WATER - The most important nutrient! (Part 2)
So, now we’ve established that water is hands-down the most important nutrient, and you know exactly how much to drink and eat to satisfy your needs, now it’s time to talk about the quality of your drinking water.
If you missed the post: Water - The most important nutrient - Part 1 - please read it here) as it discussed the key role of water/nutrient-dense foods and how water is needed by every single cell in the body -
water transports nutrients into the cells to nourish them,
transports toxins out of the cells for elimination,
keeps your poop moving along nicely, (water softens stools to promote bowel regularity)
supports immune function
plays a key role in metabolic health, especially when it comes to hunger and appetite (the hypothalamus is responsible for both appetite and thirst cues so often we think we’re hungry when we’re actually thirsty)
and so much more!
Don’t forget that when you eat vegetables (especially the veggies that are over 90% water like celery and cucumber), your body has the ability to produce water. We just need to give it the right fuel!
Quality of drinking water:
It’s not just about how the quantity but the quality.
How much water you’re drinking is one thing, but how good for you is the water you’re consuming?
Here’s the thing - there’s over 50 chemicals added to tap water in Australia’s and thousands of by-products found, including:
Fluoride
Chlorine
Heavy metals including lead, copper and aluminum
Herbicides and pesticides including glyphosate
Toxins including asbestos, antidepressants, oral contraceptive pill
Plus there is often copper pipes, which can accumulate in the body and cause nutritional deficiencies, and also downpipes can be made of PVC, which contains BPA - a well known and proven endocrine disruptor - a hormone messer-upper, and is linked with hormonal imbalances, fertility issues and some cancer.
Chlorine:
Let’s take a look at chlorine, for example.
Traditionally used as a disinfectant and added to our water supply over 100 years ago because it’s a pesticide but now scientific studies link chlorine with cancer, hardening of arteries - atherosclerosis, high blood pressure and allergies)
The U.S. Council of Environmental Control state “drinking tap water that is chlorinated is hazardous, if not deadly to your health”.
Also, cancer risks among people drinking chlorinated water is 93% higher than those whose water does not contain chlorine.
Needless to say, we want chlorine OUT of our body and therefore out of our tap water. It’s fairly easy to remove by using a carbon filter. Lots more info on my top water filters here
Fluoride
Let’s do a deep dive into fluoride now, which is a known neurotoxin.
This is a hot topic, and often quite controversial - in Australia, tap water is free and accessible but it still has fluoride added to it. In fact, over 70% of tap water in Australia has artificially fluoridated water. Once fluoride is added to public water, we can’t control the dose each individual receives or how the body responds to it. And water isn’t the only source of fluoride we’re exposed to; we’re exposed to flouride through toothpaste, mouth wash, cooking appliances and foods/drinks.
Topical use of fluoride is still prescribed as an effective measure for oral health, but the addition of synthetic fluoride to our drinking water comes with a number of questions and cautions - is it really safe?! Too much fluoride can contribute/cause a number of health issues, including:
Thyroid issues
Immune dysfunction
Mood swings
Sleep disturbances
Skeletal issues
About 50% of the fluoride that your body absorbs gets stored in your body tissue (while the other 50% can be eliminated via urine).
Majority of the fluoride that accumulates in the body is stored in bones, teeth, pineal gland and other tissues (source here), which can contribute to a number of health issues.
History of fluoride in Australia:
The addition of fluoride to our drinking water began 50 years ago when there was a belief that low levels of fluoride were causing dental caries. This belief has been proven to be wrong, with many research papers, scientific data and dentists worldwide debunking it, such as holistic dentist Dr Mark Burnhenne, who stated “unfortunately, fluoride in water isn’t really helpful for preventing cavities and swallowing this chemical causes much more harm than good, as it travels through your bloodstream and to all parts of your body… There’s no concrete proof that ingested fluoride will even reduce the cavity rate”
There are three main fluoride compounds and one of them, hexafluorosilicic acid (HFS), is the one used in Australia, which is an industrial waste; it comes from a plant fertiliser, so we might think of fluoride as a natural source that’s added to our drinking water, but it’s not!
In NSW fluoride is added to the water supply at a level of 1 milligram per litre (mg/L) in line with the National Health and Medical Research Council recommendations. However, this is still higher than than is recommended by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends a level of 0.7mg per litre as the best level for supporting oral health whilst avoiding any unwanted issues
Approximately 96% of the NSW population has access to fluoridated water, so although this is a low level added to water - even these levels are concerning and need to be questioned. Interestingly, over 95% of European countries abandoned the practice of fluoride additions to water, and it’s important to note that when they stopped adding fluoride to their drinking water they didn’t have an increase in tooth decay since removing it!
Is fluoridated water safe?
In my opinion - no! It should not be added to our drinking water, period.
Key issues with fluoride:
It’s a neurotoxin (Source here), which has been proved in numerous animal studies
Can cause/contribute to mineral deficiencies -
Fluoride competes with other minerals for absorption include iodine. Unfortunately, we now have 90% of Australians that are believed to be low or deficient in iodine. Iodine is a key mineral for thyroid function, which impacts metabolism, energy and clarity. Interestingly, we’ve had a steady increase in the number of thyroid related health conditions.
Fluoride can increase absorption of copper, and when you have more copper than zinc in the body this mineral imbalance can cause/contribute to a number of symptoms, such as poor concentration, skin issues, acne outbreaks, mood disorders including anxiety and depression, immune dysfunction and more.
Fluoride can cause an increased absorption of aluminum, which accumulates in the brain, and could be linked with conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. For example studies report fluoride is widespread in the environment and it easily crosses the blood brain barrier, which can contribute to inflammation, neurotransmitter issues, and apoptosis (cell death) in the central nervous system. (Source here)
Can lower IQ in children - a study found fluoride exposure during pregnancy was associated with lower IQ scores in children aged 3 to 4 years (Source here)
Can accumulate in the pineal gland and drive sleep disturbances (Source here)
Other causes of dental caries:
The whole argument that fluoride prevents tooth cavities baffles me, if I’m honest.
The N.S.W Government states: “ Dental caries or dental decay is a disease caused by the interplay of many factors including the presence of bacteria, resistance of enamel, refined sugars and carbohydrates in the diet, and behaviour. Bacteria in the mouth or plaque break down food containing sugar resulting in acid production. Repeated episodes, over time, result in the destruction of the tooth enamel”.
So essentially, dental caries are CONTRIBUTED/CAUSED by processed foods and overconsumption of carbohydrates, so why not focus on nutrition? Wouldn’t having a health promotion approach on the importance of food in oral microbiome and oral health, make more sense? Yes, it would.
How to reduce your chlorine & fluoride exposure & best filters?:
Get a good quality water filter that removes fluoride - there’s different filters to match different budgets and health needs.
My top three water filters are:
1. My best recommendation is a reverse osmosis water filtration system, which is the bees kness and removes over 99.5% of fluoride, from The Water Shop (RRP: $995).
2. You can get beautiful ceramic filters from Southern Cross Pottery (RRP: $319). You’ll receive a 10% discount if you call Southern Cross directly and refer to ‘Olivia - Water Program’
3. You can also start out with a simple but effective water jug, such as the AcePot Bio+ from Nourished Life (RRP: $209)
Eat the rainbow - try to eat your recommended 6 serves of veggies per day (this is 6 cups/handfuls of salad/veg each day), to help support the liver and the removal of fluoride, as well as naturally increasing your intake of veggies that are high in water content
Reduced intake of processed and sugary foods
Opt for a natural and fluoride-free toothpaste, such as Dr Bronner’s All-One Toothpaste, which is made with natural ingredients including Aloe Leaf Juice and Coconut Oil
Increase your intake of herbal tea - this is such a nourishing way to stay hydrated and get the medicinal properties of plants in your diet, such as peppermint, chamomile, licorice and fennel.