it can usually be purchased at a health food store or you can have your own machine to make it. Alkaline water is water that has been separated into alkaline and acid fractions using electrolysis, which takes advantage of the naturally occurring electric charges found in the magnesium and calcium ions. The selling point of alkaline water is that it is alkaline, not acidic. Positive / Negative of water types: Bottled drinking water Positive: Easy to transport Negative: No guarantee of removal of contaminants or chemicals, plastic container

3 Spring water Positive: Easy to transport, comes bottled Negative: No guarantee of removal of contaminants or chemicals, plastic container Distilled water Positive: Chemicals and contaminants, parasites and bacteria removed through processing. Negative: Plastic container if purchased, acidic Reverse Osmosis Positive: Chemicals, contaminants, parasites and bacteria removed through processing. Negative: Plastic container if purchased, acidic Filtered 1. Positive: Less chemicals and contaminants than tap, possible removal of parasites and bacteria with good filter. 2. Negative: Bulkier, not as easy to transport Tap water Positive: Easily accessible Negative: Added chemicals including chlorine and fluoride, possible contamination, parasites etc. Alkaline water Positive: Filtered, no chemicals Negative: Alkaline, less able to attach to toxins and heavy metals, expensive So many choices which is the best? Personally I prefer Reverse osmosis. We have an RO system and can turn on the spigot and have clean water to drink. This doesn t work well when traveling. So, while traveling we carry a PUR filter pitcher and filter our drinking water. Why not just buy bottled water? The one consistent discrepancy in all bottled water ads is they forget to mention the toxicity of the plastic bottle, so unless you can find good quality water in a glass bottle, you still are putting the toxins from the plastic into your body. A study published in the September 17, 2008 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people with high concentrations of bisphenol A (BPA) used in manufacturing some clear plastic water bottles and found in the epoxy linings of canned food containers, in their urine had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and liver-enzyme abnormalities. If you are using plastic bottles please be sure you do not leave them where they can become heated or wash them in the dishwasher, especially if your water has chlorine

4 which can enhance the breakdown of the plastic. In past years it has been advertized that certain types of plastics are safer than others and you can determine if your plastic bottle is safe by the number in the triangle on the bottom. The question is - how safe is safe? The safest way is to use glass or stainless steel to carry your water, not plastic. One of the common comments about drinking Reverse Osmosis water made to us by water system salesmen is it removes the minerals from the water. While this statement is true, it is also misleading when related to nutritional needs. The minerals our bodies need should be coming from the food we eat, especially vegetables, not from the water we drink. The people who sell alkaline water machines can be convincing, and I hope I am not stepping on anybody s toes with this, but personally I cannot support something I wouldn t use myself. I have been approached many times by those who swear by the benefits of alkaline water. The reported purpose of drinking alkaline water is to alkalize the body. The purpose of drinking water is to hydrate and detoxify, not to alkalize. Eating fruits and vegetables is the way to alkalinize the body. Water needs to have a certain amount of acidity in order to attach to the heavy metals and chemicals which have accumulated through inhalation, ingestion or absorption so they can be removed. In my opinion, drinking alkaline water slows down the normal process of detoxification. Water is the driving force of all nature. Leonardo da Vinci The other myth I hear a lot is that acidic water like distilled or RO leech the minerals from the body. Water has a natural affinity to inorganic minerals and chemicals, our body needs organic minerals, those which are from plants, not from the water. When you drink distilled or RO water it is important to make sure you maintain the trace minerals necessary for your body to function. Again, in my opinion, the benefits of having the water I drink remove the heavy metals and chemicals that interfere with healthy body function far outweighs the few minerals it might remove along with those toxins. One of the things most people do not take into consideration is the amount of toxins the body absorbs on a daily basis. I have clients who say they eat all organic and drink sufficient amounts of pure water, but they are still toxic. Why? There are so many more sources of toxins than just food or water. Just a few ways of becoming toxic: Breathing the air outdoors: sprayed pesticides, herbicides, etc. gas exhaust, emissions from factories and plants, etc. Breathing indoors: chemical cleaners, detergent aisle of the grocery store, perfumes, air fresheners, cleaners. Bathing: Using tap water filled with chemicals to shower, or wash hands; chemical soaps and shampoos. Eating: plastic breakdown when using microwaves, absorbed toxins from food packaging, plastic breakdown from high heat and chlorine in dishwasher. Laundry: chemicals absorbed when wearing clothes, dyes in the fabric, chemicals in the soaps, fabric softeners, dryer sheets, dry cleaning.

5 Many of these sources of toxins are avoidable, but more are not. Therefore, it is important for the body to be able to eliminate them in a timely manner. Drinking good, clean water is the best way to accomplish the job. Know Your Ingredients Answer: Gatorade Thirst Quencher, Lemon Flavor