Buying Quality Bottled Water. A Definitive Guide.
I’m a bit of a bottled water connoisseur…
It’s not just a quirky habit.
It’s well rooted in good science.
The water we drink today is basically processed to death.
If you’re drinking tap or even filtered water…
Forget about it.
It’s not much different than processed food.
10 million years of evolution is going out the window…
The body just doesn’t know what to do with it.
It’s like a foreign substance to it — just like the processed food.
While it will keep you alive… (processed food does that too but at what cost?)
It lacks one of the main ingredients that our ancestors got from the water…
Minerals!
Yes, minerals.
Those essential for health include calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, chloride, magnesium, iron, zinc, iodine, chromium, copper, fluoride, molybdenum, manganese, and selenium.
We are now “supplementing” for minerals. Including what is commonly referred to as electrolytes. (sodium, potassium, magnesium, and chloride)
But most “electrolytes powders and drinks” are created with sweeteners…
We do a little ritual on our daily Zoom meetings called “The Water of the Day” where I show everyone parts of my collection of bottled waters from around the world.
All in glass, no plastic, all 100% recyclable.
On each bottle, there is an ingredients list of sorts…
Just like food labels but on the water, it’s called TDS. Total Dissolved Solids.
On the TDS list is the percentage of minerals each water has and each water is different. As a result, waters actually taste VERY different from one another — once you are only drinking good water and your tastebuds have healed from the tastes of sugar-sweetened beverages.
So the gang on the sugar detox support meetings have asked for a list of the waters that they can get locally or from Amazon (with free delivery because water is heavy).
I’ve made finding these special waters not only my hobby but a hugely fun game…
You’ll be totally amazed when you travel internationally how far ahead most of the world is when it comes to good quality spring water.
If the water doesn’t say something to the effect of “100% Natural Spring Water, Bottled at the source — then it’s not what you are looking for.
The big boys (Nestle’ etc) are in the game now and it’s making it a little easier for us to get good quality waters in glass, bottled at the source.
Nestle’s offering of Acqua Panna, bottled at the source in Tuscany, Italy is probably the most widely distributed quality water out there. Most major grocery stores and Amazon now carry it and you can get it on sale for as little as $.99 cents occasionally.
There are others especially quality local brands that are awesome too. You just need to search.
If you’re lucky enough to live in Texas there is great mineral water, with a great story, called Crazy Water that comes in three different concentrations of minerals!
If you really want to get into exploring waters and live in South Florida, Dade, and Broward, or the greater Los Angeles area then https://www.aquamaestro.com/ will deliver right to your home and has a huge selection of waters from all over the world! Some of the prices will blow your mind but there are lots of affordable waters as well.
I suggest you join their special club for delivery discounts and specials
Salaciousdrinks dot com <<Click here — is a smaller group but they deliver anywhere in the US. Shipping is always going to be expensive but it is fun to get the different waters.
For what we call “house waters”, those that we drink every day, I suggest that you prowl your local specialty grocery stores and regular groceries for deals. This is where the best deals will be found. Or try my tricks on Amazon with free delivery.
On Amazon, you are looking for a very weird buying anomaly not usually available to consumers… Not sure when this loophole will close but here are the basics:
You’re looking for a product description I’ve never seen on any other product on the market. It’s called price per fluid ounce. See the example below:
The deal shown above is GREAT water at a great price. It’s a little minerally at first to the uninitiated palette but you will grow to crave it.
It’s got a storied history that includes presidents and celebrities:
https://www.mountainvalleyspring.com/blogs/news/mountain-valley-water-history-part-2
You will see huge swings in even the same product (different vendors). The bad part is that it must have to do with the vendor’s input… Because some of them are WILDLY WRONG!. But Whole Foods (owned by Amazon) must get it right as it’s their system after all.
Remember the rules from above about buying in glass and looking for “bottled at the source” do not change no matter how tempting the price.
The exception to the rule is that Evian and Fiji-type quality water brands that are available in convenience stores in plastic are a good grab and go in a pinch and will be much better for your health — better than anything else you can get in a C-Store.
Do NOT buy the popular waters, you all know them by the popular brand names that get all the cooler space, (enough said)and others, they are super processed with stuff added to it. They basically come from a tap in a factory.
BUT, and this is huge. Search the C-Stores too for glass!
One thing you’ll find in both grocery stores and C-stores is that the store got sold a big load of great water and nobody bought it! Thus it’s sitting there, on sale, just for you!
I’m thinking of starting an alert system so we can alert each other when we find such a stash! <<Would you join me in this?
Up next: Carbonated water: Yes or No?
