Why distilled water?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Bart M on May 4, 2012 at 2:22am

Your coworker is misguided.

Here's a good explanation of the subject:

http://h2owise.blogspot.com/2009/09/ph-paranoia-beware-of-alka-lie....

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Permalink Reply by Ed Flowers on May 4, 2012 at 2:46am

Yes, I have heard the same thing, too -- from various sources.  They say that distilled water is actually almost like a toxin to our bodies in that it does leach out nutrients because water will always try balance itself out with your minerals in your body.  The best water -- according to the guy who made the documentary "Food Matters" and "Hungry for Change" -- is spring water (if you can find it).  Supposedly because it has already filtered through rocks and has acquired mineralization on its own.  Claims that this is the type of water that is most supportive to our human physiology -- and calls distilled water unnatural.  Of course, distilled water is very valuable for applications in science and industry, but when it comes to drinking water, it may not be the best.

I do not know much about the PH discussion on water, except to say that I thought water was supposed to be neutral.  High alkalinity in water could be potentially dangerous, specially for people who are not acidic (like fruitarians)  -- depending on what your own PH really -- in that it could lead to alkalosis if it is made unnaturally too high.  

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Permalink Reply by Peter Csere on May 4, 2012 at 3:09am

Wrong. "They" are wrong. Distilled water is a toxin - therefore Doug Graham recommends it? That makes a lot of sense. 

The mineral leach crap originated from companies that sell filters, remineralization solutions, and my favorite, "mineral water." The guy who made that documentary is wrong too, by the way. 

The minerals in water that has "filtered through" (been contaminated by) rock are inorganic minerals. Crushed rocks. Not only are these incredibly hard to the body to absorb and use, they are toxic in that they contribute to ossification of the brain and joints. Natural Hygiene texts are clear as water when it comes to this issue: Inorganic minerals are a toxin. 

Since "back to nature" explanation often helps: Humans are "meant" to get most of their water from juicy fruits. The next best water is RAINWATER (i.e. distilled water.) Unfortunately, most rainwater is heavily polluted so we have to make our own in a distiller which mimicks the water cycle. The next best is glacial runoff collected close to the point of melting, since the inorganic minerals may at that point may only be in suspension, not in solution, so the sediment will settle to the bottom yielding essentially pure water. 

Inorganic minerals are a toxin. Organic minerals are found in fruits and vegetables. Spring water has not been "filtered," it has been contaminated. Pure water is the next best thing to water from juicy fruits. Since rainwater is polluted, distilled water is optimal. 

How can distilled water be "unnatural" if rainwater is (ideally) unpolluted distilled water? That's like a poorly applied reverse appeal to nature fallacy. 

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Permalink Reply by Ed Flowers on May 4, 2012 at 3:17am

Contaminated?  lol.  Frankly, it stand to reason that we are more adapted to drinking mineralized water because it is the water that our ancestors evolved to drink -- distilled water did not exist.  Obviously we are here to return to our roots and eat the foods we are meant to eat (and drink) -- distilled water wasn't one of them.  Of course, since fruits and vegetables do provide lots of minerals, what minerals water attracts to itself (from your body), are probably being easily replenished.  This discussion is kind of moot if you are a fruitarian in that sense -- but it is interesting.  Unfortunately, I do not have a natural spring near me or I would drink it -- you can drink right from it with no additional filtration, boiling or concern.

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Permalink Reply by Peter Csere on May 4, 2012 at 11:18am

You obviously did not read my entire post. Distillation mimicks the water cycle. Rainwater is essentially distilled. So your point that distilled water did not exist is "moot". 

Also, our ancestors did not evolve to drink any particular water. Humans are not a water-drinking species. We drink water when we need to but we lack the physiology that most water-drinking animals have. 

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Permalink Reply by Roar of Tiger on May 12, 2012 at 5:23pm

Thank you for this. However I feel instantly better when I drink mineral water (with Magnesium in it) while I don't feel that when I drink Aquafina.

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Permalink Reply by Roar of Tiger on May 13, 2012 at 1:43am

What can account for this?

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Permalink Reply by Rawbert on May 4, 2012 at 3:07am

because it's the cleanest therefore the best. your coworker is an idiot lol..

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Permalink Reply by Peter Csere on May 4, 2012 at 3:18am

Lol. Watch what I do here: 

"Why does Dr Graham recommend eating fruits and vegetables? My co worker is giving me an earful about how it will lead to an protein deficiency." 

The lesson here is NOT that one should unquestionably swallow everything that emanates from Dr. Graham's mouth. The lesson here is that one should LEARN their lesson after punching their way through so many fallacies/misinformations regarding a healthy lifestyle. Chocolate's good, chocolate's bad. A study says people who drink alcohol regularly have longer lifespans. My mom says I will get a potassium overdose. Etc etc etc. My mom didn't actually say that though. 

So while we should question everything Dr. Graham says, we should also recognize his track record for giving us good advice (advice that commonly goes "against the grain" and against the little tidbits and soundbytes and pet theories that everyone has about everything from red meat to distilled water). So if he says something is good for you, and someone else says something is really bad and will leach minerals from you, you should do some reading. Even if what they say sounds vaguely scientific or scary. Or, do what you did here and ask the community. Good job! 

A few things I forgot, that are common anti-rainwater talking points: 

-Distilled water only has the capability to leach inorganic minerals, which you obviously do not need as they are rocks, not food 

-There is no such thing as "living" or "dead" water, as some people claim that boiling water "kills" it. Water is an inert substance. It is impossible to ascribe any qualities of life to it; doing so is simply a poetic device (personification.) All water in existence has at some point in the history of the cosmos been boiled, converted to other substances, frozen, etc. 

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Permalink Reply by Ed Flowers on May 4, 2012 at 3:32am

Water is indeed a "magical" substance.  Its properties are very intriguing -- its solid form is less dense than its liquid -- it can actually float on itself.   It is the universal solvent -- it can be soft and soothing and when frozen it can rip right through steal and concrete.  There is no other substance quite like it.  People boil water not to kill it -- but to kill the bacteria and parasites that can survive in it.  Yes water can leach inorganic materials, but this is certainly a concern since our bodies do need these inorganic materials to support life -- calcium being a main one.  We cannot say that we can do without calcium and it is mineral.  It is not just a useless piece of rock.  

Rainwater is certainly good water -- except if it is acid rain, then it's not so good.

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Permalink Reply by Peter Csere on May 4, 2012 at 11:21am

You are wrong. We do not need inorganic minerals. Organic minerals are minerals that are living; have been assimilated into living plant tissue. 

The word "calcium" could refer to an inorganic or an organic form of calcium. You are assuming that minerals only exist in an inorganic form, which is an incorrect assumption and this can be verified by opening a chemistry textbook. 

So inorganic calcium is a useless piece of rock, to us. To plant it is a life-giving mineral. The plant assimilates it and then it is in its organic form, which we can use. 

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Permalink Reply by Bart M on May 4, 2012 at 3:53am

I decided to do the math once.  I found the mineral content of a popular brand of spring water, and compared it to the mineral content of greens.  Depending on the mineral, it turned out that a gallon of spring water is equivalent to anywhere between one hundredth and one half of a medium lettuce leaf.  So if you're worried about distilled water leaching minerals from your body (presuming you drink about half a gallon of distilled water a day), just eat an extra quarter of a lettuce leaf each day, and you're covered.  This leaching argument is silly.

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