Many people associate distilled water with the water used in research labs or the water you put in your car’s batteries. However, that does not mean the water is unfit for human consumption. On the contrary, the distillation process effectively removes 99.9% of dissolved inorganic material from the water. Apart from that, it also gets rid of bacteria, germs, and chemicals from the water.
In spite of its high purity, there is a lot of ongoing research to determine if is it safe to drink distilled water. This is because some essential minerals such as magnesium, calcium, and sodium are also removed from distilled water along with the many harmful contaminants that might be present in it.
How to Make Distilled Water?
The process of making distilled water is quite simple. A water distillation machine converts water into steam so that various contaminants, microbes, and minerals are removed from it. Once the steam cools to room temperature, it condenses back into its liquid form. It is so simple that you can easily figure out how to how to distill water at home.
Basically, distillation mimics mother nature’s own process of recycling water that is known as the hydrologic cycle. Most home water distillers have a chamber for water evaporation purposes and one to collect the steam. As the distilled water condenses, it is collected in a glass jar.
Is Distilled Water Good for You?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set very specific regulations regarding the maximum level of contaminants allowed in drinking water. If your water supply exceeds this level, it won’t be safe for drinking purposes.[1]
In short, water that contains contaminants over the recommended levels will definitely need some method of treatment, otherwise, it can make you very ill. In this case, your home water distiller will be able to provide you with fresh and clean drinking water all the time.
Can You Drink Distilled Water?
While it does not contain any harmful chemicals, the distillation process can nevertheless lead to a change in taste. The demineralization process takes away the natural flavor of the water. Apart from that, calcium, magnesium and other important minerals are removed from the water during the distillation process. However, this is not an issue since the amounts are too small to make a difference because we get most of our minerals from our daily diet.
Still, it would be a good idea to eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits if you plan on using demineralized water at home.
If you think that the water supply in your town or area may not be reliable and might contain harmful chemicals you will definitely be better off drinking distilled water.
However, it is important to understand that storing distilled water can be a bit of a problem. Since distilled water has no minerals of its own, it can pull in the same from any material it comes in contact with.
Does Distilled Water Go Bad?
No, that does not happen, however, it is not a good idea to store it in a nonfood grade material. This is because it will automatically absorb trace amounts of the plastic/ iron or whatever substance is in the vessel that’s holding it.
Reverse Osmosis vs. Distilled Water
In reverse osmosis, the water crosses a semi-permeable membrane that has been designed to let in water molecules but nothing else. This will remove the impurities easily enough. However, RO processing does leave a few impurities behind. That is, a few microbes may be left in the water and if you want to remove them you will have to boil the water first. This does not apply to distilled water because it is already boiled, to begin with.
The pH of distilled water is close to 7. This makes it ideal for drinking purposes since the EPA recommends ph levels from 6 to 8.5.
Major Advantages of Drinking Distilled Water
Distilled water is considered to be one of the best types of drinking water available today due to the following reasons comes:
o It Is Possible to Cleanse Your Body with Pure Water
There are no additives in distilled water and that makes it as pure as possible. This can help cleanse the body and detoxify it from harmful chemicals.
o It Can Help Reduce the Risk of Many Dangerous Diseases
The process of distillation helps to remove many types of harmful waterborne pathogens. Most waterborne bacteria that are the causative factor for deadly illnesses such as gastroenteritis, Hepatitis, and other dangerous diseases won’t be able to survive the process of distillation.
o It Will Reduce the Risk of Consuming Chemicals Detrimental to Your Health
Using distilled water will protect you from many potentially harmful chemicals in tap water including nitrates, pesticides, fertilizer, as well as contamination from copper and lead pipes. If left untreated, these impurities in your tap water supply can also cause a lot of harm to the human body. This is you should try and ensure that you restrict their intake as much as possible.
o It Prevents Kidney Stones
Normal tap water contains phosphate and other oxalates that can contribute to the creation of uric crystals, that are causative factors of kidney stones and other issues. However, distilled water is completely free of these minerals and in the long run, it will help you to avoid these risks.
Conclusion
Distilled water is one of the best types of drinking water available today. If you are worried about the contamination of your water supply, you should definitely start distilling your water supply as soon as possible.
[1] https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/national-primary-drinking-water-regulations#Inorganic
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