You have cases everywhere, in your house, in your car, at your office and even a “secret stash” somewhere in your garage “just in case”. Face it, you’re a Bottled Water Junkie! Before you go running off to “Bottled Water-aholics Anonymous” let me ask you this: what would you do if all of a sudden bottled water was banned? Your heart probably dropped for a split second there, but seriously, why bottled over tap? You have several FREE water resources around you daily, but you still choose to run to the store and purchase another case if you even think about the tragedy of running out. Is it really worth the money you’re paying for “Glorified Tap Water” just to think you’re drinking safer water? My guess is no, probably not!

Several bottled water companies claim that their bottled water comes from natural resources. Mount Everest, Alaska glaciers, beautiful mountain springs… Really? Can you actually picture someone going out each day with a bucket and collecting water from these “natural resources” and taking it back to the factory and bottling it up for your tasting pleasure. Maybe in movies, but the reality is your favorite drinking water companies are just going to the faucet, turning it on and then purifying what comes out and selling it on store shelves everywhere. Shocking isn’t it? What is the world coming to that you can’t even trust your bottled water anymore! How do you know you’re not drinking the same water that your dog drinks out of the toilet?

Growing up in a small town, in the middle of nowhere, I always had well water. I bet those of you “anti-tap water” folks are freaking out right now! Honestly, I prefer the well water over the city water, but since I am now living in the city I still drink tap water over bottled (mainly because I’m cheap and don’t like to pay that CRV that you are required to pay per bottle in California). Tap water, despite it’s bad reputation is actually better than the bottled water you buy. Tap water is tested and has to meet certain qualifications before it is deemed safe to drink. Bottled water, however, doesn’t even have to meet those same qualifications. Bottled water doesn’t even have to be tested for e.coli! Now that is just gross.

Protecting your kids from the chemicals of tap water may be another one of your reasons for choosing bottled over tap, but you may actually be harming them. Dentists have even suggested that kids drink more tap water than bottled. The American Dental Association says that the majority of bottled waters do not contain optimal levels (0,7 – 1.2 parts per million) of fluoride. If children drink bottled water as their main source they may get more cavities than if tap water is the main source of drinking water. If it makes you feel better, buy a filtration system for your home. I have a refrigerator that actually has a filter and I get nice purified water from the door of my fridge. Easy and safe!

If you want to be honest with yourself, answer this, can you even actually tell which water is bottled and which is tap? Several blind studies have shown that bottled water consumers, when put to the test, can’t even tell what they’re drinking. Whether it’s Aquafina or tap water! In fact, most of the time, you are actually just drinking purified tap water. Recently, Pepsi admitted that Aquafina is just that! Yep, that’s right, your delicious, spring water sourced Aquafina is the same water that fills the toilet when you flush it, ran through some sort of filtration system and bottled to quench your thirst. Yummy! Aquafina even had to change their labels to read “from public source”. If you can’t kick the bottled water habit, maybe you should read the labels closely the next time you reach for something from a mountain spring source or an Alaskan glacier. You may actually find the same information on their labels. Although manufacturers are not required to admit where their water comes from. As a consumer, manufacturers believe the less information you know, the better. Great place to be sending your hard earned money to.

So there you have it Bottled Water Junkies, my attempt to restore tap water’s reputation. I’m not saying burn your bottled water stash in a protest to remove it from the shelves, I’m simply presenting a new outlook on your bottled water habits. Do I always drink tap water? No, sometimes I need water and don’t have my handy dandy pink bottle with me, in which I’m forced to reach for a “natural” bottled resource. My opinion, kick the bottle habit and maybe reach for a reusable bottle filled with delicious purified tap water. Who knows, you may not even be able to taste the difference. Besides, who wants to help promote companies that can’t even be honest with their loyal customers? I sure don’t (Ok, so I do love to grab a Diet Mt. Dew on occasion, I’ll support Pepsi on that side)! Did you know that Dasani water contains Bromate? This is a cancer causing chemical!! Yikes! Looks like I’ll put the lid back on that can of worms and save it for another day. Happy drinking! Water that is (it’s not Friday yet!).