The Benefits of a Refrigerator Filtered Water System vs. Bottled Water

There's a lot of talk about how we live in the information age. This would imply that people today are, generally, more informed these days than their ancestors were; even those of a generation ago.  In many respects this is true: if you build a time machine and travel back a few decades, you won't find anyone (other than a few Supergeeks) who know what a modem is, have a clue as to what the words "Trans Fat" means, or even remotely conceive that modern western society would achieve the unthinkable: spray on hair and the Ginzu Knife (it cuts through a tin can!).  Indeed, we're a smarter bunch than our parents and our grandparents.  We're veritable geniuses compared to our great-grandparents (and beyond that everyone lived in trees or underwater).

Actually, as intelligent as we are, there's something that most of us still don't fully understand - despite the fact that, in a way, there may not be a more worthy subject to be informed about.  The subject is water.   Not water in general – i.e. that it's in the ocean, falls down when it rains, is made up of hydrogen and oxygen, is wet, and so on.  No, this is even more important than that; it's that your body needs water to survive and thrive.  For instance, did you know that water:

-       comprises 60% of body weight

-       comprises more than 66% of our entire body structure

-       comprises a whopping 80% of our blood

-       comprises 73% of our brain (so the term airhead really ought to be replaced with waterhead)

-       comprises 73% of our muscles

-       and – believe it or not – comprises 22% of our bones  

It's scientifically true: after oxygen, the most important thing in our body is water.  Without it, all life would end in a matter of days.  It would also be very thirsty (and who likes that feeling?).

So, just as the grade of gas influences the performance of your car – especially if you have a really cool car – the quality of water that you drink plays a profound role in your overall health.  And as more people discover this wisdom, the inevitable question emerges: what is the best kind of water to drink: refrigerator water filter systemsor bottled water?

It's a very important question, and to help you make an informed choice, let's take a look at both options beneath the lenses of cost, health, and lifestyle.

Despite water's undisputed importance to all life on this planet, including yours and mine, cost is a factor when choosing between a refrigerator water filter system and bottled water.  Actually, this can be restated more clearly by saying that cost is a factor when choosing only bottled water, because it really isn't a competition at all: refrigerator water filter systems are, hands down, less expensive than buying bottled water.  And we're not talking Perrier™ or Evian™ or other premium, well-respected brands of bottled water.  Even if you buy the no-name stuff from the local grocery store, and buy it in bomb shelter quantities such that the bottles take up half of your basement, financially speaking, a refrigerator water filter system costs pennies a glass, while bottled water must take into account the costs of production, distribution, and even marketing; costs that, of course, are passed onto consumers in the form of higher prices.

Health is another factor to consider when making this choice. Refrigerator water filter systems use scientifically designed filters to prevent harmful toxins and chemicals from entering your glass.  The result is better tasting, better smelling, and of course, healthier water that improves all of the body's vital systems.  Bottled water, however, may not offer this level of health improvement, because the water in a disturbing number of these bottles emanates from – you guessed it – a tap!  Even more astonishing is the fact that some studies have shown the water in bottles to be less healthy than plain old tap water (which is not that healthy to begin with), since the plastic bottle itself contains chemicals that are released into the water as it sits on grocery store shelves.  The fact is that there are no federal regulations that standardize the quality of water in bottled water – so unless you have a laboratory at home and a lot of free time, you aren't going to be able to tell what's in your water.  A refrigerator water filter system, on the other hand, avoids this confusion by telling you, clearly, what is filtered out from tap water.

Then, of course, there's lifestyle: carrying around a water of bottle has replaced, in many social circles, the formerly ubiquitous image of carrying around a bottle of pop.  In a sense, carrying around a bottle of water has become a symbol of being health conscious; just like wearing a walkman 20 years ago was a symbol for: please don't try and talk to me because I'm grooving, okay?  Yet one of the main problems associated with water bottles as a lifestyle choice is that it is often an unhealthy lifestyle choice for the planet.  Think about it: the tens of millions of plastic bottles that are sold in the US each year have to go somewhere, right?  And even if a very generously estimated 75% of bottled-water drinkers recycle their containers, that doesn't mean that the containers are returning to mother earth, like a banana peel in your backyard might.  Yes, some of the plastic may be used somewhere else; but some of it won't.  Furthermore, there will be people who simply don't recycle it at all, and only after our sun goes supernova will these bottles actually leave our planet entirely.  refrigerator water filter systems, on the other hand, offer what is clearly a cheaper product that is arguably healthier, but is also more of a responsible lifestyle choice.  Indeed, there will come a time – soon, perhaps in a couple of years – where the vision of bottle-water toting individuals will be replaced by a more environmentally conscious refillable-container toting group.

Bottled water – presuming that it is actually safer than regular tap water or well water -- continues to be a good option; especially if you're in a setting where accessing your refrigerated water system is not possible (such as on a flight, or on vacation).  However, in terms of an overall approach to drinking healthier, safer, and better water that is both cost effective and environmentally responsible, the choice is as clear as our water was hundreds of years ago: a refrigerator water filter system is the winning choice, hands down.