“The true foundation of all culture is the knowledge and understanding of water”

— Viktor Schauberger

We’ve become a little obsessed about water here lately. We’re hearing about it everywhere. If it’s not Madeleine Shaw talking about how necessary it is to drink 2 litres a day, it’s the talk Joel Gazdar, owner of the excellent Wild Food Café in Covent Garden, gave at the Wilderness Festival. It was Joel who really convinced us that getting the enough of the right water into our bodies pays huge dividends. He even imparted the knowledge he’s gained from years of research into the best water filter companies (see below for details).

When we started investigating how bad our tap water actually is for us, we must admit we felt truly shocked. For example, if you live in the London area and surrounds, Chloramine is now being added into the water. You can read more about this here.

There are several properties which water must have in order for it to be deemed beneficial to health. These are:

1. It must be free of pollutants. These pollutants include heavy metals, pesticide residues, solvents, hormone residues, drug residues, chlorine, fluoride and pathogens. The development of new chemical cocktails is further increasing the pollution load on our water supplies often with unknown consequences
2. The water should be of an alkaline pH so as to aid neutralisation of excess body tissue acidity from diets, stress and environmental pollution. Alkaline water contains higher levels of oxygen.
3. The water should be micro- clustered. Water in the environment does not exist as single molecules in isolation. It consists of groups of water molecules weakly bonded together. Typically most tap water exists as water with clusters of upwards of 12 molecules. This type of water is not particularly beneficial for hydration of the body cells and lacks vital energy. Good water should have 5 to 6 molecules in a cluster giving significantly increased electron activity energised water. Most public supply water is ‘dead’ and it lacks vital energy.
4. The water should have a negative oxidation/ reduction potential (ORP). Typical tap water has an ORP reading in the order of 250mV upwards. This water is an oxidant. Good healthy water should have a negative ORP typically in the order of -100 to -300mV. This water has beneficial anti-oxidant properties. It helps to neutralise harmful free radicals which cause tissue damage.
5. FIR – To incorporate the use of Far Infrared Rays. Far infrared energy is extensively used in the Far East because of its therapeutic properties. As the water passes through it ‘picks up’ this beneficial energy. Infrared mineral balls vibrate at a frequency similar to that of the human body. They are able to penetrate the body and activate cells which then reactivate as well as strengthen the micro-circulatory systems. They help to regulate blood flow and reactivate the vital energy in the body.
6. We also require negative ions to help improve the immune system and boost our energy levels
7. Finally, the water needs to be vortexed and activated which results in rejuvenated life-giving water.

Here are some of the possible benefits to drinking a high quality filtered water:

1. Better body hydration ensuring water drunk has maximum beneficial effect.
2. Improved immunity by the elimination of toxic metabolic wastes and negating the adverse impacts of stress and environmental pollution. Also by creating a favourable inner terrain there will be less adverse effects of pathogenic organisms.
3. Improvement in both lifespan and quality of life.
4. Improvement in brain function. This has a particularly beneficial impact on children and students, improving their focus and attention span. Proper brain functioning and better absorption of nutrients can help reduce anti-social behaviour.
5. Possible reduced requirement for pharmaceutical medications, which can be costly and may have side effects and be addictive.
6. Increased energy due to better body functioning. This has many positive benefits in terms of quality of life with knock on benefits for societies by way of enhanced productivity and creativity.
7. Significant reduction in degenerative diseases such as cancers, cardiovascular problems, diabetes and skeletal problems. These degenerative diseases can have a serious financial impact on health care costs in societies in the developed world. Increased intake of healthy water may also help in the reduction of the myriad of diseases, which pass under the ‘Aids’ banner.

The water filter company recommended to us by Joel Gazdar at the Wild Food Café is called EcoAeon. We talked to them ourselves and were really impressed. So much so we’re going to be buying one. What’s great about these is that there’s no constant buying of new filters (they last 3 years) and they don’t even need power. However, if you really must buy bottled water then Highland Spring in glass bottles is the best your money can buy.

Happy hydrating!