Tag Archives: water

Five Fruits And Vegetables That Help You Stay Hydrated

Staying hydrated in the summer is critical. Drinking enough evolution alkaline water should be the first priority, but try including some of these fruits and vegetables in your diet for added benefits!

Cucumbers
- Cucumbers are 95% water content
- They are a great source of fiber and Vitamin C
Salad Greens
- Salad Greens are 90% water content
- They are a great source of Vitamin C and Antioxidants
Strawberries
- Strawberries are 91% water content
- Strawberries are a great source of folate
Watermelon
- Watermelon are 92% water content
- They are a great source of Vitamin C and Lycopene
Papaya
- Papaya are 88% water content
- They are a great source of fiber

San Diego’s Water Treatment Process

10527817_298087007033629_107650185184317652_n-300x121

We have spent plenty of time outlining why San Diego’s Tap Water Is So Bad, but what is the process that the city uses to attempt to clean it?

Overall, the city does the best it can to disinfect the water we import from the Colorado River and Northern California, but it doesn’t remove everything harmful; San Diego has a relatively high total dissolved solids (TDS) count in its water.

Water treatment isn’t all about removing substances though – the city also adds chlorine, ammonia, sodium hydroxide and fluoride before sending it to your home.

The Disinfection Process

#1. Primary Disinfection with Ozone or Chlorine Dioxide to inactivate viruses, bacteria and other pathogenic organisms. While this process is pretty effective in killing off nasty stuff, there are still chlorine-resistant parasites such as cryptosporidium and giardia in our water.

#2. A chemical mixture is added to remove dissolved solids.

#3. Chlorine is added again for further disinfection.

#4. Water is filtered over a coal and sand composite to remove small particles.

#5. Ammonia is added (creating dangerous chloramines) to prevent microbial growth, and sodium hydroxide is added to correct the pH of the water.

#6. As mandated by California state law, Fluoride is added to the water to ‘promote strong teeth’. And as we outlined, HERE, this is an issue.

Next, the water is sent to your tap.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has a list of some contaminants it requires the City of San Diego to monitor. There are still hundreds of thousands of harmful contaminants that do not require monitoring.

The 2013 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report states that during 2013, contaminants requiring monitoring were detected at or above Detection Limits for Purposes of Reporting. They issued this warning:

“Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.”

Want to ensure you have the cleanest, safest water in your home? Check out our water filter products HERE.

Weight Loss is a Glass Away

In today’s world of superfoods, fad diets and workout crazes, potential solutions for those struggling with weight issues are everywhere. The only problem is that most of these “solutions” are expensive and involve some weird-tasting drinks or awkward movements. How many infomercials have you seen touting a workout machine (that requires some ridiculously painful-looking contortion) for three easy payments of $59.99?

The truth is, many of these weight loss techniques are great, but only if you first focus on one much more important aspect of your health. The best part about this one aspect? It’s a lot easier than eating seaweed or doing a side bend.

So what is this utopian, so-easy-anyone-can-do-it cure-all for weight loss? Drink more water. Yes, it’s that simple.

How does drinking water help with weight issues?

Lauren Grant, CEO and Founder of The Hungry Heart – a highly-regarded emotional eating and weight loss counseling service in Southern California – explains that “Many times people end up overeating when they are actually dehydrated.”

Grant shares that many of us are simply mistaking our thirst for hunger. An empty stomach often indicates hunger, but in many cases, it’s actually asking for more water. Learning to recognize this can result in some immediate results.

“You may notice your food consumption goes down as you drink more water and eat water-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes or water-based healthy soups,” Grant said.

Simple, right? No need for a fancy DVD or a $300 weekly grocery bill. The first step to losing weight is much easier.

If it’s so easy, though, why don’t more people just drink water? Why don’t we see more commercials for water? There’s several reasons – one is obvious and the other is more subconscious.

The first is that drinking more water than usual results in more trips to the restroom than usual. This is a completely valid concern – no one likes running off to the restroom every half hour. Is it really that bad, however, considering the payoff? If it helps with pesky weight issues, wouldn’t you rather make a few extra trips to the john? If nothing else, at least it gives you some extra exercise (optimism is also important)!

There’s another reason more people don’t turn to water for their weight loss issues, but this one is a little less obvious. We buy into fad diets and buy exotic workout machines because they are different. Our minds are hard-wired to search for new solutions when it doesn’t seem like anything we’re currently doing is helping. Thus, the weirder and more exotic the solution, the more our mind is attracted to it.

Imagine your internal dialogue: “Why would water help me? I’ve always drank water. The key to weight loss is doing a crab walk to Brazilian dance music while eating a flaxseed celery cookie. I’ve never done that before, therefore that is the solution!”

Now that you’re convinced, let’s discuss how much water is enough. I’m sure you’ve heard the classic “eight 8-ounce glasses a day” rule. While following this memorable plan will certainly be better than drinking nothing, it is much too simplified.

Grant argues that the average person needs 80 ounces of water a day, without physical activity, perspiration or a variety of other factors. You actually need even more water if you’re active, on medication, or you drink coffee or alcohol. Bottoms up, folks.

For more information on effective routes to losing weight naturally and keeping it off, check out The Hungry Heart’s brand new Free Video Counseling series. Grant and her talented team have been helping men and women with their emotional eating and weight issues since 1996.

Before you increase your water intake significantly, though, you should be aware of the possible contaminants lurking in your home’s tap water.

7 reasons to claim water for life, not for coal

Safe, affordable and accessible water is one of our planet’s scarcest natural resources. Many people don’t have access to fresh water for sanitation, agriculture, or even to drink.

Yet, global water consumption by the power sector is growing; it’s expected to more than double by 2035, with coal projects accounting for 50% of increased water use. Vast quantities of water are used in coal mining, coal washing and for cooling coal-fired power plants.

We cannot allow coal interests to grab already scarce water resources and at the same time dramatically increase their carbon pollution. That will only accelerate climate change and make water shortages even more acute.

GreenPeace outlined 7 reasons why we should claim water for the life, not for coal:

1. 2 billion people, or almost one-third of the world’s population, live in countries with absolute water scarcity.

2. Coal is one of the most water-intensive methods of generating electricity. Every 3.5 minutes a typical coal-fired power plant withdraws enough water to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Electricity is generated by burning coal to convert water into high-pressure steam to drive turbines; water is then used to cool the steam so it can go back to the boiler again. Water is also needed to wash and process coal before it is burned, to wash coal ash out, to reduce dust from the coal stockpile and to put out fires.

3. There are plans to construct at least 1200 new coal-fired power plants and mega coal mines around the world. Much of the proposed expansion is in water-stressed regions, which already suffer from limited supplies of fresh water for sanitation, health and livelihoods.

4. South Africa’s energy utility Eskom uses 10,000 litres of water per second, yet local residents are forced to buy bottled water, because no clean drinking water is available to them.

5. 16 mega coal power bases proposed in China will consume 10 billion cubic metres of water every year, equal to one-sixth of the annual flow of the iconic Yellow River.

6. In the six worst-hit districts of India’s Vidarbha region there were over 6,000 documented cases of farmers committing suicide between 2001 and 2010 as their livelihoods failed due to lack of water for irrigation. And a total of 40,000 suicides in the whole of Maharashtra. Yet there are now plans to build a further cluster of 71 coal plants in Vidarbha.

7. Wind-generated electricity uses no water. Go renewables!

Via: Greenpeace

5 Ways Drinking Water Can Make You Healthier

Water is the most vital substance we put in our bodies. It accounts for 70% of our body. It’s crucial to all life processes. It’s also the most simple, readily available substance we can consume.

When we’re hydrated, we look younger and more vibrant. We feel more alive. Ultimately, we live longer.

Below are 5 ways that drinking water can make you healthier.

1. It helps you lose weight

Drinking water removes fat products, reduces eating intake and raises your metabolism because it has zero calories.

2. It boosts your immune system

Water boosts your immune system and helps you fight against flu, cancer and other ailments such as heart attacks.

3. It prevents headaches

Water helps in relieving and preventing headaches like migraines and back pains which are commonly caused by dehydration.

4. It’s good for your skin

Consuming plenty of water will improve your skin and will make you glow. It is the cheapest and most effective method to get glowing, vibrant skin.

5. It suppresses your appetite

Water decreases your appetite and acts as a filler in your stomach, helping you avoid binge eating.

What would happen to your body if you didn’t drink water?

Water does more for us than just quench our thirst.

It’s one of the most vital substances for our body. Although drinking the recommended eight glasses of H2O a day seems difficult for most of us, not getting enough water can compromise our health because so many bodily functions rely on it. While we can withstand weeks without food, we can only survive five to seven days without water, but what would happen to our bodies if we stopped drinking water?

In their video, “What If You Stopped Drinking Water?” Mitchell Moffit and Greggory Brown of AsapSCIENCE explain how quickly we would begin to feel the effects of dehydration and what exactly those effects would be. Moffit and Brown explain the reason we feverishly look for water is because H2O is the most abundant molecule that makes up 65 percent of an adult. “As the universal solvent, it carries nutrients and hormones to the body, regulates body temperature, cushions the joints, and provides lubricants in our eyes,” according to the AsapSCIENCE video. However, as we produce 1.5 liters of urine every day, it is essential that the body replaces the liquid before it begins to shut down.

Completely depleting your body of water, even with fluids that contain water such as juice, coke, or tea, causes the brain to detect this change and creates the urge to drink something, hopefully water, immediately. When we don’t drink water, we begin to experience the initial signs of dehydration such as dry mouth, followed by dark urine with a strong odor. This signals the body’s attempt to conserve more fluids.

With one to two days of no fluids, we stop peeing altogether, have trouble swallowing, suffer from muscle spasms, and are more likely to experience nausea. The attention to digestion does not become a priority as victims become delirious and begin to suffer from severe brain function. Blood flow stops flowing to the skin, reduces heat loss, increases cork body temperature, and then gives us a bluish tint. Within three to five days, say Moffit and Brown, our organs and brain shut down.

Therefore, it is essential to keep our bodies hydrated with pure H2O, to keep our immune system functioning. As water is essential for our bodies, it’s important to fight for clean water availability for all.

9 reasons to drink water every day

1. It’s the key to life. Water is absolutely essential to the human body’s survival. A person can live for about a month without food, but only about a week without water.

2. It keeps you slim. Water helps to maintain healthy body weight by increasing metabolism and regulating appetite.

3. It wakes you up. Water leads to increased energy levels. The most common cause of daytime fatigue is actually mild dehydration.

4. It can make you live longer. Drinking adequate amounts of water can decrease the risk of certain types of cancers, including colon cancer, bladder cancer, and breast cancer.

5. It takes away pain. For a majority of sufferers, drinking water can significantly reduce joint and/or back pain.

6. It detoxifies your body. Water leads to overall greater health by flushing out wastes and bacteria that can cause disease.

7. It makes you feel better. Water can prevent and alleviate headaches.

8. It makes you look younger. Water naturally moisturizes skin and ensures proper cellular formation underneath layers of skin to give it a healthy, glowing appearance.

9. It makes your regular. Water aids in the digestion process and prevents constipation.

Dangers of Fluoride in Drinking Water to Bottle-Fed Babies

On March 22nd 2014, organizers at Clean Water California held a march and rally in downtown San Francisco urging local water companies and health officials to issue public warnings about the dangers of using fluoridated tap water for baby formula. Their concern stems from the fact that most Bay Area water districts encourage the consumption of tap water, yet do not inform parents that tap water fluoride levels could be harmful to newborns and infants which are more sensitive to this harsh chemical.

Water fluoridation is the practice of adding fluoride chemicals to municipal city tap water for the purpose of preventing tooth decay. This is a very controversial practice since fluoride can be toxic and any dental health benefits that come from ingesting it through drinking water have been largely inconclusive. In fact, some recent studies have associated fluoridated water with reduced IQ in children making it a possible neurotoxin that can damage young developing brains similar to lead and mercury. Parents that use tap water to make formula are often not aware that basic activated carbon water filters, faucet mount filters or boiling water methods do not remove fluoride or that babies are much more susceptible to harm.

According to the Fluoride Action Network, infants receive up to 400% more fluoride per pound of body weight, than adults consuming the same level of fluoride in water. Their underdeveloped kidneys can only excrete 15-20% of the chemical whereas adults can excrete more than 50%. In fact, any chemical, microbial or heavy metal contaminants in the water will be much more harmful to the growth and developmental health of not only babies, but also toddlers and young children, and should be removed. Fortunately there are water filtration systems that can do just that.

We at Evolution Healthworks make the AURA ALKALINE WATER FILTER which is designed to remove the contaminants including Fluoride, and unlike other systems, the water is then remineralized to make the healthiest drinking water. The filter, is application specific, meaning it is tailored to fit your home’s exact contaminant levels and remove them.
Fluoride is a dangerous compound, and whether it is ingested or absorbed through the skin, the compound accumulates in the body and regardless of whether you’re a toddler, child, adult, or senior can cause numerous health problems such as dental fluorosis, arthritis, and reduced thyroid function. We recommend everyone to learn more about the benefits of removing fluoride from the water, especially those who have an infant or young child in the home.

10 Ways To Reduce Water Usage And Save Money This Summer

Filtered mineral water directly from the tap

Check out these 10 Ways to reduce water usage this summer and be sure to share them with friends and family!

Reduce water usage in your morning routine – Keep a timer in your bathroom. Set your timer to 8 minutes each time you shower. This will remind you to get out of the shower faster, saving you time, water and money.
Buy low-flow and water-efficient appliances – If you are in the market for new appliances, buy low-flow and water-efficient appliances. These will save you money in the long run. (i.e. A front-loading washing machine, uses 40-60% less water than top-loading machines)
Place a jar into your toilet tank – Placing a jar or closed container full of water into your toilet tank will reduce the amount of water used by your toilet.
Install low-flow shower heads and sink spigots – Installing a low-flow shower heads and sink spigots lower your water usage.
Run your dishwasher only when it is full – When running the dishwasher, make sure it’s full to get the maximum use per drop. There’s no need to pre-rinse, since most of today’s models can handle any kind of grime.
Check and repair any leaky pipes and faucets – The tiniest leak has far greater impact on water usage than you would think.
Don’t pour oil or other toxic liquids into the sink – One gallon of oil reaching the sewer can contaminate one million gallons of fresh water.
Reduce water use in your own yard – Try collecting rainwater by placing containers at the end of each gutter. It’s perfect for watering your garden. Water your lawn or garden in the morning or the evening when the water will evaporate less rapidly, and limit pesticide use, as they will eventually be carried into our freshwater supply by runoff. Even more, get rid of your grass completely and replace it with rock or low water plants.
Wash your car at a car wash instead of doing it yourself – A car wash typically uses about 32 gallons of water per vehicle, but the EPA estimates that washing it yourself can use up to 500 gallons of water.
Take advantage of recreation opportunities on local lakes and rivers, and learn about the wildlife they support – It will help you understand what we could lose if we don’t manage our water wisely.

How Do Nitrates Get In My Drinking Water? What Are The Effects?

Nitrates are one of the most well known, but dangerous contaminants commonly found in drinking water. It is particularly problematic for vulnerable individuals such as infants and pregnant women.

How do nitrates get in my drinking water?

Nitrates are chemical compounds made up of nitrogen and oxygen. Nitrogen and Oxygen are naturally found in soil, and are absorbed by plants as a source of nutrients. However, nitrates can also be created from various human and agricultural activities such as mining and commercial farming.

Excess nitrates are formed when microorganisms break down things like fertilizers, manure, sewage and the residue from septic tank leaks. When there are too many nitrates in the soil for plants to absorb, water runoff can move those nitrates into groundwater and surface water supplies (and eventually into our drinking water). For example, nitrates placed on corn field runoff into nearby stream, which then either are moved into rivers or sink farther down into the groundwater.

What are the health effects of nitrates in drinking water?

Infants: Infants are the most prone to experiencing health problems from nitrates in drinking water. Nitrate consumption can lead to the possibly life-threatening disease, methemoglobinemia, better known as blue baby syndrome.
Pregnant women and people with reduced stomach acidity: In addition to infants, pregnant women and people with reduced stomach acidity are also prone to methemoglobinemia from nitrate exposure.
Healthy adults: Although healthy adults are less susceptible to health problems from short-term exposure to nitrates in drinking water, prolonged exposure to high levels of nitrates has been linked to gastric problems due to the formations of nitrosamines.

Our Aura H2O Filter can effectively remove nitrates and other contaminants such as fluoride and chlorine from your drinking water.

Source: Colorado State University Extension

Is Your Shower Water Making You Sick?

The condition of the water we drink, bathe in, and with which we cook is crucial to our health.

Many people know about the dangers of pathogens or major contaminants in our drinking water, but the voluntary addition of chemicals such as chlorine by local governments can also affect our well being.

Chlorine is used in public water supplies around the country to eliminate pathogens such as viruses and bacteria from our water. Despite the benefits, chemical disinfectants like chlorine can have damaging effects on our bodies.

When local governments use chlorine as a water treatment, the chemical combines with natural organic matter to form compounds called trihalomethanes (THMs), also known as disinfectant byproducts. These compounds are toxic when consumed, inhaled, or applied to the skin and can have lasting negative affects.

Research conducted on the health effects of chlorinated drinking water demonstrate a variety of toxicity issues.

Several studies have found that communities using chlorinated or chloraminated drinking water have an increased risk of bladder, kidney, and rectal cancers. (Via NIH )
THMs from chemically treated water have been associated with a variety of poor birth outcomes, such as spontaneous abortion, birth defects, and low birth weight. (Via NIH)
Chlorine and chloramine vapors are associated with greater risk of asthma and may damage the mucosal lining of the respiratory tract. (Via Occupational and Environmental Medicine)
Freeradicals in chlorinated water have been linked to liver malfunction, weakening of the immune system and pre-arteriosclerotic changes in arteries. (Via Orthomolecular)

The compounds in disinfected water may be able to reach the gut not only through our drinking water, but also through daily showers and baths. A recent post at the Food Renegade blog emphasized this idea, not only highlighting the harmful effects of chlorinated drinking water, but emphasizing the possibly greater effect that showers and baths could have on our intestinal flora. As we know, there’s a strong connection between asthma, acne, autoimmune conditions and the health of our gut flora. With all of this, its fair to think that a microbial imbalance within the body is made worse by all of the chlorine exposure.

Showering and bathing in chlorinated water may expose us to even more chlorine and its byproducts than drinking disinfected water.

While our bodies can filter out some of the chlorine from our drinking water, the THMs and other disinfectant byproducts we inhale during showers and baths may be much more harmful, since the chlorine gas we inhale enters directly into our blood stream. It’s especially easy for our skin to absorb the chemical as hot showers open up the pores (Via Global Healing Center).

Even if you filter your drinking water, the amount of toxins you are exposed to from your daily shower or bath, through inhalation or skin absorption, may be cause for greater concern.

3 WAYS WATER CAN GIVE YOU RADIANT, YOUTHFUL SKIN

Research has demonstrated that the cancer risk associated with chlorinated water may actually be due to showering and bathing, rather than drinking the disinfected water (Via Oxford Journals). This implies that many of the risks to our health from chlorine and other disinfectants and there byproducts may be related to exposure via inhalation or on the skin, and not limited to solely drinking. A single chloroform dose from a 10-minute shower is equal to, and possibly greater than, that from the average two liters of water ingestion on a daily basis.

Improving the filtration of your shower and bath is just as important as the water you drink for these reasons.

Chlorine isn’t the only disinfectant of concern for people. Its derivative, chloramine can also cause a lot of harm. Chloramine exposure may be even more damaging to the linings of the lung than chlorine, and may release ammonia as another toxic byproduct as well.

The filters that remove chlorine don’t necessarily remove chloramine.

Chloramine can be removed for drinking water purposes by our Aura Alkaline Water Filter. This filter can give you the certified healthiest drinking water, free from pollutants such as pathogens, heavy metals, and chlorine.

There are no shower filters on the market that completely remove chloramine. The disadvantage to using them is they’re not as durable or effective as a whole house filtration system, and you would need a separate filter for each shower outlet in the house.

There are, however, whole house water filters that remove chlorine, chloramine, and other contaminants. Our Whole Home Water Conditioner ensures that every drop of your water in your home, is the purest healthiest water on the planet. Works to removes cancer-causing chlorine and other volatile organic compounds from the water in your home.

3 Ways Water Gives You Radiant, Youthful Skin

If you’ve ever flipped through a women’s magazine, you’re very familiar with advertisements touting an array of products to give you the perfect skin. While certain products can help give you healthy skin, there is no arguing that the number one factor in your skin’s health is water.

Here’s3 ways water gives you radiant, youthful skin.

1. Make sure you’re drinking ENOUGH water

Your skin is an organ. It’s actually your biggest organ (remember elementary school Science class?), and organs are made up of cells, which are made up of water. Simply put, if you don’t drink enough water, these cells will die, leaving you with dry, flaky skin which leads to wrinkles.

Also, your skin is the body’s last priority. When you drink water, your body sends water to the most important organs first. Since your skin is the least important (functionally… aesthetically, we know it’s important) organ, it is your body’s last priority. This makes it that much more important to stay hydrated at all times if you want to keep your skin looking and feeling good.

2. Make sure you’re drinking the RIGHT water

You understand that you’re supposed to drink water for healthy skin, so head to the tap and fill up, right? WRONG.

It’s crucial that you are drinking only healthy, filtered water with vital minerals.

Trust me on this one, your skin will thank you. Let me explain…

Your skin cells are full of toxins. Drinking water helps to flush your skin cells (and the rest of the cells in your body) of these toxins. The problem here is that the majority of tap water in the U.S. is full of pollutants and contaminants.

So you should just drink bottled water, right? No! A study by the National Resources Defense Council found that bottled water is often no more than just tap water with a fancy label.

Do your skin a favor and make it’s detoxifying job easier by drinking water from a filtration system.

3. Be careful what you put ON your skin

Your skin doesn’t only depend on the water you drink, it also reacts to the water in which you bathe. For the same reasons that water from the tap can be dangerous to drink, it can also be harmful to shower in.

You see, your local government adds chlorine and other chemicals to the water supply to disinfect it, but this creates byproducts that can dry out your skin. That’s not all though, it gets worse.

If you take hot showers (of course you do), you know that it creates steam. If you breathe during your hot showers (of course you do), you’re inhaling these chemical byproducts directly into your lungs. Also, your pores open up and absorb these toxins into your skin.

Whenever you’re done shuddering about that last paragraph, read on and I’ll tell you how to fix this issue. Consider a Whole-Home Water System to remove chemical byproducts and other nasty substances from entering your home.