Best Way to Make Sure the Water You Drink is Pure

Each of us is made up of about 63 percent water – and every supermodel you ask swears that it is her ultimate beauty secret. Here’s how to make sure the water you drink is pure.

According to some skin experts, the fountain of youth may literally be found at the water drinking fountain. In our search for younger, healthier skin, drinking plenty of water is often overlooked. As if environmental stress doesn’t do enough damage to the skin from the outside, stress takes its toll from the inside by dehydrating cells. You know that dry-mouth feeling you get when you’re anxious about speaking in front of a room of people? That dehydration is happening in your brain and your skin, too.

Two quarts a day

Certainly, the fastest antidote to stress is to drink a long, cool drink of water. When the skin is hydrated, the body functions more efficiently as the circulation to the skin increases.

Supermodels are always boasting that they glug a quart of water a day. According to leading nutritionist Jane Clarke, even that is not enough: we should actually be aiming for two to three quarts of water per day. Ideally, this should be either in the form of plain water or fresh organic juiced fruits and vegetables that have a high water content.

You may find it hard to achieve this level of water intake. To start with, try always keeping a glass of water on your desk, which will encourage you to remember to drink regularly. In Ayurvedic medicine, incidentally, hot water is preferred to cold, since it is easier for the body to assimilate. Personally, I feel you should drink water the way you prefer it – because then you’re more likely to reach your two-to-three-quart daily target.

Attaining purity

The supply of water from your faucet may contain fluoride, arsenic, lead, and pesticides, among other harmful chemicals. To keep your drinking water pure, at the very least you should use a jug filter, which works like a coffee filter: pour the water through, and it drips into a pitcher. Alternatively, you could install a water filter on your faucet. Some have screens, or filters, that may be made from carbon or stainless steel. The state-of-the-art system for filtering water, however, is a process called reverse osmosis: it not only filters out chemicals and pollutants but even radioactive contaminants. These filters are very expensive, but if you buy a lot of bottled water, they may end up saving you money.

It is now even possible to get a whole-house unit for water filtration, rather than one that is linked to the kitchen faucet. They are designed to remove the most common contaminants, including pesticides, herbicides, and chlorine, from all the house’s water. The unit is specially recommended for people with skin disorders and chemical sensitivities, but they may be beneficial to everyone -some experts claim that absorption through the skin may have been grossly underestimated. However, these filters are expensive.

If you drink bottled water, seek brands whose sources are from very deep springs. The deeper the spring, the less the chance of contamination by nuclear fallout and pesticides.

The problem with caffeine

People who drink a lot of tea, coffee, and cola drinks are more likely to have tired-looking skin. This is because caffeine prevents the body from making good use of the vitamins and minerals found in food.

Drink no more than two or three cups of caffeinated drinks a day, and cut out nonorganic cola drinks, since the phosphoric acid in them is linked with an increased risk of osteoporosis.