Why you must to filter your water?

Water is a life-sustaining fluid that’s essential to health, but can undermine it if you're drinking straight out of the tap. The trouble is, drink tap or even spring water and you'll likely be getting more than you bargained for – chlorine, fluorine compounds, Trihalomethanes (THMs), assorted hormones, pesticides and even trace amounts of prescription drugs. It can be a witches’ brew of health-killing effluvia – but you can improve the odds. Here's the low-down on water, and how to turn it back into the health drink nature intended:

Tap Water is Dirtier Than It Looks

Even “clean” drinking water that flows from the tap isn’t what most of us would think of as clean. It's traveled through miles of pipeline, picking up contaminants, pesticides and industrial run-off along the way. It's been disinfected with potential carcinogens like chlorine, ammonia and or chloramines, then “fortified” with fluoride. While disinfection is a necessary evil – without it, water-borne illnesses would be a constant problem – drinking, showering and bathing every day with this chemical brew is a lousy idea.

No, Seriously. Your Water Is Funky

Problem is, most of us don’t have a clue about the chemicals and contaminants in our water, nor do we know their long-term effects. We trust that everything is OK, but it's not. In fact, the Environmental Working Group spent three years investigating the country's drinking water and the results were jaw-dropping. They found that roughly 85% of the population was using tap water laced with over 300 contaminants, many with unknown long-term effects and more than half of which aren't even regulated by the EPA. Add to the mix an ever-growing list of new chemical compounds that come online just about every day and well, the waters only get murkier.

Bottled Water Isn't Better, Cleaner or Good for the Earth

Let me be blunt: there's just no good reason to drink bottled water —and if you’re one of those folks who buys it by the case, I beg you to stop. Bottled water is virtually unregulated, expensive, and even the EPA says it’s not necessarily safer than tap. It’s also insanely wasteful – an estimated three liters of water is needed to produce just one liter, and roughly 17 million barrels of oil is required to produce all those bottles, according to The Pacific Institute. What’s worse, roughly 2/3rds of those bottles wind up in the ocean and in landfills, polluting and poisoning waters and wildlife.

Brew Your Own – With the Help of Water Filtration Systems

So, how to tamp down the bad stuff in your brew? The best way to go is a water filtration system. For starters, look for one that’s certified by the NSF, an independent, non-profit group that tests and verifies the contaminant reducing abilities of water filters. Next, you'll need to determine how far you’re willing to go, based on your needs and budget. Ideally, whole-house filtration systems are an excellent option, but they're not always feasible. If whole-house filtration isn't appropriate for your home, then I recommend investing in individual drinking water and shower filter units.

My secret  water filter

My favorite filters, which I recommend to my friends (and the ones I personally use) are from Crystala. They remove much of the bad stuff without stripping the water of beneficial minerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium and they are NSF certified. But what I admire most is that they make a real effort to be kinder to the environment, with a solar powered manufacturing facility and casings and filter cartridges made of recyclable parts and compostable materials. I'll drink to that!