(Health) Benefits of Reverse Osmosis Water | 9 Reasons to Switch
Written by: Gene Fitzgerald // Last Updated: Jul 21, 2023
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Reverse osmosis water is becoming more and more popular among people who pay attention to their hydration.
After all, drinking reverse osmosis water is associated with many (health) benefits.
Here’s a rundown of the most important ones.
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Key Takeaways
There are multiple benefits associated with drinking reverse osmosis water:
- It’s safe and healthy in the sense that it doesn’t contain harmful contaminants.
- It tastes pure.
- It doesn’t alter the taste of food.
- It promotes hydration.
- Using an RO system you don’t have to buy plastic bottles anymore.
- RO water is cheaper than most bottled waters.
- And it can be safer!
- Reverse osmosis water makes crystal-clear ice cubes.
- Reverse osmosis water is free from sodium which is key for people on a salt-restricted diet.
9 (Health) Benefits of Reverse Osmosis Water
So, what are the benefits of reverse osmosis water?
1. Healthy Drinking Water Free from Contaminants
Even though municipal water gets treated before it reaches your household, it may still contain various contaminants. If your primary concern is drinking water with no contaminants, then reverse osmosis water is probably your best option. It’s the most thoroughly filtered water available, with up to 99% fewer contaminants compared to tap water. Contaminants that can be removed by reverse osmosis water treatment include:
- Sediment
- Volatile organic compounds
- Nitrite and nitrates
- Pesticides
- Herbicides
- Heavy metals
- Salts
- Many microorganisms
Heavy metals in particular can be very damaging to your health. The harmful effects of lead have been known for a long time. And yet the element can still be found in US water supplies in various quantities. Excessive consumption of lead, for example, can result in permanent cognitive issues, among other things.
2. Better Tasting Water
RO water is highly pure and thus tastes better than many other types of drinking water. That’s because chemicals like chlorine can severely affect the taste and smell of water.
If your drinking water has been heavily contaminated until now, you will notice a difference with your first glass of RO water. It’s kind of likely that you will never want to go back to regular tap water or whatever you were drinking after trying reverse osmosis filtered water.
3. Better Tasting Food
You probably use a lot of water in your kitchen – for cooking. Between washing vegetables and fruits and cooking meals, the taste of your tap water can heavily impact the quality of your cooking. That’s another good reason to use reverse osmosis water.
This might not matter to you much if you’re not an active cook. But even then, getting used to using reverse osmosis water means that you would be better prepared for the future, in case you decide to be more active in the kitchen.
4. Improved Hydration
Some people drink very little water, substituting it with soft drinks and other less healthy alternatives. If you’re like that, one possible reason could be that you simply don’t like the way your drinking water tastes.
In fact, you may not even realize that this is the problem. Because reverse osmosis water can taste better than regular water, it can also motivate you to drink more of it. Alternatively, if you have been spending a lot of money on bottled water as a substitute, you can also address that problem – more on that below.
5. RO Water Eliminates the Need for Single-Use Plastic Bottles
Tired of buying all those single-use plastic bottles only to drink from them once and throw them away?
That’s another good reason to consider reverse osmosis water. It comes in large jugs so you will have all the drinking water you need right at home. And if you invest in a reverse osmosis system, you get filtered RO water straight from your tap. This also makes a positive contribution to the environment.
Even if you live in an area where plastic bottles get recycled, that’s still not an ideal solution compared to not using them at all.
6. Cheaper Than Bottled Water
On top of the environmental problems associated with it, buying regular bottled water all the time is quite expensive. Buying large jugs of RO water is much more economical.
But even better: Tap water costs only a fraction of that, and it’s always available at your home. Sure, investing in a reverse osmosis system that can provide you with reverse osmosis water can cost quite a bit upfront. But it will make up for the expense in pretty much no time. And after you’ve bought the system itself, ongoing maintenance can cost very little.
7. Safer Than Many Bottled Waters
There’s a misconception that all bottled water is inherently safe. While that might be the case with some producers, it’s not always true. Some bottling plants are far less rigorous about their safety than others.
There’s also the fact that some bottled water companies don’t even filter their product. That’s right – you’re just drinking regular tap water! Of course, it’s hard to figure that out by just looking at the label. On the other hand, drinking reverse osmosis means that you always know exactly how safe it is, and know that it doesn’t include most types of contaminants that might be of concern to you.
8. Clear Ice Cubes
This might not matter to some people, but if you enjoy chilling your drinks with ice cubes, that’s another reason to consider switching to reverse osmosis water.
You may have noticed that your ice cubes get foggy and leave a weird-looking residue in your drinks from time to time. What you’re seeing are the contaminants left after the ice has melted.
Water filtered with reverse osmosis doesn’t have this problem. You’re going to enjoy some of the clearest ice cubes you have ever seen.
9. Removes Salt from Softened Water
If you use a water softener, it adds some amount of salt to your water. This is not a problem in most cases, but it can lead to issues if your diet is already rich in sodium. Reducing your sodium intake in this case is as simple as drinking reverse osmosis water instead of pouring a glass straight from the tap.
How Does a Reverse Osmosis Water System Work?
A reverse osmosis system is actually quite simple, despite its apparent complexity. The main work is done by a semipermeable membrane through which water is pushed at a high pressure.
The membrane only allows water molecules to pass through, with some small exceptions. Everything else gets left on the other side. As a result, the filtered water contains almost no contaminants. This is one of the most thorough filtration methods available on the market right now.
Maintenance requirements are also pretty low for the typical RO system. You just need to clean and replace the filter elements from time to time.
Further Reading:
Disadvantages?
Despite all its benefits, reverse osmosis water also has some disadvantages that you want to consider. These might not make much of a difference for most people, but it’s still good to know what you’re getting into:
- Flat taste: You may be used to water tasting a certain way if you’ve been drinking it for a long time. Tasting reverse osmosis water for the first time can be a bit underwhelming because all those extra “flavors” will be gone. That’s not a bad thing at all – it means that you’re drinking the real deal. But it could leave an unpleasant impression on you if you prefer the old taste of water.
- Mineral loss: Water naturally contains various minerals, many of which can be beneficial to your health in appropriate quantities. Reverse osmosis filtration can be a little too thorough for its own good in this case. It removes pretty much all of those minerals on top of the various contaminants it deals with. Simply put, RO water lacks minerals. The WHO suggests reintroducing magnesium and calcium into demineralized water before consumption. This also goes for the water you use for cooking!
If you have any questions about reverse osmosis water benefits please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!
About the Author Gene Fitzgerald
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