Due to the fact that many customers cannot decide which drinking water manufacturer to choose, the author had to write this article. Many people cannot understand what is the difference between the water sold in Russian market besides the price? Which water should you choose? How does the highest category differ from the first? Why should you not abuse mineral water? The market offers a huge range of bottled water. By what principle should you choose it and what should you pay attention to when purchasing?

Due to the fact that many customers cannot decide which drinking water manufacturer to choose, I had to write this article. Many people cannot understand - what is the difference between the water sold on the Russian market, besides the price? We decided to compareseveral well-known brands, then, if possible, I will write articles specifically about certain brands more specifically. Let's try to consider the advantages and disadvantages of this or that water, if any.

The dynamics of mineral water production in the Russian Federation shows an annual increase in production volumes by an average of 15-20%.

At the time of writing, the share of mineral water packaged in 19 liter bottles is approximately 12% of the market; bottles with a capacity from 5 to 19 liters - 14%, bottles with a capacity of less than 5 liters - 66%; glass bottles – 7%; aluminum cans and containers made of other materials – less than one percent. Despite the variety of products, experts point out that bottled water sold does not always meet all Sanpin requirements. Basically, the data on the label is unreliable. Among Russian brands, only a few conscientious companies write the truth about what the bottle contains “ highly purified tap water" There are companies that limit themselves to vague concepts like “ water from a central water supply"or simply "mineral water".

This also applies to imported products. In most cases, it is indicated that the water is obtained from natural wells, for example in the Alps. Yet laboratory tests indicate that the water has nothing to do with mountainous regions. Please note that many Russian producers, when describing their water, try to make comparisons with imported products, since for Russians everything imported is a sign of quality. However, this does not apply to drinking water. Russian standards for drinking water quality, especially regarding natural drinking water, are more stringent, therefore the desire to compare with famous import brands is deliberately misleading people. Most, if not all, imported drinking water is not natural, but purified table water. It would be more appropriate for Russian producers to compare purified drinking water with imported water.

Bottled water should not only be safe for health, it should also be healthy - it should contain micro- and macroelements - potassium, sodium, magnesium cations, sulfate anions, chlorides and others - in general, about 50 elements. Only a few brands on the Russian market fully meet these requirements. Almost all imported water is artificially mineralized. Literally all European water (and imported brands on the Russian market) is produced using reverse osmosis technology. Special membrane-osmotic filters “select” exclusively water molecules, then this ultra-purified water is saturated with the minerals required in accordance with sanitary standards. This way you can purify the water from the reservoir, and it will be clean water that is safe for the body. But it will be “dead”, artificial water. “Living” water can be called natural water, only slightly purified from suspended matter and bacteria. Such water is extracted from underground sources, and such water can be purchased on the Russian market.

Depending on the source from which water is obtained, two main types can be distinguished: natural and purified water.

Natural, which in turn is divided into spring and artesian. Artesian water is water extracted from aquifers. rocks located between waterproof layers. Spring water is obtained from a source located on the surface of the earth. Sometimes it is extracted through a borehole, and such water is considered spring water only if its chemical composition coincides with the composition of the water from a source located on the surface of the earth. Such water does not require multi-stage purification, which violates the proportions of minerals and trace elements and negatively affects the taste. A set of measures ensures water treatment while preserving the natural mineral composition, eliminating only pollutants from it. The source of mineral drinking table water should be located far from cities and industrial enterprises. The composition of the water must be constant, safe, meet all standards, and if such water also has beneficial properties with a healing effect, then such water can be called exceptional.

To obtain purified water, it is subjected to deep purification using distillation, demineralization and other processes, and then saturated with the necessary elements. Many manufacturers claim that the water is artesian, but at the same time deeply purified. In this case, it refers to purified and not natural. The source of such drinking water - purified, modified, having undergone a procedure for changing the chemical composition through various filtration and multi-stage purification (reverse osmosis + a set of mechanical measures), does not matter after all such actions - be it water from a tap, a well or just a reservoir. Such water cannot be called natural.

Let's start with this water. A lot of people use this water, its share in the capital’s market reaches 20%, and in terms of popularity and market share it ranks second in Moscow. Please note that outside the Moscow region it has no fame and no noticeable sales volumes, although branches of ROYAL WATER CJSC are located in Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh, Tver. The exclusive dealer of this water in Moscow is Fountain Foods. That is, in theory, other sellers-dealers (if there are any) do not have the right to sell it. Therefore, carefully read the supplier’s website, check who the supplier is, to be sure that it is not counterfeit.

“Royal water” refers to low-mineralized purified table water, that is, it is not natural. And the fact that it can be extracted from a well does not make it at all artesian or natural. Water is produced in the village of Lozhki, Solnechnogorsk district, Moscow region. “According to the conclusion of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Geocenter-Moscow” and the analysis of the composition of the water, it fully complies with all standards. According to the same data, the mineral composition allows the water from the well to be used as drinking water of the lowest category.” Further - “to improve the category of water at the factory, ... water treatment is used.” From the very beginning of the description of its water, the manufacturer considers its advantages. He points out that over 25 years, the following enters the human body with water: “109 kg of chlorine (two bags of bleach), 25 kg of nitrates (bag), 500 g of aluminum (5 aluminum mugs), 3 kg of iron (dumbbell), 1 liter of gasoline (petroleum products), 27 g of boron (tablespoon)" and offers its products, presenting the technology of "reverse osmosis" as the ideal solution to all problems, since this technology, in fact, eliminates everything that may be in the water.

A little about reverse osmosis. Manufacturers using reverse osmosis technology (the most modern purification technology at present) make a reservation: “despite its natural structure, water after “reverse osmosis” is not recommended for use due to the lack of salts necessary for the body, therefore manufacturers enrich the water with the necessary salts, dissolving them in her." That is, they understand that such water is dead and cannot be drunk. What about 25 years of savings? Well, perhaps they enrich it, but not with these “harmful” components? If we look at the table of the chemical composition of water that has undergone reverse osmosis, we will see many components, including those previously considered dangerous - chlorides, iron, boron and many others (arsenic, mercury). Apparently, artificial iron, chlorides and other elements are safer than natural ones. Read about reverse osmosis technology in the corresponding article on our website.

But the most interesting thing is not even this. The manufacturer indicates that “it uses a unique technology, the essence of which is as follows. Water is enriched with the components necessary for the body not by dissolving salts in it, but by mixing in certain proportions “osmotic water” and water from a well, previously purified and disinfected. The advantage of this approach is that the water is enriched not with artificial salts, but with natural compounds that are absorbed by our body and are beneficial for it (it is known that salts artificially dissolved in water are absorbed by our body only by 30 percent, and natural compounds by more than 80 percent )".

Please note that not only does the manufacturer admit that after “reverse osmosis” adding minerals is useless, or only 30% useful, it is also not entirely clear why carry out a complex “unique” purification technology, and then mix it again with that with extracted water?! Do they hope that “a little bit of tar in the barrel” will not spoil the painting, but rather improve it?

Let’s continue about “Royal Water”: “at the last stage, the water is treated with ozone. It is known that ozone is a powerful antiseptic (recommendations for consumers: try not to use freshly produced water, but drink it one day after production, checking it by the production date on the label) and does not form harmful by-products, unlike water disinfection with chlorine compounds.” We also recommend reading about the technology of water purification with ozone in the corresponding article on our website.

Let's add, “Royal water” under the brand name “OXYLIFE» (« OXILIFE") has recently begun to produce increasingly fashionable oxygen water, which is "produced using Canadian technology on the equipment of the company that created the production method." About "oxygen water" , there will be a separate article about its production and advantages. In short, the production of oxygenated water is understood as “not carbonating water with oxygen instead of carbon dioxide, but dissolving oxygen in water at the ionic level.” Until now, oxygen water was produced only in the Caucasus, it was called “Oxy”.

Let's summarize: “royal water” is low-mineralized (artificially) purified (by reverse osmosis) table water, widely distributed in Moscow, despite the fact that its price for a 19-liter bottle from the official supplier is 250 rubles, with a small surcharge ( for about 30-50 rubles) you can buy real mountain natural drinking water. However, if you want to purchase oxygen water, then at the moment only OXYLIFE water will be available from Russian manufacturers.

In other articles we will look at:

All more people Lately use bottled water for drinking and cooking. The reason is that in some regions the quality of tap water leaves much to be desired, and in others people are worried about the dangers of chlorine and possible impurities. Bottled water is now widely available – it is supplied to Russian shelves by about 700 manufacturers.

However, such significant diversity also poses problems. The risk of purchasing a counterfeit or low-quality product increases.

Rating of drinking bottled water: how to understand

Before analyzing the offers of different manufacturers, you need to understand that there are three main types of drinking water sold in bottles: simple purified, natural mineral and artificial.

Purified water is simply fresh water. Free from all harmful impurities. It is used for regular use and cooking. Mineral water is divided into table water, medicinal-table water and medicinal water.

Medicinal water is not intended for regular drinking. It is used as prescribed by a doctor in limited quantities. Its most famous species in Russia are “Lysogorskaya” and “Essentuki-17”.

Medicinal table water differs from medicinal water in having a lower concentration of minerals. The most famous brands are of Georgian origin: “Narzan”, “Borjomi”, “Essentuki-4”. But it is also better not to abuse these waters.

Table mineral water can be drunk regularly, since the concentration of salts in it is very low. Its most famous brands are “Sarova” and “Silver Dew”.

Many companies produce simple purified water. The most common are “Holy Spring”, “Bon Aqua”, “Aqua Minerale”.

Within each group, you can also create a rating of bottled water.

Best bottled drinking water: ranking

Among all producers of medicinal table mineral and purified waters, Georgian ones are now leading. However, domestic companies also occupy a worthy place there.

1. "Holy spring"
2. "Borjomi"
3. "Narzan"
4. "Santalovsky source"
5. "Bon Aqua".

However, not all manufacturers not included in this top five are untrustworthy. The following companies are in the middle of the bottled water rating:

• GG&MW Co. N.V (from Borjomi);
• Nestle Waters (from Holy Spring);
• "Kavminvody".
• JSC NPO "ULANSKAYA"

There are also the last ones on the list, which should hardly be preferred by those who really care about their health:

• Biba company;
• Ulanskaya water
• "Mercury";
• "Avka";
• "Raifa Spring".

Fake bottled water rating

It is clear that dishonest manufacturers who have nothing to do with respectable companies often try to get close to the leaders. You can spot a fake if you shop carefully.

A sloppy bottle and label should raise suspicions. Reputable companies that hold first places in the ranking of drinking bottled water care about aesthetics.

You should also study the information on the label. If there is very little of it, this is a reason for suspicion, especially when it comes to mineral water.

Finally, it is better to buy water in large shopping centers. They make purchases in large quantities and deal only with trusted sellers.

Sometimes you can contact a laboratory for quality control.

If you use the available information about the rating of bottled water and follow simple rules for protecting against counterfeiting, you don’t have to be afraid that the water will be harmful.

Sales of bottled water are growing every year. Many people buy bottled water not only in hot weather outside, but also for daily use at home. How not to make a mistake with your choice? Roskontrol experts selected 12 popular brands of drinking and mineral water at prices ranging from 20 to 150 rubles (from 6,000 to 44,500 Belarusian rubles) per liter and a half and conducted laboratory tests to find out which water is safe and of high quality.

For the examination, bottled water was purchased from Shishkin Les, Bonaqua, Holy Source, Evian, Lipetsk Pump Room, Cristaline, Vittel, Simply ABC, Nestle Pure Life, Aparan, Aqua Minerale, D (Dixie ").

1st place. Non-carbonated drinking water “D” (“Dixie”). Price from 12 Russian rubles(3550 Belarusian) per liter. The number of points scored is 86.

The water, which is produced in the Nizhny Novgorod region by order of the Dixy retail chain, is recognized by experts as the most useful. It has an ideal composition in terms of micro- and macroelements.

2nd place. Vittel mineral non-carbonated. Price from 63 Russian rubles per liter (18,700). Number of points - 72.

Based on the results of the examination, Vittel mineral water produced in France was recognized as natural and safe. Its disadvantages include low fluoride content.

3rd place. Evian mineral non-carbonated. Price from 84 Russian rubles per liter (25,000). Number of points - 71.

Evian water meets all safety requirements - no microbes, nitrates or other harmful components were found in it. But there are more useful elements - calcium and magnesium - than in other tested samples.

4th place."Lipetsk pump-room" drinking non-carbonated. Price from 16 Russian rubles (4700). Number of points - 66.

This water turned out to be the most delicious among the tested samples. But according to the results of laboratory tests, “Lipetsk Pump Room” is far from a leader: in terms of total mineralization and fluorine content, the water does not reach the norm of physiological usefulness.

5th place. Aqua Minerale drinking non-carbonated. Price from 32 Russian rubles (9450). Number of points - 61.

6th place. Nestle Pure Life drinking non-carbonated. Price from 25 Russian rubles (7400). Number of points - 59.

The Nestle water label states that it is deeply purified water. Indeed, it was well cleaned of harmful substances, but, unfortunately, during the cleaning, there were much fewer useful elements in it.

7th place.“Simply ABC” drinking non-carbonated. Price from 14 Russian rubles (4150). Gets blacklisted.

The beautiful words on the label of this water - “pure water”, “ideal for cooking”, “does not form scale” - turned out to be only partially true. There will indeed be little scale from this water: it contains too little calcium and magnesium, but it certainly cannot be called the purest: the number of microbes in this water exceeds the norm by 70 times.

8th place."Shishkin Les" drinking non-carbonated. Price from 17 Russian rubles (5000). The sample is blacklisted for deceiving consumers.

Shishkin Les water does not correspond to the first category indicated on the label in terms of macronutrient content. It is safe for occasional use, but if consumed every day, it can be harmful to health.

9th place. Bonaqua drinking non-carbonated. Price from 23 Russian rubles (6800). Gets blacklisted.

Drinking water under the Bonaqua brand does not meet safety requirements: an examination showed that the source of the water supply from which it was obtained could be contaminated with wastewater.

The Bonaqua that was studied was bottled at the Moscow Coca-Cola plant. The content of nitrates and nitrites, permanganate oxidation are truly indirect indicators of organic pollution of a water supply source.

10th place. Cristaline drinking non-carbonated. Price from 40 Russian rubles (11,850). Blacklisted.

The sample revealed numerous violations of the requirements for water of the highest category. The complex toxicity indicator (the sum of nitrates and nitrites) was 40 times exceeded.

11th place. Aparan drinking non-carbonated. Price from 49 Russian rubles (14,500). Gets blacklisted.

“Any water goes through a preparation stage before packaging. There are many technologies for water purification, depending on the initial quality of water. The only requirement is that chlorine should not be used to disinfect water intended for bottling. If the water is initially close to ideal and only a few elements are exceeded, simple filters are used.

The most common technology is “reverse osmosis”. It allows you to obtain sterile, perfectly clean water - special membrane filters trap all impurities, guaranteeing stable quality of purified water. But here the opposite effect also occurs - unfortunately, if the water is purified too thoroughly, the water is deprived of not only harmful, but also beneficial substances. In its properties, such water is close to distilled water.”

In Europe, there has long been a rule to drink at least 2 liters of still water every day, regardless of the number of first courses eaten and coffee, tea, and other drinks drunk. This norm is sacredly observed by people of any profession and any material wealth. In our country, people are also gradually becoming accustomed to this rule, but not everyone knows what kind of water is best to buy. There is so much of it on store shelves that it’s dizzying. Few people carefully read the information on labels, and besides, it is often presented in such small print that you need to take a magnifying glass. Therefore, among the abundance of brands, some choose the most famous one, others choose the one that is cheaper, believing that the water is all the same. This is not entirely true, because there is water of the highest category and the first, and among them there is natural and purified, which is far from the same thing. So what kind of water should you take for it to be beneficial? Let's figure it out.

Why does the body need water?

Even children know that we are all 80% water. Every day, 500 ml is lost through sweat and breathing, 1500 ml - through urine. In order to restore losses, you need to pour 2000 lost ml into yourself, but it must be high-quality drinking water. All this is true, but only partly.

Firstly, the figure of 80% is the statistical average, but in fact, depending on age, weight and other indicators of water in each of us different quantities. Secondly, we also lose it in different ways. In the heat more, in the cold less, while on the move more, lying on the couch less. That is, some people need to drink 2 liters, while for others 3 liters will not be enough. But why drink it? Is it only to recover losses? It turns out that water can easily dissolve both organic matter and all kinds of chemical compounds, such as salts. When it enters our body, it absorbs a lot of harmful substances, which are safely excreted in the urine. Thus, a natural cleansing of our systems from toxins and other nasty things occurs. Of course, the best drinking water, that is, chemically purer, copes with this task much more effectively. And another important function of water is that chemical reactions take place in it and complex complex compounds are formed, without which we cannot live. That is why the loss of only about 10% of fluid by our body can end very sadly.

Types of drinking water

Nowadays they write a lot about what drinking water of the highest category is. The rating of this product partly helps to figure out which brand to buy. It is based on all kinds of analyzes and tests that determine the compliance of the chemical composition of water with GOSTs and SanPiNam. But the results of such tests are rarely displayed on labels. But there is almost always data that water was extracted in such and such a region from such and such a depth, and other data that is not understandable to everyone is reported. To clarify the situation, or perhaps to confuse it even more, we note that in nature there are approximately 476 modifications of water, depending on which isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen make up its molecule. Naturally, the properties of these waters differ, and not all of them are equally beneficial for health. Fortunately, not all modifications are able to last long enough, and information about them is not displayed on the labels at all. What kind of water can be used for drinking? Its most famous types are:

• light;
• heavy;
• soft;
• hard;
• underground (extracted from wells and aquifers);
• mineral;
• water supply;
• purified.

Drinking water categories

Apart from the technical ones, which are not discussed in this article, there are two categories of water - the highest and the first. Each country has GOSTs and SanPiNs for bottled drinking water, regulating their taste, color, chemical composition, and transparency. Drinking water of both categories, unless it is medicinal mineral water, must be clear, odorless, free of foreign impurities and sediment, otherwise it should not be consumed at all. Regarding the chemical composition, higher requirements, of course, must be met by drinking water of the highest category. The rating, taken into account by many buyers, shows which of the water brands that have undergone quality control meet the standards. It is these products that are becoming the most popular. Currently, about 700 types of drinking water are produced. It is clear that it is difficult to check all of them, and unscrupulous manufacturers can write anything they want on the label. How to the common man distinguish quality water from fake?

Firstly, the price. If the water is actually extracted in an ecologically clean region, and even from a decent depth, it means that it has high production costs. Therefore, it cannot possibly be cheap. If the water is of poor quality, the manufacturer does not risk setting a high price, since it is very important for him to quickly sell his product and receive benefits before a possible inspection.

Secondly, according to the information on the label. If it really is water of the highest category, it must indicate the place of its extraction, the address and website of the manufacturer, and the chemical composition. In reality, almost all elements from the periodic table can be present in natural drinking water, but most chemical elements are such a small number that they are not taken into account.

Mainly indicate the content of such chemicals and compounds:

• potassium (up to 10 mg/l);
• magnesium (up to 20 mg/l);
• sodium (up to 100 mg/l);
• calcium (up to 20 mg/l);
• nitrates (up to 45 mg/l);
• chlorides (up to 100 mg/l);
• sulfates (up to 30 mg/l);
• bicarbonates (up to 300 mg/l).

Sometimes labels indicate the pH of the water, which should be in the range of 6.5-7.5. Inconsistency of even one of these indicators does not give the right to assign the highest category to water.

Light and heavy water

The taste, color, smell of both are the same, but in terms of usefulness they are very different. Numerous experiments have proven that the best drinking water, which, among other things, has high medicinal properties, is easy. It contains practically no impurities of deuterium (an isotope of hydrogen) and other heavy elements, therefore cleansing the body of toxins and all metabolic processes in it are better. Light water even during treatment cancerous tumors helps. in which deuterium atoms are attached to the oxygen atom, it is harmless to humans if drunk in small quantities. But there is no benefit from it. In nature, deuterium molecules are present in any water, from wells no matter how deep it is extracted. It is logical that any drinking water of the highest category contains these molecules. There is no rating on this issue, but when choosing bottled water, you can buy products from well-proven brands, and at home make light water from this good, but ordinary water by freezing it in the refrigerator and then thawing it. What will melt, first of all, will be the cleanest drinking water in the world, which is most beneficial for health. It is advisable to throw away the remaining ice after such a procedure, as it will collect all the harmful impurities.

Soft and hard water

With these characteristics the situation is simpler. Whether water is soft or hard depends on the content of magnesium and calcium salts in it. You can drink both in small quantities, but in large quantities, hard water can lead to the formation of kidney stones, and soft water can lead to problems with blood pressure. In everyday life you can do it by eye. So, if there is too much calcium and magnesium salts in it, there will be little foam when soaping your hands, and if there is a shortage, it will seem that the soap is not washed off your hands. But when buying water in a store, no one conducts such experiments. Yes, this is not necessary, because the content of hardness salts in water is strictly determined by GOST and must be indicated on the label. IN different countries numbers may vary slightly.

In Russia, as of January 1, 2014, water hardness is measured in degrees and designated “°Zh” or in milligram equivalents per liter, of which drinking water must contain no less than 1.5 and no more than 2.5 units. Sometimes the labels indicate not the hardness, but the amount of calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+), as well as their salts (CaSO4, MgSO4, CaCl2, MgCl2). The quantity of each salt is not regulated by GOST; it only indicates how many of them should be in total. If these standards are met, it means that we may well have drinking water of the highest category suitable for everyday use. To be high, the rating must take into account the content of other useful microelements, especially nitrates. As for the tests for magnesium-calcium, such well-promoted brands as “Aqua Minerale”, “Dombay” did not pass it, and the water of the brands “Holy Source” and “Shishkin Les” turned out to have a lot of chlorine.

Mineral water

Now mineral water is freely sold in any store, so many people buy it as regular drinking water, being confident that mineral water is any water that contains trace elements. In fact, mineral water is water that is extracted only from certain aquifers and has a strictly regulated chemical composition. It is precisely this water of the highest category that can have a rather unpleasant taste, smell, and sometimes even color and sediment, which depends on the salts in which it is rich. It is important to know that, despite the rich chemical composition (indicated on the labels), water is not considered mineral if it is a mixture of natural and artificially made.

Water, which is a mixture extracted from various aquifers, will not be a high-quality mineral water, but, unfortunately, you cannot determine this from the label. You can navigate here only by brand names. So, time-tested and having good feedback consumers' natural drinking water is "Borjomi", "Narzan", "Essentuki", "Mukhinskaya", and in Ukraine - "Mirgorodskaya", "Kuyalnik", "Polyana Kvasova". By composition mineral water can be sulfate, hydrocarbonate, chloride, mixed, and in terms of the concentration of useful substances, table (microelements in them up to 1 gram per 1 cubic dm3), medicinal table (microelements up to 10 grams per dm 3) and medicinal. You can only consume the canteen every day without consulting a doctor.

Tap and purified water

Previously, no one bought bottled water, and even still water, everyone drank tap water. There are also GOST and SanPiN standards for its purity, so, in principle, it should be suitable for drinking in any quantity. Tap water in most countries is subjected to several stages of purification: mechanical, coagulation, filtration, aeration, sterilization or, in other words, chlorination. Despite such serious technology, the rating of drinking water from the tap is one of the lowest, because it almost always contains large quantities of salts of various chemical elements, these elements themselves, such as chlorine, and sometimes pathogens. Therefore, we no longer want to drink such water.

Savvy entrepreneurs have figured out how to capitalize on it and do good at the same time. The method is simple and involves additional cleaning. The costs of the entire process are relatively low, therefore the price of the product is low, although the label may indicate that the water is crystal clear, mineralized and generally the best.

However, a reasonable buyer should understand that the best bottled water cannot cost 5-10 rubles for one and a half liters, even if it says “spring” or “artesian”. For comparison, bottled water obtained from pure natural sources of the Alps costs 70-80 rubles per liter bottle.

But what is purified water? We use two methods: reverse osmosis, which inspires confidence among the people, although few understand it, and mysterious coagulation. Let's figure out how they work.

Reverse osmosis is the passage of water through several membranes with a microscopic texture, on which all the elements dissolved in the water remain one after another. The result is almost perfectly pure water, similar to distilled water. It is not good for health, since once it enters the human body, it begins to replenish those removed from it. useful material, taking them away from our body. To prevent this from happening, manufacturers enrich it again, so the composition of microelements indicated on the labels of such water may be correct, but it is rarely assigned the highest category.

Coagulation involves adding a coagulant (clarifier) ​​to ordinary water, which precipitates certain chemicals and trace elements. After this, the water is separated from the sediment and bottled. The process is so cheap and simple that about 70% of all manufacturers use it. So, when buying the cheapest drinking water, you may stumble upon a product that is not particularly suitable for health.

Water from the depths of the Earth

Many Russians have wells of varying depths (even more than 50 meters) in their yards. It would seem, why should they buy bottled natural water if they can use their own, also natural. However, such water shows an excess of microelements in it not two, or even ten, but several dozen times. It is clear that you cannot drink it. The problem is that the entire thickness of the earth's crust, like a cake made from short layers, is composed of geological layers - loams, sandstones, limestones and others. The closer to the surface of the earth and the closer to populated areas, especially to industrial centers, the more chemical elements, garbage, human and animal waste there are in the layers. All this easily gets into shallow water layers, so they can be used for drinking only after thorough cleaning.

The so-called high water that forms during floods and river overflows is also unsuitable for drinking. And yet, the bowels of the Earth can give us clean and healthy water, but to get it, we need to drill artesian wells. In different regions their depth ranges from 100 to 1000 meters. The necessary water must be between the waterproof layers of rocks and be there under pressure, so it flows like a fountain from the drilled well. In many respects, artesian water is the best bottled water available in stores, despite the fact that it also contains some salts and trace elements. Manufacturers, as a rule, indicate on the labels from what depth and in what region their product was extracted. If this is, for example, the Carpathians, the Urals or the Alps, the ecological purity of which no one doubts, we can safely say that such drinking water is of excellent quality. There can be dozens of brand names here. Which one should you choose if there are no famous or popular ones on sale? There is only one piece of advice here - trust the information on the label.

Carbonated water

It is believed that soda quenches thirst better than plain water, that it is more tasty and completely harmless. But is it useful? If you take European countries, for example, Greece, the founder of the rule about daily and compulsory drinking of water, it is almost impossible to find soda there in one and a half liter, and even more so two-liter bottles. This kind of water is sold in maximum half-liter glass bottles, not counting classic soda.

We have everything, adding carbon dioxide to it. It really changes the taste, and in addition, it helps the salts remain dissolved and not precipitate. It is for this purpose that before bottling they are enriched with carbon dioxide, because they contain a lot of salts. Should non-mineral water of the highest category be carbonated? And why do this if there are not so many salts in plain water that you would be afraid of their precipitation, and the taste should be good even without carbon dioxide? The answer to these controversial questions may be the taste preferences of customers, many of whom like soda.

You can safely purchase products from famous brands whose manufacturers value their name, but when buying cheap soda, it’s worth wondering whether there’s anything good in it other than carbon dioxide. But high-quality carbonated water should not be drunk in large quantities, since the CO2 included in its composition activates the secretion of gastric juice, has an adverse effect on enamel, and promotes increased gas formation in the intestines.

Rating of drinking water of famous brands

A single study that would cover all commercially available water, not forgetting that intended for coolers, has not yet been carried out, so the rating of brands can be considered conditional, since it is based on checks made randomly. According to some data, Bon Aqua water is the best, followed by “Holy Source”, “Aqua Mineral”, “Arkhyz”. According to others, “Holy Source” and “Aqua Mineral” did not reach the highest category at all, and the first place was taken by Nizhny Novgorod water “Dixie”. Second and third places went to “foreigners”, the French Vittel and Evian. Not only in Russia, but also in Europe this is water of the highest category. Customer reviews about it are excellent, but absolutely all respondents note the high price.

The domestic “Lipetsk Pump Room” is a little cheaper, but it also contains fewer microelements. According to the results of the test, “Aqua Mineral” turned out to be completely without microelements, that is, almost sterile, although the label does not indicate this. But the waters “Shishkin Les”, “Simply ABC”, Crristaline, Aparan, “Holy Source” and even Bon Aqua, bottled in Moscow, were blacklisted due to gross violations of quality standards and deception of customers.