Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Bottled water vs tap ...


What comes to mind when you think of bottled water? Do you think it tastes better? Do you think it's healthier for you? Do you worry about landfills and pollutants in the bottles? I'm sure it's different for everyone. I'm not a big water drinker. I have to really force myself to drink it. That doesn't mean I prefer bottle water over tap because both are difficult for me to drink. I prefer flavored waters, especially the low-calories ones. Or I drink it in iced tea, coffee, or something like Crystal Light. I know it's not as good as plain water, but it's better than nothing. I have really mixed feelings about bottled water. When I buy it for my family, it's not because I think it's better for them, or even that it tastes better. It's simply out of convenience. And since my boys don't drink soda, it's an easy option. But as an effort to save the environment, the water bottles are being made thinner. I've dropped them and had them shatter, so I don't know if the companies are doing more harm than good with their packaging efforts.

The other day Edna posted a video clip on her Facebook page. It's from You Tube and is from the Penn & Teller Show. It's all about bottled water and it's really interesting. I've been hearing for awhile that bottled water isn't better for you than tap water and this video goes into that more. The only part I didn't get was the hose water segment. I can tell when I'm drinking water that came from a hose. We use a special hose for our travel trailer and I can always pick up that taste. I don't know how the people in the video didn't pick that up. If we don't have a big jug of water when we're camping, I can't help but joke about Rick making hose water coffee. It's just nasty!

Right before Nichelle left to go to Maui, we bought her one of those water bottles with the filter in it. We figured she'd be okay in Hawaii, but in a few months she'll be in Indonesia and I think she might want to use the filter there, even with bottled water. I tried one of those filtered water bottles recently and I was BLOWN AWAY! We used water from a lake in Glacier National Park and I swear, it was the BEST tasting water I've ever had. True, it's a pure glacial lake. But the true test was using the filtered water bottle from the potable water spicket at the campsite. After it ran through the filter, it tasted exactly the same, even better than any bottled water I've ever had. I'm sold on those bottles now. They're expensive, but if they make lake water or hose water taste that good, they're worth every penny. Anyway, here's the video clip if you want to watch it. It's pretty funny in some parts, but remember, it is Penn & Teller so there is some bad language ...



7 comments:

  1. Well,that video was down right depressing. We buy 5 gallons of Poland Springs water every week for drinking,since we aren't crazy about the chlorinated tap water we get here. We also always felt it was healthier. We will continue to do so,though now I'm wondering if we are just wasting our money.Hmmm...

    Leanne

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  2. I didn't watch the video, but I don't think bottled water is any different that tap water and is over rated. We drink water that is filtered through our fridge and it is definitely better tasting that say the bathroom sink water or evern the kitchen sink.

    I've never had a problem with hose water, it's just really cold! lol

    The best water (in my opinion) is the water in Estes Park; never had any better.

    Nancy

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  3. OMG!!! I didn't know all that. I try not to buy bottled water because of the waste-plastic landfills in the ocean. But they are convenient. So, once in a while I succumb but this makes me even less likely to cross over to the dark side.

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  4. Like the second anonymous comment, I drink water through a filter in my refrigerator. It tastes great.

    I don't like to buy bottled water because I hate the idea of all those bottles going to landfills.

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  5. I agree -- the water that comes out of our fridge probably tastes better than right from the tap.

    Just lugging around a bottle to fill up is a pain for me to remember. I finally bought the boys those little backpacks (cheaper versions of CamelBaks) so they can carry their own water. Found some for kids at Walmart for less than $20 and they work great.

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  6. First of all, I love Penn and
    Teller - my dream is to see there show in Vegas. (They were off on hiatus when I was there last year - I was so upset!)

    I don't drink alot of bottled water. We have a fridge with the water and ice machine in it and I drink that but we do have bottled water in the house. Maybe not anymore though!

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