Can You Drink Distilled Water?

Yes, you can drink distilled water. However, it is not recommended because distilled water deprives your body of essential minerals. Additionally, most people also don't like the taste, which is often described as "stale" or "flat".

Is Distilled Water Safe?

It is safe to drink distilled water, but you may need to supplement your mineral intake if it is the only water you drink. While removing the chemicals and contaminants, the distillation process also removes the beneficial minerals from the water, such as magnesium and calcium.

Water is the most essential aspect of life. Up to 60% of the adult human body is made up of water. The quality of water consumed affects a staggering amount of bodily functions. Drinking water sources vary greatly from tap water, bottled water, spring water, soft water, a refrigerator filter, distillation, reverse osmosis to other filters, such as a Berkey.

What is Distilled Water?

Distilled water is the collected vapor from boiling water, returned back into its liquid state.

How is Distilled Water Made?

Distilled water is created by heating and boiling the water to its boiling point and collecting the evaporated steam. When water evaporates and creates steam, it separates water from dissolved solids and contaminants. Collecting the steam leaves you with a form of filtered water that has not only been stripped of contaminants but also beneficial minerals and vital nutrients as well. This type of water is often called dead water, as all contents, chemicals, and minerals are removed.

Distilled Water vs. Mineral Water

The problem with distilled water is that while removing the chemicals and contaminants, the distillation process removes the beneficial minerals. When your body loses water through sweating or urinating, you also lose sodium and other valuable minerals. Typically minerals are replenished through food and water. By only drinking distilled filtered water, you cannot replenish vital minerals through water intake, which may eventually lead to a deficiency. An increase in urine output could also result in an electrolyte imbalance. It is possible to regain some of these minerals through food in a well-balanced diet, however, when cooking these foods, mineral loss from the cooking process can be up to 70%! The human body also absorbs more minerals out of water than food, so it is important for the amount of minerals in water to replace what's lost.

Another adverse aspect of drinking distilled water is the flat taste. This is due to a lack of minerals, metals and inorganic compounds. Many find this unappealing and in the long term, can lead to a decrease in water consumption. Outside of the negative health effects on your body, distilled water can also have harmful effects on the environment. Once the distillation process is completed and the water is collected from steam, it leaves behind highly salinated hard water, that can disrupt the surrounding ecosystem of the water source.

What is a Good Alternative to Distilled Water?

Berkey Water! Providing a fantastic alternative to distillation, Berkey water filter systems combat several issues found in water. The first being the quality of the water. As Berkey filters the water, it addresses heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and countless more contaminants, all while, leaving in the minerals that your body needs. The Black Berkey® Elements used to filter water far surpass other water systems in filtration capability. This is due to its unique structure. The Black Berkey® Filters are comprised of microscopic pores, which trap harmful contaminants. The filters contain a revolutionary material with adsorption and ion exchange properties that attract molecules. Black Berkey® Elements have been tested by accredited third-party labs that have reported that the elements meet ANSI/NSF (Std. 53) protocol.

An additional consideration is the taste of Berkey water. Many describe Berkey filtered water as having a taste that is far more palatable than any other water they've ever tasted. Many even call themselves water snobs. This is due to the removal of chlorine, and other chemicals used to municipal water sources all the while leaving the same amount of minerals.

Another Berkey benefit is the longevity and cost comparison to distilling water. On average each Black Berkey Filter will last for up to 3,000 gallons. Each unit comes equipped with two Black Berkey Filters, which means a system can get up to 6,000 gallons of filtered water. That equates to less than two cents per gallon of water. Compare that to the distillation process, which on average will cost about 30 cents per gallon if done at home with a distiller, and even more expensive if purchased from a store. That is more than 15x the cost of using a Berkey Water Filter! 

 Berkey is the most flexible and adaptable filtering system available. The Berkey systems come in a variety of sizes to suit all of you and your family's needs.

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