Can I drink distilled water is perhaps one of the most common questions when it comes to a prepper’s water supply. While there is an abundance of answers found in a multitude of different sources, the facts may come as a bit of a surprise to you. Because not everything you know about water is as, well, clear as water.
If there’s one fact that can never be mistaken, it is that water is the giver of life. Without it, we would die very quickly, with some estimates putting it down to just 72 hours. That’s three days of survival without water before our bodies shut down. But does the type of water we drink play a part in how healthy we remain? And are there different types of water we should be focusing on?
Firstly, if you have never considered distilled water before, here are a few quick facts to bring you up to speed. Distilled water is perhaps the cleanest source of water available to us. It is completely free of minerals, poisons, pesticides, fluorides and any other nasties we encounter whenever we turn our kitchen faucet on. To say that it is the gold standard of water is an understatement. Can I drink distilled water? Here’s why you should.
Distilled water does not leach minerals from our bodies
While distilled water is considered mildly acidic, it contains no biological mechanism with which to leach minerals from our very bodies. In fact, did you know that one of the purest forms of distilled water is the rain water itself? Stand outside during the next downpour with your mouth open and you will ingest the freshest, purest form of water there is. It has absolutely no way of forcing your body to leach minerals.
There is a certain scientific rumor that purports to explain the leaching process, but it holds no merit when presented in an open forum. Distilled water holds no special powers of forcing any type of leaching and it is the freshest form that’s perfect for your body.
It’s safe to cook food in distilled water
There is another myth that exists, which apparently tells of foods becoming toxic if cooked in distilled water. This is pure rubbish, as distilled water has the exact same effect on your food as normal tap water. If anything, it’s the heat itself that causes your food to deteriorate in quality, which is why you should take care not to overcook it in the first place.
There’s also the fact that food cooked in any type of water will lose some amount of nutrients and that is because water in itself has a way of diluting anything it comes into contact with. Which is why you should try steaming your vegetables instead, ensuring there’s no dilution of nutrients within them.
Sodas containing distilled water are not toxic
Again, this is something that needs a two-part answer. Firstly, most soft drink or soda manufacturers create their products in order to create vast amounts of profits. It is highly unlikely that any soda manufacturer would go through all of the extra efforts to use distilled water, which would raise their production costs considerable.
For that reason, it doesn’t make sense for a soda manufacturer to use distilled water. And if they did, it wouldn’t be the water that causes the issues in people. That part has always been and will always be the sugar content they contain. Sugar is one of the world’s biggest health concerns, with many still unaware of its ill effects on the body.
Distilled water does not weaken your teeth
It is true that distilled water contains no fluoride, but this has nothing to do with the health of your teeth. There are sufficient levels of fluoride right there within your toothpaste, which incidentally is exactly what the toothpaste has been designed to do. But did you also know that taking in too much fluoride also leads to certain forms of cancer and also discolors your teeth? Not a very pleasant thought.
Distilled water tastes different to tap water
It certainly does and there is a very good reason for that. When you grab a decent supply of distilled water from your supplier, you are not buying all the nasty additives that come with the water from your tap. Quite the opposite in fact. Distilled water has been purified by removing all the nasty elements and that’s why it tastes clean, refreshing and almost pure.
Final Thoughts
Whenever you ask can I drink distilled water, remember this. By drinking distilled water, either from bottled supplies or from creating your own with a distilling filter, you are giving yourself and your family the very cleanest water supply on the planet and that is a far cry from what comes out of most kitchen faucets. Try some today and taste the incredible difference.
