Water lot of fake news there is when it comes to H2O! BIBO took a look at the cold, hard evidence to wring out the fiction from the fact…
Does all water taste the same? How much do you really need to drink? What does filtering actually do? Are you dehydrated? Do you get water on the brain from a tap on the head!? We have the answers to (nearly) all these as we explore the biggest water myths.
the 6 biggest water myths
MYTH #1
bottled water is more healthy than tap water
This old chestnut has been around for years and is completely false. Tap water is much more strictly regulated than bottled and tested to ensure it meets very stringent quality criteria.
The World Health Organisation has highlighted potential dangers from microplastics that leech into bottled water. In one study, 93 per cent of samples were contaminated with different types of plastic.
As for minerals, tap water contains just as many, if not more, and costs 2000 times less!
READ MORE: Why BIBO is the ultimate water bar
MYTH #2
all water tastes the same
Tap water may be super safe, but it doesn’t always taste so great. Additives like chlorine can give it an artificial, chemical flavour while organic matter, metallic minerals and sediment can make it stale and unpalatable.
The first thing most BIBO customers say when they buy a BIBO² water bar is that they can’t believe how great it makes their water taste! Many had bought it to get instant chilled or boiling water without realising how the unique purification and filtering processes transform the taste.
MYTH #3
sports drinks are better than water for hydration
A flashy TV ad featuring a top sports star pushing the latest fluoro-blue, electrolyte-infused energy drink is enough to wow most teenagers into believing they’ll only win their next match if they gulp several of them down as they play.
But do they really give you superpowers?
Er, no. For a start, sports drinks are almost entirely water, with a few carbs and a sprinkling of potassium and sodium. You’d be better off eating a banana!
When it comes to hydration, unless you’re competing in an iron man challenge or marathon, water is just as effective, and better for you as it doesn’t contain sugar, which often leads to weight gain.
MYTH #4
you need to drink eight glasses a day
This is the water myth that refuses to die! Every man, woman and child must consume eight glasses a day, and if you feel thirsty you’re already dehydrated and should really know better.
No one really knows where this idea came from, but it’s definitely not true.
“When we need water, we feel thirsty,” Stuart Galloway, associate professor in nutrition at the University of Stirling says, “so drinking when you’re thirsty maintains your body’s water level within about one or two per cent of its ideal state. Even for athletes, a loss of around one per cent has a negligible impact upon performance.”
Of course, when you do feel a bit parched, it helps if you have chilled, filtered water on tap!
MYTH #5
water can’t help you lose weight
Now, we’re not going to claim that we’ve uncovered a magic panacea to deflate your ‘lockdown belly’, but there are plenty of scientific studies that say it can be a big help.
Over 40 per cent of us piled on the COVID calories, gaining an average of 3kg, so we’d be grateful of anything to get us back on track.
A US study found that having fresh, chilled water at hand means you’re less likely to reach for the biscuit barrel. It’s an appetite suppressant, helps burn calories, removes waste from the body and is necessary to expel fat cells.
Simply replacing the 140 calories in a can of Coke with the zero calories in water every day could mean you lose a kilo every couple of weeks.
MYTH #6
water helps flush out toxins
This seems like it should be true, but sadly it’s not. Our kidneys filter toxins from our bloodstream into our urine, and water doesn’t make them function any more effectively.
In fact, drinking a lot of water can make things worse as the kidneys have to concentrate on processing that instead.
Our advice is to focus on the quality of the water, not the quantity.
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