Which Water

Compared to tap water, bottled water is very expensive. The cost of still water bought from a supermarket ranges from 43c to $1.55 a litre. For the same price as one 600ml bottle of water, you could get nine cups of water out of the tap every day for a year.

What's in bottled water?

Some European bottled waters have high levels of calcium, but most have no more minerals than tap water. Many bottled waters don't contain fluoride, which is present in tap water and is important for healthy teeth.

How much water do I need every day?

The average person needs to drink about 6 to 8 cups of water a day. About half of that can be in the form of tea or coffee but the rest should be straight water. In hot weather your water needs can easily double. In fact you may need an extra litre of water (about 4 glasses) for every hour's sweating. This extra water shouldn't be in the form of tea, coffee or cola drinks that contain caffeine, because much of the fluid in drinks that contain either caffeine or alcohol passes through the body instead of replacing water in tissues.

If you don't have enough water and become dehydrated, you're likely to be tired and irritable and you could get cramps. A lot of people think you need extra salt to prevent cramps, but what you really need is water. There's more than enough salt in ordinary foods to make up for most sweat losses.

Thirst quenchers

Although advertisements encourage us to quench our thirst with a cold beer or a soft drink, if you've been sweating heavily you should first replace your lost fluid with water.

Australians drink an average of 117 litres of fizzy soft drinks a year. They basically consist of water with lots of sugar, artificial flavourings, colourings and preservatives. Sports drinks have less sugar, and they contain sodium and potassium so the water is absorbed faster and more is retained in the body. That can be a real advantage for elite sports athletes who train hard every day, but it's not necessary for most people.

What to do

Bottled water is expensive and unnecessary. Drink plenty of tap water; the quality of Australian tap water is equal to the best in the world. If you don't like the taste of tap water, chill it in the fridge so the chlorine can evaporate, add a few slices of lemon, and serve it in a nice glass.

Copyright CTC Productions 2000