Table of Contents
- For starters, we’ll tackle the definition of RO water.
- Then we will think about the fundamental ways to remineralize RO water.
- How does the RO system work, and which filters should we invest in to keep our drinking water healthy without the high cost?
What is reverse osmosis water?
What does reverse osmosis serve for? Does it have anything to do with alkaline water, sodium, or green blends? First, let’s tackle all that’s crucial about RO water.
RO stands for reverse osmosis. This process is based on drinking water purification. It uses a semipermeable RO membrane to filter from drinking water:
- ions,
- bacteria,
- unwanted molecules, and
- larger particles;
The reverse osmosis system membrane leaves behind anything with a larger particle size than its 0.0001-micron pore size. One micron is equal to 0.00004 inches; a human hair is around 75 microns in width.
Reverse osmosis systems exist to remove harmful contaminants from water. As a result, the filtered water is free of pollutants like chlorine and lead.
What happens to minerals after the water went through water filters? Does it still have good taste? What happens to its PH level? Are we still drinking mineral alkaline water that we like so much and that does wonders to our health condition?
The dark side of the reverse osmosis process
As you can imagine, it’s not all roses. So let’s take a closer look at the main “however” of this story.
Important: The most disputable issue is the mineral content. It changes dramatically after the RO system comes into play. After these RO systems take action, we remain with demineralized water with a different taste and the one that lacks essential minerals.
An explanation?
The reverse osmosis technology is so effective that it strips many benefits that water naturally provides us with.
Yes, you get rid of toxic chemicals thanks to these RO systems. Yet, you’re also saying goodbye to salt, sodium, and other healthy minerals like calcium and magnesium that used to inhabit your drinking water.
Is such demineralized water even fun to drink? Is reverse osmosis water healthy?
The reverse osmosis water doesn’t contain the minerals you would typically have in your drinking water. But there is a quick fix to this state of affairs—good old remineralization. Is there any remineralization filter or water filter to get beneficial mineral content back?
In the following paragraphs, we will discover how to remineralize the water and get the most of it.
What minerals go missing in the reverse osmosis stage?
What happens when we are deprived of essential minerals for a prolonged period?
Calcium
Calcium is the most common mineral in our bodies, making up around 2% of the body’s weight.
It builds teeth and bones and plays a part in many of the body’s functions, including:
- blood clotting,
- vascular and muscular contraction,
- regulation of enzymes and hormones, and
- carrying messages between the nerves and the brain;
You can imagine that a shortage can lead to visible and harmful effects, like weaker bones leading to fractures and osteoporosis, convulsions, and potentially fatal heart arrhythmias.
Magnesium
Magnesium is another critical mineral for our overall well-being. It plays a part in more than 300 biochemical reactions and bones’ development.
The majority of magnesium (around 60%) in humans resides within the bones; the rest, mainly in soft tissues.
A deficiency could cause:
- nausea,
- weakness,
- fatigue,
- numbness,
- cramps,
- disruption to the rhythm of the heart,
- seizures, and even
- personality changes;
Trace minerals
The minerals mentioned above―calcium and magnesium―make the most significant part of the removed “good stuff.” We will remineralize the water to get these guys back. There are ways to use a special water filter and enjoy remineralized water with a fancy mineral here and there.
A few other minerals worth mentioning, which, despite contributing only a tiny percent, are incredibly crucial for our health, are:
- fluoride,
- selenium,
- iron,
- zinc,
- copper,
- chromium,
- manganese, and
- molybdenum iodine;
Should we continue to drink RO water?
Let’s make one thing clear. The reverse osmosis water isn’t harmful or dangerous for our health.
If we have to choose, it’s far better to filter it than drink all the heavy metals, toxins, and viruses that water consists of before the RO process. If you inhabit geographical areas where the water contains dangerous contaminants that make such water seriously unsafe to drink, reverse osmosis becomes a life-saver. Worth mentioning that reverse osmosis has its roots in military applications. People used it to create a drinkable water source when contamination was present.
On the other hand, after using the full-blown reverse osmosis system, we end up with the water purified from its good qualities.
What’s the ultimate solution? What can we do to obtain healthy water at its full potential? What is the best option to keep the “good guys” and get rid of the bad ones? How to use reverse osmosis without losing minerals?
To crack all the questions asked above, we need to get familiar with the concept of remineralization filter. The idea is to remineralize RO water and get it to the stage when it adds even more to our health than it used to in its primary form. So it’s worth putting some effort into getting to know the idea of demineralization and filters.
Let’s sink into the remineralization dream.
What does the WHO say about RO water?
WHO is known for being all about health, eco, and the world turning green.
What is their opinion about RO water? What about remineralization? Is remineralized, filtered water healthy?
According to the WHO report, there are some dangers of using reverse osmosis water. It boils down to quite a complex process, so let’s try to break it down into points:
1. Humans don’t get most of their minerals intake from the water they drink. The majority of them come from food.
2. However, if we drink RO demineralized water, it pulls the minerals out of the food we eat. Then, while being urinated out of the body, the amount of minerals available for absorption is also diminished.
3. Demineralized RO water does the same to situations related to cooking (i.e., boiling vegetables). The necessary minerals are leached out of the veg and into the water to compensate for the absence.
Mind that reverse osmosis removes 60-70% of the total minerals available, making for a reasonably significant loss. The WHO believes that drinking RO water “has a definite adverse influence on the animal and human organism.” What about a remineralized water tank?
Should we keep using the reverse osmosis process?
The minerals in water are essential for health, yet, reverse osmosis system strips us of them. On the other hand, avoiding chemicals, bacteria and contamination are also beneficial. So what to do?
The solution that proves to be the best is not avoiding reverse osmosis but adding minerals to the water.
Tip: There is an abundance of ways to enliven our drinking water with minerals.
How to enjoy the benefits of contaminant-free RO water while getting the essential minerals your body craves for?
Let’s review some of the options related to drinking water.
Ways to enliven drinking water with minerals
Let’s talk about quality. Hydroseeding provides grass that is:
1. Add a mineral-rich Himalayan salt
No, no, don’t grab that table salt from the shelf!
You need a special kind of sea salt dense in minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium. One of them is, for example, sea Himalayan salt containing 84 trace minerals.
Himalayan salt (which often has a pinkish tint) is rock salt mined from the Punjab region of Pakistan.
Sounds exotic, so what about the cost? This salt is healthy for the body and also cheap to buy. You don’t have to worry about water getting salty if you buy a fine one. Add only a pinch of Himalayan salt to every glass of water. You can also put around a quarter of a teaspoon into every gallon of drinking water.
Be sure that your blood pressure and body, in general, will get better in no time. Calcium and friends are waiting to get you on your feet long term.
Mind that in the excess Himalayan salt can be harmful! It’s not about contaminants in the water anymore, but salt is salt. Watch out, so the disadvantages of sodium don’t take over the benefits that the body gets.
Himalayan salt works not only for the mineralization of RO water, by the way. Himalayan salt has other health uses, for example:
- sinus problem relief,
- better respiratory function,
- weight loss,
- lower high blood pressure;
Yet, besides putting minerals back to demineralized water, there is another side of the coin when it comes to Himalayan salt:
- it takes time to dissolve in the water,
- it may leave a dirty-like salt residue,
- it’s not recommended as a permanent solution;
If you’re not discouraged by these cons, go for it and enjoy your health and filtered water with the correct mineral volume.
2. Use an alkaline pitcher to add minerals back in
Another fancy tip? What about an alkaline pitcher? Nowadays, there is everything out there; you just need to look for it a bit longer sometimes.
Now you can grow the PH level of your RO water and put minerals back with an easy-to-use and cheap pitcher that will serve your health long term. Don’t worry about the cost; it’s not elevated.
Instead of working on home-made mineralizing operations, go for a specialized pitcher that:
- filters water,
- raises the pH level of reverse osmosis water (adding a good taste to it),
- adds back in calcium, magnesium, and other minerals beneficial to remineralizing water;
Tip: This kind of pitcher often has a handy built-in countdown clock that lets you know when to change the filter.
3. Use trace mineral drops as a way to remineralize
Adding trace mineral drops is probably the most effortless way to remineralize water after it went through the RO system.
It’s a quick, easy, and cheap remineralizing water method. The only thing you have to do is adding a few mineral drops into your water. It not only helps by adding minerals but also leads to having alkaline water.
Alkaline water has a higher PH than tap water because it’s rich in alkalizing minerals, such as:
- calcium,
- magnesium,
- potassium,
- bicarbonate, and
- other trace elements;
Trace element drops are affordable. For example, treating up to 200 gallons of water with this method costs less than $20.
The method to remineralize water is trendy, and there is a valid reason for it. Adding several trace mineral drops will remineralize water and make it resemble one from a coveted natural source.
Trace mineral drops include micro minerals such as:
- chromium,
- manganese,
- iron,
- molybdenum iodine,
- copper,
- selenium,
- zinc,
- magnesium (some of them);
Adding minerals to water makes them much more easily absorbed by the body because they are in their electrolyte or ionic form. Trace mineral drops also improve the taste of the water and make it more alkaline.
Remineralizing with the filter cartridge, drops, or salt that blends with water are options worth considering.
Conclusion
The speed of growth in hydroseeding depends on several factors:
Keep in mind that RO systems aren’t all bad, despite the impression that this article may have given. It’s just the opposite. Using the reverse osmosis water process technology is the best we can do when faced with dangerous substances residing in the water.
On the other hand, water RO at its final stage lacks almost every mineral that our body needs.
However, filtered water is healthier than dirty water, but it doesn’t add as much as it should to our well-being.
Among all the confusing pros and cons, there is a conclusion. After all, remineralization appears to be the best solution.
Remineralizing water with filters is as easy as pie. By adding a few trace mineral drops, your health can gain visibly. What’s more, drinking alkaline water changes its taste for the better.
Remineralized water that went through every stage of the RO system will finally see a mineral, and there is nothing water craves more.
Leave a Comment