All About Water

The Taste of Water: Water Isn’t Tasteless

We usually think of water as being tasteless, odorless, and colorless. However, this is a misconception. In fact, we like our water to have a taste—in blind taste tests, we prefer tap water to distilled water. Most taste testers agree that water should have a taste, but that it shouldn’t stand out.

How the Taste of Water Varies

Several factors influence the taste of water. Tap water taste changes depending on where you live and the water treatment process in your area. We commonly associate municipal water with the slightly acidic taste of chlorine. Carbonation levels affect carbonated water’s taste. Greater amounts of carbon dioxide make the water taste more acidic—drinkers call this acidity “spritzy” or “sharp,” and may enjoy or dislike this taste based on their own personal preferences. Bottled water brands mislead consumers into thinking that bottled water tastes better than tap water: blind taste tests show that most consumers prefer tap water. When water is used as an ingredient, the water’s taste in turn affect affects the foods and drinks that it helps make.

How We Judge the Taste of Water

We think of water as being tasteless, but subconsciously we are always judging its flavor. We consider water’s saltiness, its softness, its earthiness. When most people talk about tap water’s “taste,” they are really referring to its flavor. While taste is merely what one perceives with the tongue, flavor takes into account smell and touch, or mouthfeel, in addition to taste. Our 100,000 taste buds are assess the four basic stimuli of sweetness, sourness, bitterness and saltiness of all of the water that we drink. Most taste testers agree that water should have flavor, but shouldn’t stand out. Most taste testers also agree that water’s flavor is enhanced when we filter out chemicals like sulfur and chlorine.

Why the Taste of Water Varies

All water molecules are made up of two hydrogen atoms combined with one oxygen atom. However, water’s taste nevertheless varies. The taste of water varies because water is a universal solvent. That is, water dissolves a little bit of everything it touches. As water travels, it picks up dissolved mineral traces from everything it touches, traces that affect the way the water tastes. This is why the taste of water varies depending on where it comes from.

Coco Water: The Water of Life

The coconut tree is known as the Tree of Life in many tropical countries, since it provides so many useful byproducts. Its leaves and wood are used for wicker and wood crafts, and its fruit is a major part of the diet in these countries. One of its important beneficial products is the coconut water contained within the shell of the coconut tree fruit. This coco water has the health benefits of water and even more, due to its numerous naturally occurring nutrients.

Coco Water: Nutritional Information

A 240ml (1 cup) serving of coco water has only 46 calories. It provides an abundance of minerals, including calcium (58mg), magnesium (60mg), phosphorus (48mg), and potassium (600mg). It is also rich in vitamins like Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6 and Thiamin. In addition, a single serving of coco water has 3 grams of fiber, which can aid in digestion and promoting a healthy heart.

Re-hydrate with Coco Water

Coco water is an ideal drink for hydrating the body during exercise or as an everyday drink. It has the perfect mix of electrolytes, which is a good match for human blood plasma. It also has only a fraction of the sugar of the typical sports drink. In addition, coconut water can be beneficial to children to help treat upset stomach, and it is a much more palatable drink than typical bottled electrolytic drinks. Coco water is also ideal to treat diarrhea, since it provides electrolytes without a lot of sugar to feed the virus or bacteria causing it.

Treat High Blood Pressure with Coco Water

Studies have shown that consumption of coconut water can help reduce high blood pressure in individuals with hypertension. A study by Alleyne, et al, reported that 71% of individuals undergoing therapy with coconut water showed significant decreases in systolic pressures. It is believed that the balanced mix of electrolytes is important for the human body to regulate blood pressure. Stated differently, it is the imbalance of sodium in high salt diets today that may be the causal factor in blood pressure. Treat the imbalance with coco water and you can fix or reduce the problem.

Is it possible to drink too much water? Water plays a vital role in maintaining homeostasis in the human body. It also plays other vital roles; including transporting nutrients, maintaining body temperature, lubricating joints, and reducing fluid retention (Columbia, 2007). However, consuming too much water can be harmful. It can lead to water intoxication and hyponatremia (Harvard Health Publications (HHP), 2008). It is difficult to consume too much water but it can never hurt to understand just how much water should be consumed on a daily basis.

The Potential Negative Effects of Drinking Too Much Water

Drinking too much water can lead to water intoxication, which is also known as hyponatremia. When hyponatremia occurs in the human body, it experiences a lower than normal concentration of sodium in the blood. It is crucial that sodium levels are kept at a healthy level because sodium is an electrolyte that helps maintain muscle function, along with nerve function as well. Sodium also helps maintain a healthy blood pressure in the human body.

The People Who Drink Too Much Water

Many people who receive cancer treatments or are marathon runners experience hyponatremia because they intake a large amount of water. Hyponatremia is treated by reducing the amount of water a person intakes. In severe cases the condition is treated as a medical emergency, in which a doctor will increase the person’s sodium levels through intravenous fluids (PennState, 2011).

Symptoms of Consuming Too Much Water

Many people who consume too much water are not diagnosed with water intoxication because the symptoms go unrecognized. These symptoms include disorientation, nausea, vomiting, and confusion; sometimes mental state changes and psychotic symptoms do occur. It is always important to consider one may be suffering from hyponatremia if they are enduring these symptoms because the condition can lead to coma, seizures, or even death (Farrell & Bower, 2003).

How Much Water Is Too Much Water?

Two to three cups of water per hour throughout the course of a day is plenty; this is according to Harvard Men’s Health Watch. This amount should be increased if one is sweating heavily. It is important to keep in mind that sport drinks are of no added value than water.

Too Much Water: An Improbability

To keep it simple, a person should drink when they feel thirsty, but to never force a consumption of a large amount of water. It is also important to remember that if a person begins to gain weight, feel bloated, or begins to experience nausea and vomiting accompanied with disorientation, they may be seeing the beginning signs of hyponatremia (HHP, 2008).

Many people are now relying on water filtration systems to provide them with clean and safe drinking water, and activated carbon filters are an ideal option for anyone looking to turn tap water of any quality into great tasting, chemically pure, water. Carbon filtration systems will effectively cleanse water of unnatural chemicals and harmful bacteria, ensuring that the water produced is of the highest quality.

Activated Carbon Filter Features

Activated carbon water filtration systems are great for individuals who want their filter to be self-sufficiently cleaning. These filters automatically run water through the carbon filter which helps clean the filter. This feature will help extend the life of your water filter by months, providing you and your family with clean water longer than other water filters. Buyers interested in purchasing a carbon water filter will also have the ability to choose the size of the filter. Households with lower levels of contaminates can get a smaller and cheaper filter.

How an Activated Carbon Filter Cleans Your Water

A carbon water filter uses activated carbon to filter out any undesirable contaminates that may be lurking in your drinking water. Carbon is a natural and safe element that has exceptional filtering capabilities, due to high levels of surface area. The water from your tab will be pushed through a carbon filter where any contaminates will not allowed to pass through with the water. So the water that comes out of the filter is clean on a molecular level.

Health Benefits of an Activated Carbon Filter

Avoiding dehydration is a key part of being healthy. Some families are forced to drink dirty water, or water that has an unpleasant odor. A carbon filter will remove any contaminates that could be detrimental to a person’s health, and will remove the unnatural smell from water. Providing you and your family with clean and odorless water will make it easier to drink more water and maintain a healthier level of hydration. This can provide you with numerous health benefits.