Distilled Water
The distillation process involves vaporizing water (turning it into steam) in one chamber and then condensing it once again into liquid in a separate chamber. This removes all the minerals, organisms, and chemicals from the water. Distilled water should be pure H2O. However, there is some concern that certain volatile organic chemicals will vaporize and recondense into the second chamber’s water; therefore, distillation should be preceded by solid carbon filtration. There is also concern that heating water to 212 degrees Fahrenheit before drinking it changes the water so it has a different biochemical effect in the body. Home distillers are fairly expensive and require electrical energy to process a few gallons; furthermore, it takes significant time, usually five hours or more per gallon, for the water to be distilled, so this limits the amount available for use.

Distilled water contains no minerals (as mentioned, distillation takes out everything except volatile chemicals). Therefore, when consumed, it tends to attract minerals (and toxins) to balance with the other body fluids. The regular consumption of distilled water, especially by someone who may already be slightly deficient, can cause mineral deficiencies. Fasting for long periods exclusively on distilled water "to pull out toxins" is not recommended because of the potential mineral depletions it can create. However, when doing extractions, as in making herbal teas, distilled water may help bring out the most in the medicinal properties of the herbs. Also, during detoxification diets, distilled water may be suggested because it may be more effective for this process, having a stronger "magnetic" charge to pull out toxins.

Note on Demineralized Water. Many nutritional advocates, mostly the elders, recommend drinking demineralized water because they believe that the inorganic minerals contained naturally in some waters are not usable by the human body, that these naturally dissolved inorganic minerals may even cause problems. This is simply not true; many of the minerals we acquire are in the inorganic or salt state and are not part of organic tissues. They can still be assimilated and used by the body. The mineral levels in water, however, are not anywhere near sufficient to satisfy body needs. Cooking foods in demineralized water pulls more minerals from them, whereas using water containing natural minerals will lessen this loss and possibly even improve food values. Furthermore, many of the dissolved solids, such as the trace minerals selenium, zinc, or silica, found in natural waters are associated with lower cancer rates in the people who consume them than in people who consume treated or demineralized water. Many of the cultures in which people live long healthy lives are located in regions with mineral-rich mountain waters. These waters have always tasted the best and felt the best to me when I have had the opportunity to drink them. Overall, I believe that the naturally occurring earth minerals contained in our water are beneficial to our health.

So, What Do We Drink?
Water is the substance we need most, and since good drinking water is so important to health we should know about the water we use and what it contains. Water contamination is inescapable, so we need help. If there is any question about the water we drink, we can have it checked for bacteria count, mineral content, and the presence of a wide number of chemical pollutants. Should there be concern over what it contains, we should then find a filtration and/or purification system that makes it safe and healthy or find another source of drinking water.