Water is essential for keeping the body hydrated and offers numerous health benefits, helping to maintain the correct functioning of organs and the immune system and contributing to hormonal balance.
A law has been enacted in Sao Paulo and another in Rio de Janeiro requiring restaurants and snack bars to make filtered water, known as “domestic water,” available to customers.
Recently, the Court of Justice of Sao Paulo issued an injunction suspending the law requiring bars and restaurants in the state to provide free filtered water to customers in the state. In Rio the law remains in force. While in some regions “domestic water” is offered free of charge, depending on the establishments the prices of mineral water vary, and are often high. But are there differences between mineral water and filtered water?
“Most people think that there is no difference, but there are countless differences between mineral and filtered water. Filtered water goes through some filtering processes so that it becomes drinkable and without health risks. It can contain some heavy metals and chemical components such as fluorine, chlorine. One of the main objectives is to ensure that it is drinkable, without the risk of contamination and disease, to improve the hydration of the body thanks to mineral salts”, explains nutritionist Patrícia Davidson.
No control over the quality of the filtered water
According to nutritionist Thaís Araújo, there are different types of filters and different ways to disinfect them, and water comes to each person’s home from different sources.
“So when you talk about filtered water, you have no control over the composition of the water that comes into your home. For example, here in Rio, last year, we had some incidents of CEDAE water contamination where no filter could manage it. So we don’t know the origin of the water and therefore we can’t specify the quality of the filtration,” he explains.
The expert says that there are different types of filtering with different promises. “But I don’t know what scientific and proven basis there is for knowing the level of filtration of water,” he says.
Mineral water has control over the composition
“When we talk about mineral water, we are talking about water whose composition we have no control over. It is water that comes from the source and already contains various minerals,” explains Thaís.
“Mineral water comes from natural sources, without any filtering process or physical or chemical treatments. One of the main objectives is to be free of impurities and chemical components,” adds Patrícia Davidson.
According to the nutritionist it is hydrolysed water also from the point of view of mineral salts, which come directly from a source that already flows from the earth, but despite this you must pay attention to the labels, because there are differences between mineral waters.
“With mineral waters you can access the composition and see what is better or worse for each person, such as the sodium content of the water. And then, by knowing the origin of the source, you can have more control when thinking about drinking water mineral”, he concludes.
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Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
