Saturday, March 15, 2008 

The Health Benefits Of Drinking Water - Is Bottled Drinking Water Healthier Than Filtered Tap Water?

Water is a key ingredient in a healthy diet and lifestyle. There are many health benefits of drinking water. It helps flush impurities and toxins out of our systems. It aids in the delivery of oxygen and nutrients. In fact, nearly every system in our bodies relies on water for proper functioning. But what if your water is unhealthy?

In past decades, concerns about tap water and its impact on overall health led some people to turn to bottled drinking water instead. In those days, there were few choices. You could pay to have a company deliver large bulky plastic bottles of water for the water cooler. Or you could purchase gallon jugs of distilled or drinking water at the grocery store.

In recent years, there has been an explosion in the number of different bottled waters available, with big distributors such as Coke and Pepsi jumping on the bandwagon. But are bottled drinking waters like Cokes Dasani brand, Pepsis Aquafina, or Wal-Marts store brand really any healthier than your tap water? Or would you be better off with a drinking water filtration system?

As weve learned more about the water we drink, the technology behind drinking water filters and purification systems has improved dramatically. There are filters to remove impurities, chemicals, heavy metals, bacteria and most every contaminant you can think of. With the right size and filter combination for your specific home, your water can be exceptionally pure and healthy.

Cost Comparison

drinking water filtration systems have also become more affordable and easy to use. Although the initial cost of a whole house system usually runs several hundred dollars, that cost is often less than $100 each year if spread out over the life of the system.

There may be additional expenses to replace carbon filters, membranes in reverse osmosis drinking water filtration system, or lamps in an ultraviolet light water treatment device. These expenses can add another $100 or so to the annual costs of operating drinking water filters and purification systems.

While some people may hesitate to spend two or three hundred dollars each year for clean, safe drinking water, they are probably paying more for bottled drinking water. Calculations show that at a price of $1 to $4 per gallon, bottled or delivered water costs an average of $400 each year, especially if you purchase individual bottles. And that doesnt take into consideration the gas needed to drive to the store or the environmental impact of all the empty plastic bottles.

Health Aspects

Many people who choose bottled drinking water understand that it is more expensive, but are willing to pay the extra money because they feel bottled water is safer and healthier than filtered drinking water. After all, bottled water is often marketed as natural spring water or pure glacier water.

In reality, few bottled waters come from natural springs, and most of them use municipal tap water. The companies are able to get away with this false marketing because the regulations and standards for bottle drinking water are less stringent than those for residential drinking sources.

Bottled water quality is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), while drinking water systems are typically regulated by State regulations or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This doesnt mean that the FDA isnt doing their job. Its just that the rules for bottled water only require it to be as good as tap water, not better.

In addition, the FDA regulations only apply to bottled drinking water that is transported across state lines. If a company sells their bottled drinking water in the same state where it was bottled, the federal regulations dont apply. The result is that many bottled waters are not any healthier than filtered water, and in fact some are less pure.

This was demonstrated in a study conducted in 1999 by the natural Resources Defense Council. They tested over 100 brands of bottled drinking water and found that about 1/3 of the waters contained contamination in the form of chemicals, bacteria, and arsenic. The study also found that up to 40% of bottled drinking waters come from a city water system.

How To Tell If Your Water Is Healthy

So how do you tell if the water youre drinking is healthy? With tap water, its relatively easy. If you water comes from a municipal source, the suppliers are required by law to provide annual water quality reports. If you have a well, you can have an authorized lab test your water. It may cost $100 or more, but its a small price to pay for peace of mind. Or you can purchase a kit and test it yourself, although the results are not as conclusive or reliable.

When it comes to bottled drinking water, it can be more difficult to know what youre getting. Start by checking the label or the bottle cap. Some may tell you that the water comes from a municipal source or community water system," which means tap water.

If the label doesnt give any information, you can call the bottler and ask. But dont be surprised if you get the run around and are transferred to several different departments. Some states have a bottled water program that tracks bottled drinking water and can tell you the origin of the source water as well as other information.

Safe and healthy drinking water has become big business. Thousands of companies are vying for your hard earned cash, and some are not always honest about what their products offer. The initial investment for a home drinking water filtration system can seem expensive at first, but over time, it is usually less expensive than bottled drinking water. And with a water filter, you at least know where the water you drink came from and how it was treated.

Before going out and spending your hard earned money for bottled drinking water that may be no better than your own tap water, its a good idea to do some research. Youre likely to decide that a drinking water filtration system and/or purifier is the healthier choice and provides the best value as well.

About the Author:
C.J. Gustafson is a successful writer for Water-filters-N-Purifiers.com, providing consumer information on water purification systems such as whole house and under sink water filters. She found out about comparing the health benefits of drinking water years ago when she learned that the bottled water she was buying came from a municipal system in a nearby city.

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Protecting the Screens of iPods and other Small Portable Electronic Devices

No matter how careful you are, without dependable protection the screens on all portable electronic devices will get scratched. The fact that we use the devices in our active daily lives puts them in constant danger of being scratched.

One of the best ways to protect them is now available through a company named clear View Skins the skins that they offer are nearly invisible and they will provide your portable electronic devices with an unbeatable amount of protection against scratches without changing their size, shape or appearance.

The film that the clear View Skins screen protectors are made from was originally developed to protect the leading edges of military helicopter blades.

The quality of the film that is used to produce the clear View Skins and the fact every clear View Skins screen protector is specifically designed to fit the individual electronic device makes them the perfect screen protector for all of your portable electronic devices.

The clear View Skins screen protectors will fit in most carrying cases, providing an extra measure of protection while allowing you to remove the device from the carrying case to charge it in a dock or play it through a home speaker system.

If you are looking for dependable protection for your portable electronic device at an affordable price check them out at: (http://www.clearviewskins.com).

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Glimpse Into Teen Eating Disorders

teenage is the most exciting part of our life as it brings with itself new changes and a new outlook of life. However, for some it is the most stressful stage of their lives as it brings some of the physical changes too. teenage is the stage which brings with itself puberty. Puberty is the phase of a biological cycle which every human being undergoes. During this stage, teen eating disorders are commonly detected in the teenagers.

Puberty is the biological maturation period under which can be defined as awakening of the teenagers about their sexual identity. At such a stage teenagers grow conscious about their body and as well as their physical structure. teen eating disorders are mainly because of this conscious awakening. Youngsters who are plum and heavy feel depressed and dejected as they find themselves less attractive then others of their age due to which they try out different ways to reduce their weight. teen eating disorders are one of the origins of such a weight loss obsessions.

The most common fear among teenagers is that the weight they have in their puberty stage will continue whole through their life, and so they desperately try to bring their weight down. Gaining approval of friends and pals also becomes important for teenagers as they become more sensitive to the world outside them and the reaction of people in the society becomes essential important for them.

Family might also have its influence on teenagers eating habits. If there is extreme family pressure related to their academic performance and other matters then also it is possible that there is loss of appetite. loss appetite can also be because of teenagers wanting to gain control over their emotions. Missing meals and not eating becomes a part of their punishment regime which they think is a kind of punitive they need to undergo to make for poor performance.

Sometimes, family problems also become a major cause for such an emotional imbalance which might lead them to skip meals as they no other outlet for their frustration. most common cases have been found when parents are fighting for separation.

teen eating disorders is of two kinds, one in which person tends to starve himself by not eating and the other one in which the person eats uncontrollably. The one that symptoms loss of appetite is called anorexia whereas one that accounts of overeating is called bulimia.

anorexia is the eating disorders in which there are also some special cases where the person tends to eat usually as they do but since he/she is conscious about his/her weight so induce vomiting to bring it out.

teen eating disorders are not ailments but actually they are mental disorders which need psychological assistance. If your child is suffering from eating disorder try to get to the root cause as this will only decide the cure.

Francisco Segura owns and operates http://www.eatingdisorderadvise.com - Eating Disorder

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