Amy asked: I was wondering if you filter your water, and if so, what filter system you use? I’ve been distilling for 15 years, but am looking to change to a filter in order to keep minerals in our water. I would be interested in any information you have on the subject.
I simply use the water filtration system that came with my refrigerator, as my area does not have flouride added to the water, so it does filter out the chlorine.
I did come across this Q & A from the Weston A Price Foundation:
Q. I have heard that reverse osmosis filters remove minerals, is that true?
A. Yes, RO filters take out all the minerals, but they also are the only way to take out all the fluoride. So if you have fluoridated water, use an RO filter and then add minerals back in via mineral drops.
I have heard good reviews about the filtration system that Urban Homemaker’s (an excellent Christian natural resource company) sells: Multi-Pure Water Purification. If you subscribe to her e-mail list, it seems like it is always going on sale! Currently, you can get a free shower filter with the purchase of one of these systems.
I would love to hear what recommendations might come from the readers! The floor is open!
Does anyone know of a water filtration system that removes estrogen and estrogen mimickers from the water supply? Thanks!
hi, did you ever find out about a water filter system that filters out estrogen? I am wondering if my British Berkefield system does it, we do have the flouride filters as well.
I recently purchased some prill beads from ebay. I paid 4.50 after shipping. I love these things. They take all of that yucky chlorine&fluoride from our tap water. I just fill a gallon glass jug with tap water and 3 oz of the beads. They work wonderfully! This is just my second day but I love it already. And I don’t have to replace the beads unless I lose them somehow. They say they last for years and years.
Christina(not the seller above)
the one filter i do recomend is the one i did my research on. its the best one i found out there take a look at the website let me know what you think.
and good luck!
http://www.lifeionizers.com/?utm_source=A&utm_medium=B&utm_campaign=C
I would highly recomend multi-pure water filters.
http://www.multipureco.com/
The filtration system consists of a solid carbon block and takes out all the harmful things but leaves the minerals behind for us to enjoy!
I couldn’t trust this filter more. We even used it on river water in Haiti that we knew had very harmful things in it (like geartia (sp?) and amoebas)
and were perfectly fine drinking the water after we had filtered it!
I want to share with you my personal experience. I was diagnosed with uterine cancer in Sept.2008. I did 10 rounds of chemo, which affected my lungs where I ended up in the ER because I couldn’t breathe. My husband and I prayed about it and decided that I should stop doing the chemo. My friend from church came over and did a demonstration for the Enagic Kangen Water. We decided that instead of chemo, I would drink Kangen water. My oncologist didn’t agree with my decision and thought for sure that my cancer level numbers would skyrocket, but instead they continue to go lower. My last count was 1.8 with zero being the goal. I am now in a normal range. My oncology nurse is amazed! I am so thankful that God is using this amazing water to heal me! My husband, the ultimate skeptic, wouldn’t mind buying a hot tub for the price of this Kangen machine but when he saw that I didn’t need anymore chemo from drinking it, he bought it. He has suffered from chronic back pain for 2 years, we bought a sleep number bed and a special chair. Neither one helped him. But, we had our Enagic Kangen water machine only 2 weeks and his back pain is gone. I have a friend who bought a different inexpensive ionizer and used it for 2 months with no results, but after only 2 days with the Enagic Kangen water, his knee pain was gone and his diabetic numbers were a lot lower. It helped him that quickly. I now sell the Enagic Kangen machines because I know personally the difference it makes. It is the ONLY ionizer that has theses kind of effects! It is the only one that really works! It is the only ionizer that is used medically in Japan in over 250 hospitals with amazing results. And it also is a great home business for us moms who want to stay home with our children and provide some income in our homes.
http://www.kangenhealthcare.com, http://www.kangenhealthcare.org, http://www.kangenhealthcare.net, http://www.kangenhealthcare.info
[email protected]
Big Berkey for us! We have decent well water, so this is more for emergency preparedness as you can run pond water through it to drink!
OK sorry I clicked on the comment button on the wrong post. Just look at the post below to read my comments about water filters!
Ooops!
I have had a reverse osmosis filter for nine years and I couldn’t be happier with it. I truly believe that chlorine can be the culprit for many illnesses including cancer, so I’m glad to have something that takes care of that for me. Proper mineral intake can be obtained through supplements and food, so I’m not too concerned about lacking in this area.
Another thought: A big misconception people have is about those Brita and PUR filters – they do not remove chlorine. Just because it’s a filter does not mean it removes the things most harmful to you. They may remove heavy metals and flouride, but it isn’t the best option. I used one for several months when I was temporarily away from my home and it was okay – certainly better than nothing, but at the same time there was a noticeable difference in quality and taste (yes, you can taste water!).
I think you misunderstand. Most filters will filter out some degree of chlorine, but most don’t filter out most of the heavy metals or fluoride
I am saving for a berkey water purifier. They come in smaller sports bottle size too. I am one of those shoppers that research every purchase to death and that is the one i decided on. I just hope I can save up for one before summer to keep on our houseboat the water there is ciy waer and very harsh. We live pretty far out in the country and our water is completely different than what they have in town.
We like our Berkey. It doesn’t filter out fluoride (we had a well until the last few months, so no added fluoride), but there is an optional fluoride filter than can also be attached.
Hi there,
I came across your post while looking for a healthy baby formula and baby food article for a client of mine who has a baby sensitive to milk.
For starters, I want to let it be known that I DO sell water ionizers but was not looking for ‘sales’. I simply found your post and wanted to respond since I know how confusing all of the options out there can be.
In a nutshell, I was REALLY ill a few years ago with immune and gut issues. While trying to find a way to recover my health, my family sent me a Kangen water Ionizer despite my protests due to the cost. They insisted that I use it and drink the water and I HAD to admit that the water was really amazing! I was too sick to take the time to research info on it then but since I HAVE recovered my health, I did my best to research, read and ask questions as much as I could over the past 18months and came to the conclusion that although the Kangen Water machine IS an excellent machine, it’s NOT the best option out there NOR is it the best price (it’s $3,980!) – in my opinion.
Based on information that I read and researched on my own, I am of the opinion that although distilled water is the CLEANEST form of water, it’s not best to consume ONLY distilled water long term simply because it’s acidic to the body. YES, I am aware that distilled water fans & proponents will dispute this issue stating that if you add minerals, celtic sea salt or freshly squeezed lemon juice that it will slightly alkanize the water. While this IS true, I did a simple science experiment with my boys at home, it did not alkaline the distilled or even reserse osmosis water ENOUGH for long term consumption. ie: Neutral ph level is said to be 7.0-7.5 range (people dispute the exact number) and if the distilled or R/O water inititally measured at a ph level of 3.5 or 4.0, then by adding these ingredients it only moved the ph level at 4.5 or 5.0 which is still TOO acidic to consume long term. It at LEAST should be neutral so at minimum it will create MORE of an acidic environment for our bodies.
So in comes the water ionizer. A water ionizer will:
Filter out your tap water, Create Ionized water, Alkalanize your water all in one machine.
I like to be upfront so people know that I’m not trying to take advantage of them so if you have any issues about me posting my website & contact information on it, please do delete that portion of it but I welcome inquiries about why I decided to go with type of water or this brand of ionizer over the others so if you would leave at least my contact information up so if anyone would like to make inquries, then I would appreciate that.
In a nutshell, you obviously want CLEAN water but you also don’t want to consume acidic water. Ionized, alkaline water will hydrate you down the cellular level which is incredible for the body – and YES, you do notice a difference.
I hope that this helps some.
This is the vendor supported website that they offer to distributors so if you have any further questions, I’d be glad to share what I have learned so far.
http://www.lifeionizer.com/callen
Christina
We have an Aquasana countertop filter and their shower filter as well. I bought them both through http://www.discountjuicers.com. I don’t know if it gets rid of fluorine (probably not), but it does filter out chlorine, VOCs, lead, synthetic chemicals, cysts, parasites, and other bad stuff. It’s also super affordable at only $99 (from that particular website anyway). I love that it diverts the water from my faucet when I pull the button, so I don’t have to fill up pitchers or anything. It may not be the very best option, but it’s affordable and works in situations where you can’t permanently install something. We definitely notice a major difference in the taste and smell of the water!
Beware reverse osmosis filters waste a LOT of water. So your water bills would go up and it’s not a very green idea. I wish it was because we have a lot of fluoride in our water.
Oops! I made a mistake. The black filters used together with PF-2 reduction elements take out the flouride. http://www.morethanalive.com/PF-2-Arsenic-and-Fluoride-Reduction-Elements (this is where we got ours.)
That’s interesting about your finds on fluoride. When I took the boys (1 & 3) to the dentist last month they actually gave me a prescription for fluoride to give them every day. I didn’t fill it, because I didn’t feel comfortable with doing that without knowing more about fluoride.
We use the counter-top Berkey water filter. If you get the black filters, they take out flouride. This has been great for us as it can travel, and we are only a family of 2 right now, so don’t need massive amounts of water all the time (although I know many families of 4-5 who also use this). Also, we live in an apartment and are not allowed to install a water filter system, so the counter-top Berkey was good for us. This is a link to a video presentation that tells more about it: http://www.morethanalive.com/ They are showing the Berkey light (lexan), but we chose to go with the stainless steel.
In my understanding, the black Berkey filters don’t take out the flouride. You have to get the extra flouride filters
We use and highly recommend Multi Pure water filters!
We live in Tucson where the water is virtually undrinkable and we use the Berkey system. We LOVE it! Missionaries and the Red Cross use it all over the world. We love it because we just pour our tap water into the top and it comes out the bottom perfectly pure and delicious! We could, if we ever took it camping, pour in water from any source….lake, river, anywhere….and end up w/ delicious, healthy water. Also, we live in a VERY small house with 9 children and this sure beats finding a place to stash 6 million bottles of bottled water each month! =)
For years, due to our yucky ‘city’ water, we had a water service. We had a cooler and once a month the water guy would ring my doorbell at 7:30am and scare me half to death. I spent anywhere from $20-$50 a month on WATER. Don’t get me wrong, it was good water…but still!
About a year ago (after six years or more of this service!) I became quite convicted that we needed to ‘stop’ our service. It was not frugal and I wanted to be rid of the bill. I did some research and I found the Berkey Light. ( http://www.berkeywater.com/start.main.html ) It is not cheap…but we purchased the one without the light for $209. (With the light is $279!) I had to wait quite a while for it to be shipped…it was back in May when we had flooding in our state and flooding out west of us and they were overwhelmed with orders. This system is portable. You could take it with you camping if you wanted to. I think a lot of people have bought it in case of natural disaster. We waited about 8 weeks but it finally came!
I did the math and I figured that the original filters will last our family between five and six years at the rate we use drinking water. Not a bad deal when you think about what I was paying for water service. The replacement filters are about $99 I believe.
My kids were so used to the water cooler this was an easy transition for us. I just keep a pitcher near the sink to remind me every morning to pour a gallon or two of tap water in the top. We have yet to run completely out of water to drink.
I was looking around and they have some different elements that remove flouride, arsenic and other heavy metals from drinking water. It is a really interesting website. You can google this product and find them for sale at several different places…even on Ebay.
Hi Lindsey,
We’ve had a Berkey water filter for about 8 months now and still love it!! In my research I found it to be effective, affordable, and yes — it does leave beneficial minerals in the water.
When we ordered ours, we got a free fluoride/arsenic filter that also attaches and removes most of the fluoride. (That filter sells for $60; we got it free with our system, which retailed for $250.)
I wrote a review of the Berkey last summer, as well: http://www.tammysrecipes.com/berkey_water_filters
P.S. Excited and praying for you with the nearing arrival of your new little blessing!!
I’d recommend the Berkey Light Water filter. You can get it at morethanalive.com. I’ve never tried it, but from what I’ve read, the reviews are awesome, and it’s a top-notch filter.
Hello All I am a organic food advocate and alkaline diet/ lifestyle eater. I recommend that if this is something you do, that you also look into alkaline ionized drinking water from a water filter system like the one I have http://www.bawellwaterionizers.com/bwa.html
Food Network’s Alton Brown has a great explanation of water filters on his show Good Eats episode Water Works II (season 10 Ep6). While this show does place a favorable light on fluoride and even residual chlorine, it’s educational style is easy enough for older kids to understand. You can find it on youtube in two parts. If you do watch it, around the 7 min 30 sec mark he takes apart the water filter. And in the second half he has “life size” filter set up showing you what the jargon means and what to look for.
Well, I found it really helpful. Hope everyone else does, too.