What's IN Berkey Water?

Nothing that's not supposed to be in there!

Berkey water is better water. We know that Berkey removes or reduces tons of contaminants but what doesn't get removed?

Naturally occurring, beneficial minerals, like calcium and potassium, stay in the water. Unlike other water filtering options, such as reverse osmosis, Berkey water is not stripped of the good stuff human bodies need, like the minerals naturally found in spring water.

Minerals also help the taste of the water. Most water has a subtle taste, some describe it as not having a taste at all. When really in tune with tastebuds and comparing the minute nuances of different water, there is a flavor to it. Demineralized water can be described as tasting "flat," as in the opposite of a carbonated beverage. Have you ever left a glass of water out overnight, and in the morning when you take a sip it tastes kind of weird? Maybe even could be described as slightly sour?  Or have you boiled water and noticed a distinct difference? A small amounts of air or oxygen is released and carbon dioxide is absorbed--completely changing the makeup of H2O. This is why most bottled water companies include a small amount of salts. Otherwise, people wouldn't like the taste. There's no need to add salts to water filtered through a Berkey because, although some of the minerals are removed from hard water, the trace elements our bodies need remain.

Minerals increase the alkalinity of water, which also improves taste, and has the thirst-quenching property. The alkalinity of water allows the body to absorb minerals more readily, which means improved and faster hydration. Reverse osmosis and distilled water does not have minerals. Calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium are critical to bodily functions so naturally, when something contains these minerals it tastes good. (Nature is amazing--isn't it?!)

Berkey water is slightly alkaline because the ionic minerals (aka beneficial minerals) are able to pass through the filters, while the sedimentary minerals are blocked. Berkey water is also aerated because water drips from the top chamber to the bottom chamber as well as through the spigot. Those beneficial minerals and aeration both improve the taste and keep it from tasting flat. 

It's water the way it should be. Besides hydrogen, oxygen, and beneficial minerals--nothing else is in Berkey water.