What Is the Healthiest Water to Drink? 5 Options to Boost Health

Water is something we all need to survive. The general rule of thumb is that you can’t go three days without it. Drinking enough water, on the other hand, can provide a variety of health benefits. Some even claim certain types of water are better for you than others.

There are plenty of choices even when it comes to types of water you can drink, and so long as you aren’t sipping from puddles and other large bodies of water, you’re probably safe. So, what is the healthiest water to drink? Here are the 5 healthiest options for you.

5 Healthiest Water to Drink

1. Mineral

Mineral water is defined as water obtained from underground sources and must have at least 250 parts per million naturally occurring minerals from dissolved solids. This is in contrast to the common misconception that minerals are added to the water after being sourced, which is actually not allowed.

Mineral water can be considered the healthiest of the waters on this list because it can contain several key nutrients that the human body needs. However, mineral water often contains so little of the nutrients that any health benefit aside from providing hydration is almost negligible.

2. Spring

You might confuse spring water with mineral water because they have similar definitions. Spring water, like mineral water, comes from natural, underground water sources. The key difference is that it is often allowed to naturally rise to the surface at something like a spring, and must be bottled at the source.

When spring water is allowed to rise to the surface, it is often considered pre-purified and healthy because it passes through many layers of limestone, sandstone, and clay that act as filters. This isn’t always the case though because spring water can also be obtained by boring a hole directly into the underground source.

3. Tap

Tap water can be surprisingly healthy as long as you live in an area with the correct protections and infrastructure in place. This is true for much of the Western world where government regulations maintain high standards for public health.

Unfortunately, you cannot always assume that tap water is healthy, or even safe to drink. Sometimes, contamination can occur at or bypass water treatment facilities. Examples of potentially unsafe tap water include cloudy or discolored water, overly acidic water, and water that has a strong smell and taste to it.

Some people are also against the way tap water is often treated. Fluoride could be added to the water to improve the dental health of all that drink it but there are some risks associated with needlessly high levels of fluoride consumption.

4. Distilled

Distilled water is a type of purified water that involves boiling the water to create steam and then collecting and condensing the steam back into the water.

This is a particularly good way to purify water because it removes practically everything except for the water itself. In fact, distilled water is often considered sterile and the healthiest water that people with compromised immune systems (such as those with HIV/AIDS and chemo patients) can drink.

However, some believe distilled water isn’t as healthy for many people because it lacks any of the minerals other types of water provide.

5. Bottled

Bottled water is, sadly, a gray area when it comes to health. Some bottled water can be healthy and safe spring water, but it can also be untreated tap water that you could get from most anywhere.

Some bottled water companies market and sell water of a specific pH, especially alkaline water, with claims that the pH can provide various health benefits like altering your blood pH level. Most of these claims are unfounded or require extensive research that hasn’t been done yet.

Even without considering any other health claims, bottled water could be considered more hazardous for your health than other sources because it often contains more microplastics.