WATER is a treasure of the entire natural world – 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water. We all know that the chemical formula of pure water is H2O. However, water which we find in nature is rarely in the form of a pure water molecule; the chemical compound H2O is usually mixed with other substances making a solution out of pure water, mineral salts and dirt.

Water contains neither protein, nor fats, or carbohydrates – it is not food, it doesn’t supply us with raw energy. Water is, on the contrary, the condition sine qua non (the necessary condition) of life. Thanks to water, the organism is able to use the energy present in food.

Water makes up 60% to 75% of the human organism (65% in adults, 75% in children, and even 94% in the case of three day old embryos). Next to oxygen, water is the most important element of life.

Functions of water are:

• Keeping the body temperature constant

• Supplying the cells of the organism with necessary nutritious substances (vitamins, minerals, salts)

• Enabling chemical reactions in the cells

• Keeping the thickness of blood and lymph

• Enabling the neurological activity of the brain

• Securing the hydration of the skin

• Enabling the absorption and transfer of the ingested nutrients

• Enhancing salivation necessary for the swallowing of food

• Removing the waste resulting from food digestion and different metabolic processes

How much water should one drink daily?

A question that every one of us often asks himself and others.

In a moderate climate, an average person spends around 2 liters of bodily fluids per day. Out of this, more than 1 liter of fluids the organism loses through urine, while the same amount is being lost through sweat, urine and breathing. Significant losses of water occur during physical activities, in warm weather, during lactation, in the event of sickness, etc.

The important thing to keep in mind is that each person is different – each of us has a need for water that is dependent on his size, the climate he is living in, and his lifestyle. Therefore, the answer to the aforementioned question is an individual one, and each individual needs to take that into account in looking for the answer to this question.

What can be said, given the data stated above, is that a person should drink a minimum of 2 liters of water per day.

At the same time, the stated amount of 2 liters of water does not include the fluids that are being ingested in the form of soup, juices, tea, coffee, etc. Therefore, we are talking about a minimum of 2 liters of pure water.

When should one drink water?

We usually drink water when we feel thirsty, because we believe that our organism knows best when water should be taken in. However, man had long ago lost touch with nature and instincts that direct animals and plants. To the degree that he had lost many of his instincts, man had developed something else, something that made him rise above all other beings. Namely, reason.

Keeping this in mind, let’s not wait for the signal of the organism – it is already too late when it occurs – rather, let us take in water during the entire day. We should start with reminding ourselves and our beloved ones to drink water in regular time intervals throughout the day. After a certain period of time doing this will turn into a habit.

In times of increased physical activities, warmer weather, etc., more water should be consumed regardless of whether it is the right moment for the daily dose of water.

However, are the stated amounts of water and the right time to take it the sufficient condition of our health and beauty?

Let us ask ourselves, of what quality is the water we are drinking?

Water pollution is the contamination of water with unwanted substances that can affect our health. During showering, the water that we swallow may have negative effects on our health. Likewise, polluted water coming into contact with our skin, eyes, ears and nose can lead to certain illnesses. Imagine what kind of negative consequences for one’s health may be produced by the daily intake of such water.

The negative effects of such polluted water are especially noticeable in children and the elderly.

Sources of pollution are first and foremost industry, farms, homes etc.

It is important to point out that the pollution of water doesn’t need to be visible to the naked eye. – This is why water that we are drinking might be polluted without us knowing it – for example, bacteria, viruses and parasites are often present in drinking water without us noticing it.

Two forms of water pollution are:

• Unstable polluters (easily decomposable): the ones which can be decomposed in substances which are not polluters (compost, industrial waste, sewer water, etc.).

• Stable polluters (slowly decomposable): the ones which remain in water for years, and cause damage that requires a long process of neutralization (pesticides, oil, oil derivates, and heavy metals like aluminum, lead, mercury, cadmium).

As we have stated already, in drinking water, especially tap water there are bacteria, pesticides, heavy metals, and disinfectants to be found.

There are numerous indicators of the quality of drinking water.

The indicators are usually separated into three groups: physical indicators, chemical indicators and biological indicators.

Physical indicators

The following indicators fall under the physical kind: temperature, concentration of solid, suspended and dissolved substances, color, smell, water taste, electro conductivity, blurriness and transparency of water.

Chemical indicators

Under chemical indicators we find the following: hardness of water, pH reaction of water, alkalinity and acidity, dissolved oxygen content, the presence of heavy metals, content of macronutrients (various forms of nitrogen and phosphorus), chemical and biochemical consumption of oxygen.

Biological indicators

Biological indicators are the microbiological composition of water, and the hydro biological quality of water.

TYPES OF DRINKING WATER

Three of the most common types of drinking water are tap, bottled and filtered water.

TAP WATER

A large number of people use tap water. However, the problem with tap water is the fact that it is ’hard’ – it contains a significant amount of chlorine, it can contain microorganisms ,organic waste, heavy metals and other substances that are harmful to the human organism.

BOTTLED WATER

An alternative to tap water is bottled water. Bottled water has in the recent years become a trend in this country, as well as worldwide. The witness to this is the high number of domestic and foreign producers of bottled water, as well as statistical data that shows that 40% of world population buys bottled water.

However, even though its producers present bottled water as both of a significantly higher quality compared to tap water and as the only alternative to it, we need to look the truth in the eyes.

1) Firstly, there is a real danger for consumers stemming from the inadequate preservation and storage of bottled water in retail shops, where over a period of several months water is kept in plastic while being exposed to high temperatures and sun rays.

2) Secondly, buying water in large containers or 6-bottle packages you are exposing yourself to carrying a weight that can cause you health problems by putting strain on your back. Furthermore, due to its size, bought water takes up precious space in your home, and afterwards all that plastic, in spite of your intentions, ends up in a dumpsite or in nature. It is not widely known that the amount of plastic packaging being used up in one day is so great that out of it one could create a ring around planet Earth.

3) Finally, bottled water makes up a significant part of the amount of money being spent on groceries by an average family. Let us suppose that during one day an average person drinks 1,5 to 2 liters of water. Additionally, let us suppose that an average family has 4 members. That sums up to between 6 and 8 liters of water being consumed by an average family per day.

4) Multiply that with the price of bottled water and you will come up with the amount of money that is being spent on water by an average family every day.

FILTERED WATER

Therefore, instead of spending money under the influence of marketing, and going out multiple times a day waiting in line so that you could drink ’good water’ and worrying about the way this bottled water had been stored and where its packaging will end up, you could drink mineral water without wasting time and money, and without worrying about the condition the water is in and the dangers to the environment.

How?

How could one reach water free of chlorine, metals, rust, calcium deposits and other harmful substances? How could one reach water that contains minerals in the ideal ratio, without it being bottled water?

To do that all you would need to do would be to take an amount of money, buy the OMNIA AQUA filtration system, install it on your water tap and the ’infamous’ tap water will have become your favorite mineral water.