Water for Dummies?!

What's So Special About Bottled Water?

According to a Beverage Marketing Corporation survey, about 40%
of us regularly buy bottled drinking water--$4.9 billion worth
last year. We asked the top sellers to reveal mineral content,
source and average price (all but the Canadian company Aberfoyle
complied), then had a professional water taster sip and tell.
None have significant amounts of fluoride (bad news for your
teeth). Dr. Joshua Barzilay, author of The Water We Drink, says
a calcium content greater than 50mg could be beneficial, but
"other than that, unless your immune system is weak, I don't
think bottled water offers you much health advantage over tap
water." For those on a sodium-restricted diet, stick to waters
with less than 20mg per liter. If European trends are any
indicator, an order for oxygen-enhanced, calcium-enriched water
with your lunch is not far off.

Brand Name Sources Avg. Price Calcium[1]
NATURAL SPRING WATERS Per Liter
Arrowhead Mountain Calif., Ariz. $0.89 20.4
Crystal Geyser Natural Alpine Tenn., Calif. 0.64 40.0
Dannon Natural[3] Pa., Fla.,Quebec 0.79 65.0
Utah
Deer Park Pa., Fla., Md. 0.89 26.5
Evian French Alps 1.39 78.0
Ozarka Natural Texas 0.89 2.0
Poland Spring Maine 0.89 8.3
Zephyrhills Fla. 0.89 58.0
PURIFIED WATERS
Aquafina Municipal water 1.04 None
supplies
Dasani Municipal water 1.32 None
supplies
Sparkletts Crystal-Fresh Wells 0.59 0.7
Magnesium[1] Sodium[1] Tasting notes[2]
[Arrowhead Mountain] 3.6 11.1 Soft, gentle in the
mouth, clean aftertaste
[Crystal Geyser Natural Alpine] 8.0 Under 17.0 Soft, with a clean
aftertaste
[Dannon Natural[3]] 15.0 22.0 Bright, round, slightly
acidic aftertaste
[Deer Park] 2.6 1.1 Soft, elegant and
refreshing
[Evian] 24.0 Under 5.0 Rich and complex, with
a lactic aftertaste
[Ozarka Natural] 1.2 2.3 Light and delicate
mouth feel, sweet
finish
[Poland Spring] 0.8 2.9 Light body, slightly
astringent aftertaste
[Zephyrhills] 3.9 5.1 A pleasant, slightly
saline quality
[PURIFIED WATERS]
[Aquafina] None None Soft, round body,
slightly sweet
aftertaste
[Dasani] N.A. N.A. Slightly sweet,
hint of citrus in
the aftertaste
[Sparkletts Crystal-Fresh] 0.8 3.8 Sweet in the mouth,
clean aftertaste

Notes: N.A.: Not available. [1]Milligrams per liter. [2]Tasting
by industry consultant Arthur von Wiesenberger. [3]Sample from
Utah. Sources: Information Resources, FDA, International Bottled
Water Association.

If you notice, 2 of the more popular brands of bottled water come from "the municipal water supply." That's nice! Not to mention, 1 of these 2 brands, Dasani, is the 2nd most expensive! Now, I know this is the Stupid People blog, however, some of you have gone past "stupid" to "idiot" if you are paying(on average)$1.32 for bottled water from the municipal water supply that has NO calcium and you can get from your tap for free. The top 3 are: Evian, Dannon, and, Zephyrhills. Me, I prefer green tea. Sobe or Arizona.