A foundational practice to lower your toxin exposure
Click the image above to watch a short video, and read below for all the details :)
One of the first questions I ask clients is, “where are you getting your water?”
Most of us are aware that consuming water is foundational for our health, but not as many of us realize just how important the purity is.
You may be getting more than you bargained for along with your water. The reality is that even though American tap water is treated at local facilities and fully legal, it still comes along with toxins (poisonous substances) like pesticides, industrial and agricultural waste, heavy metals, and prescription drugs that are associated with conditions like cancer, hormonal dysfunction, gastrointestinal problems, infertility and more. (If interested in learning more about what contaminants are in the water and how they’re regulated, see below for a deeper dive.)
Knowing how ubiquitous toxins are in our modern world, protecting and taking care of our health (and reaching common goals like clearer skin, weight loss, or improved digestive, hormonal or mental health) is not just about what we’re consuming, it’s also about what we’re AVOIDING or steering clear of. Removing the “junk” from our water may help us:
Lift the toxic load or burden on the body
Replenish and hydrate more easily, since the body isn’t having to process extra contaminants along with our water. You may find that once you start drinking effectively filtered water, you feel more hydrated or even that you need to drink less water.
Sourcing your water from a quality filter is a HUGE WIN and one of the most important and strategic steps you can take to reduce the amount of toxins you’re exposed to over time. We’re never going to cut our toxin and pollution exposure down to zero, but we can mitigate it significantly to support a lower overall toxic load, releasing some of the burden on the body and better equipping us to handle future toxins or other stressors that we may encounter.
An easy way to find out what’s in your water
Thanks to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), there’s a really straightforward way to find out what contaminants have been detected in your local water supply.
Simply go to ewg.org/tapwater/ and enter your zip code.
You’ll see the amounts of detected contaminants compared to the legal limit and the EWG suggested limit. You’ll also see potential effects of exposure. Then scroll down for a chart of the contaminants and which filter types will reduce them.
For example, for Denver where I live now (zip code 80204), arsenic is detected at 0.0892 ppb (parts per billion), which is well below the legal limit of 10 ppb, but 22 times higher than the EWG suggested limit of 0.004 ppb. Cancer is listed as a potential effect of exposure, and when you scroll down, you can see that a reverse osmosis or ion exchange filter can reduce the contaminant.
Learning what specific contaminants you’re working with is not only interesting, (aren’t you curious?!) it’s also helpful so that you can pinpoint major offenders that may affect your health and match them with a filter that’s able to filter them out.
Choosing a filter: what I recommend
A simple carbon filter such as a Brita or a built-in fridge filter are better than nothing, and do filter about 30 contaminants or so depending on the filter, but they don’t offer optimal protection.
As soon as you’re ready, I highly suggest investing in a reverse osmosis filter, which offers more complete filtration, filtering out pollutants like arsenic, nitrates, and hexavalent chromium that carbon filters don’t.
I recommend the AquaTru countertop reverse osmosis filter, which I love! It’s SO easy to assemble and use, and has been certified and tested to filter out at least 83 contaminants, including PFAs (so called “forever chemicals”), radium, lead, chlorine and fluoride.
Since reverse osmosis filters are so comprehensive, they filter almost everything out, including minerals. Some people view this as a “con” of these types of filters since we do want some minerals for nourishment and to support hydration, but the issue is easily remedied by remineralizing the water. Simply add minerals into the clean water tank, such as Microbe Formulas Bioactive Carbon minerals (one or two droppers), or Quinton Hypertonic Marine Plasma (one “ampule” or glass container). (AquaTru also now offers a “PH + mineral boost” carbon filter that replaces their regular carbon filter and adds some minerals into the water if you’d like to go that route.)
While your drinking water is the most important thing to filter, if you’re using a countertop filter, you may choose to purchase some additional filtration systems for your shower, bath, other faucets, etc. I use the Aqua Bliss shower filter and a Cuzn bath filter (both carbon filters).
If you own your home, you may choose to install a reverse osmosis filtration system that can provide filtered water throughout your home’s plumbing.
Distillation is another effective filtration practice, in which water is heated to boiling, and as evaporation occurs, the water is separated from contaminants. I don’t know of a convenient countertop home system, but this could be a great option if you’re looking for a system for the whole house.
With any filter, make sure to replace the filters when needed and maintain it correctly to achieve the best filtration. AquaTru makes this easy by alerting you when filters need to be changed.
What about the Berkey?
The Berkey and the AquaTru are two of the most popular countertop filters, and I know many people use or know about the Berkey, so I want to quickly address it.
The Berkey works via gravity. You pour water into the top, and it works its way down through a carbon filter, and five other types of “media” that Berkey doesn’t disclose. While you’re getting a much higher quality of filtration than you would with a Brita, for example, and this is probably one of the best carbon filters on the market, it’s still a glorified carbon filter, and I feel that the filtration is not as complete as the AquaTru. So if you have a Berkey and you love it, more power to you — keep on keepin on. But if you’re looking to invest in a new system, I say go with the AquaTru. I personally purchased a Berkey and thought it was difficult to set up (I honestly don’t know if we ever got it working quite right) and didn’t like the taste of the water. I subsequently purchased the AquaTru, and I’m very happy I made the switch.
One potential perk of the Berkey is that because it works via gravity, it doesn’t need electricity, so if you wanted to take it camping or use it during an emergency situation, you can do that. If you do go with the Berkey, I recommend getting the extra fluoride filter!
What about bottled water?
Many bottled waters are simply treated tap water (I’m looking at you, Dasani!). You’re then paying for water that you could’ve gotten out of the tap that comes along with PFA forever chemicals and other contaminants. Since most bottled waters are stored in plastic, you also have potential exposure to xenoestrogens from the plastic leaching into the water, which may contribute to estrogen dominance or hormonal imbalance. Not to mention all of the plastic waste that’s created.
Some mineral waters that are truly collected from a natural spring and stored in glass containers may be more pure, but we must use discretion with the waters we purchase. My current favorite naturally carbonated mineral water is Gerolsteiner when I’m in the mood for some sparkling water, and if I can’t find that I will buy Mountain Valley Spring Water, or Pellegrino if I’m at a restaurant.
Key takeaways
Our bodies are mostly made of water. If you want to optimize your health, drink pure, uncontaminated water to replenish yourself.
The most functional way to obtain pure water is to filter out contaminants, which may bog down your system and lead to long term health complications
When ready, I recommend investing in the AquaTru countertop reverse osmosis water filtration system
If using the AquaTru or another reverse osmosis system for your drinking water, remineralize the filtered water for nourishment and to support hydration
I hope this blog is helpful for you! Getting your filter set up and maintaining it is a quick action item, but after that you have some of the purest water on the planet readily available to you on a daily basis. It’s one of the most important and foundational investments you’ll make in your health and wellbeing. Please comment below with any questions or comments - I love to hear from you! And keep reading if you’re interested in more details around what’s in the water and why.
Sending you all lots of love!
A deeper dive on what’s in the water
As I stated above, if you live in the US, we can assume that the water coming out of your tap has been processed by your local water treatment facility and meets all legal requirements and government standards. But just because tap water gets a passing grade from the government, doesn’t mean it’s supportive for your health.
The government sets the bar pretty low for contaminant limits (or high, depending on how you look at it :)). According to the Environmental Working Group, despite scares like the lead contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan’s water supply, and knowledge of water contamination for millions of American homes with hexavalent chromium (made famous by Erin Brokovich) and toxic “forever chemicals” called PFAs that are both linked to cancer:
“...in almost 20 years, the EPA has not added any new contaminants to the toxic chemicals covered by the Safe Drinking Water Act. The regulatory system meant to ensure the safety of America’s drinking water is broken. The inexcusable failure of the federal government’s responsibility to protect public health means there are no legal limits for more than 160 unregulated contaminants in U.S. tap water. For some other chemicals, the EPA’s Maximum Contaminant Levels, or MCLs, haven’t been updated in almost 50 years.” (1)
The reality is that our water, the life giving substance we’re largely made up of and can’t live without, has been contaminated with pollutants that are associated with health issues like cancer, gastrointestinal issues, hormone dysregulation, infertility and impairment of the liver and nervous system at certain levels. Sources for these toxins include:
Herbicides and pesticides, such as glyphosate (in Round Up), fertilizer, and other agricultural by products - these substances run off the plants and soil and make their way to groundwater, which we extract for tap water. Bayer, the manufacturer of Round Up, has battled over 100,000 lawsuits and paid out billions of dollars in settlements with regard to the association between glyphosate exposure and cancer onset, especially non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. To protect your health, please be sure to discontinue any Round Up usage on plants, lawns or gardens your family is exposed to, and be wary of contact with other herbicides and pesticides. (You can also choose USDA certified organic foods to lower your pesticide and herbicide exposure.)
Industrial chemicals and waste
Pharmaceutical drugs - Drugs like antibiotics and hormones are given to livestock on factory farms and subsequently make their way into the water. In human use, prescription and over the counter pharmaceutical drugs are not only peed out into the water system (yes, sewage is often processed to create tap water), but it’s been estimated that up to half of pharmaceutical drugs may be poured down the drain or the toilet completely unused. (2)
Personal care products - products like perfumes and lotions often house chemicals like phthalates, which are linked to disruption of the endocrine system (hormone disruption)
Heavy metals - Exposure to heavy, dense, metals like arsenic, mercury, cadmium, chromium, and lead (lead is often from old pipes) is associated with oxidative damage and damage to metabolic processes and organs, and may lead to various health complications and diseases. Health effects will vary based on the specific metal and the amount and duration of exposure. (3) (4)
PFAS - per and polyfluoroalkyl man made substances used in products like non-stick cookware. Known as “forever chemicals” because they resist degradation in the environment (and the human body), PFAS are associated with cancer, thyroid hormone dysregulation and damage to reproductive and immune systems. (5)
Viruses, bacteria and parasites
Nuclear waste (radionuclides)
Disinfectant by products from disinfectants such as chlorine that are intentionally added to the water to kill microbes
Fluoride - although touted by the government as an important mineral to avoid tooth decay, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) acknowledges bone disease and fluorination (discoloration of the teeth) as possible long term effects of exposure above contaminant limits. Much or all of the fluoride added to the water is not naturally occurring. It’s industrial waste, procured as a byproduct of aluminum and fertilizer factories.
For a list of the contaminants the EPA limits, click here, and pay special attention to the column listing potential health effects from long term exposure above the maximum contaminant level (MCL).
References: