Drinking tap water - a good alternative to mineral water
For years I have been drinking mostly tap water. At least once a day I fill up my water bottle with water from the tap and drink. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Sometimes cold, sometimes warm. Sometimes still, sometimes carbonated. Sometimes flavored water , sometimes not. It wasn't always like this, it only started during my student days, when looking in my wallet and at the stairs up to the fifth floor didn't exactly make the water crates attractive. And so I slowly but surely switched to tap water. Today I know what I get out of it. But opinions still differ when it comes to which water is better. Should you drink bottled mineral water or tap water?
Three good reasons why tap water is a good alternative to mineral water
1. Tap water keeps us fit and healthy and has more minerals than we think
Fluids and minerals are important for our bodies. That's why we need to drink enough water every day to stay fit and healthy. But to replenish our mineral reserves, we don't need to buy expensive bottled mineral water that may have been shipped halfway around the world. Many mineral water manufacturers advertise that their water has a high mineral content. But tap water is actually sufficient; it contains important minerals such as calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium. And anyone who eats a healthy, balanced diet gets all the good substances they need anyway. We already absorb many minerals through solid food.
2. Drinking tap water contributes to environmental protection
With every sip of water we drink from disposable plastic bottles, we pollute our environment. The production of plastic alone consumes important resources such as oil and water. And as if that wasn't enough, the plastic bottles end up as garbage on our planet after use. So you could say that disposable plastic bottles are doubly harmful. Tap water, on the other hand, leaves no garbage behind, because you can easily fill tap water into reusable drinking bottles made of glass or stainless steel.
3. Tap water is easy and cheap to obtain
If you drink tap water, you just have to turn on the faucet and hold your drinking bottle or glass under it and you get fresh water to drink. You really don't have to do much to get fresh drinking water in this country. No long journeys, no lugging and no rubbish to dispose of. And it's cheap. A litre of tap water costs us just one cent. Bottled mineral water from the supermarket, on the other hand, costs ten to a hundred times as much.
Mineral or tap water?
We can drink tap water without any concerns. Our water is regularly and strictly checked by our water supplier for substances that are harmful to health. The basis for these checks has been the Drinking Water Ordinance for many years. It sets legal limits to ensure that our drinking water is safe to drink and pure. This means that our drinking water should not contain pathogens or other substances in concentrations that could be harmful to health.
How high is drinking water pollution in Germany?
Drinking water is mostly obtained from groundwater and spring water. It also comes from rivers, lakes or dams. But groundwater sometimes contains residues, such as nitrate, which is harmful to health in large quantities. The reason for the high nitrate levels is the excessive use of fertilizers in agriculture. If too much fertilizer is used, the plants do not absorb it all, and residues can remain in the soil and sometimes seep into the groundwater.
To ensure that the water arrives at our homes in a drinkable condition, it is examined by the waterworks and, if necessary, treated, because the waterworks are responsible for the quality of the drinking water. The amount of nitrate content is important here. According to the Drinking Water Ordinance, the limit is 50 milligrams per liter. In general, it can be seen that foreign substances get into the drinking water, but the concentration of these is so low that it is completely tolerable for us.
But what about contamination by substances such as lead or copper? The responsibility here lies with the homeowner. They must ensure that the water is not contaminated by old pipes. If in doubt, the water can be tested. If the results give cause for concern, the homeowner is responsible for replacing the water pipes. Everyone has the right to safe drinking water.
And what about tap water that contains a lot of lime?
That's probably more a question of taste. The hardness of the water determines the taste. Personally, I think you can get used to a lot of things. But one thing is certain: hard water is completely harmless - at least not for us humans. The more lime the water contains, the more calcium and magnesium it contains. And our bodies need these elements. Hard water is the only thing that doesn't do so well for our household appliances, because it settles over time and makes them partially unusable. But even that can be controlled with natural decalcifiers.
There are countless reasons why you can drink tap water. The most important thing is and remains that you are informed. As consumers, we have a right to good quality drinking water.
