Many health professionals recommend we drink eight full glasses of water every day. Where that water comes from may make a big difference in its effectiveness.
With so many options on the market, the difficulty lies in not how to obtain the proper amounts of water, but where that water is coming from. One also should have a good understanding of what processes the water has undergone to deliver on purity standards. Distilled, mineral, and purified or filtered water is, in theory, better for us than straight tap water.
However, it does not go without notice in Reverse Osmosis purified water that many beneficial minerals are being destroyed. With 99% of TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) removed during the purification process, this is bound to occur. These include elements like magnesium and calcium, which are essential for healthy bones, nerves, muscles, and metabolic reactions.
Great… So you’ve gone through the whole rigmarole of making your water healthier to drink. Now, you learn you are actually losing essential minerals when you protect yourself from harmful ones? Fortunately, you have options to add minerals back to Reverse Osmosis filtered water!
Essential Mineral Intake
As mentioned above, minerals such as calcium and magnesium, are essential building blocks for a healthy body. Other minerals filtered out of your water are zinc, iodine, copper, phosphorus, and chloride. However, these minerals from water make up only around less than 5 percent of your daily total intake needs.
Calcium and magnesium from water make up a whopping 20 percent of your total daily intake requirements. While this may seem like a significant number, especially when considering that amount multiplied over time, there is a solution to avert this issue.
In an effort to retain the important minerals water provides, you can add minerals to water again. This is done after the purification process has been completed. There are a few ways you can remineralize Reverse Osmosis water. Before we get into those methods, it is beneficial to more thoroughly understand exactly what calcium and magnesium are… and why they are so important to attaining a healthy body.
Calcium
Calcium accounts for 1.5 to 2 percent of our total body weight. Most of this is stored in the bones of our skeletal system. It also provides the regulation of hormones and enzymes. It is also an important variable in other functions as well, such as blood clotting, muscular and vascular contractions, and nerve transmissions.
Hypocalcemia, or Calcium Deficiency Disease, typically presents with no symptoms. However, those with serious cases of severe Calcium Deficiency Disease may experience muscle cramps, tingling in the lips and fingers, and even confusion, among a few other more serious symptoms. Long-term calcium deficiency may result in weaker, more fragile bones thus leading to many more potential breaks and fractures.
The World Health Organization suggests an optimal level of about 40-80 milligrams of calcium per 1 liter (with a minimum of 20 milligrams per 1 liter) in your drinking water to reach your highest health potential in this regard.
Magnesium
This is the fourth most prevalent mineral found in the body. It is also the second most abundant intracellular cation. It may come as no shock to learn Magnesium is a cofactor in more than 300 enzymatic reactions in our bodies.
Magnesium is fundamental for the control of strong muscle contractions, insulin digestion, heart sensitivity, vasomotor tone, blood pressure, neuromuscular conduction, and nerve transmissions. This mineral is also incredibly essential to healthy bones.
The World Health Organization has discussed the possibility of insufficient magnesium being a factor in hypertension and Type II Diabetes. A severe lack of magnesium has been related to an increased risk of cardiovascular issues. The lowest measure of dissolvable magnesium prescribed in drinking water is 10 milligrams per 1 liter, with the ideal sum being 20-30 milligrams per 1 liter of water.