Which types of water are the healthiest?
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Many people regularly buy bottles of mineral water or spring water in the supermarket. After all, the idea is that it will probably be healthier â € “after all, the label says that it contains a lot of minerals. Besides, you will pay that higher price for something, right?
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But what is the difference between the different types of water in the Netherlands? Is spring water or mineral water indeed healthier, or can you just as well opt for tap water? And what about purified water, which some health blogs are so excited about? We've listed all the facts below for you!
Mineral water
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Mineral water must meet quite a few requirements to be called mineral water. For example, the composition must be determined exactly, and there must indeed be enough minerals in it to have a healthy effect. On that basis, you would expect that you are indeed making a healthy choice by choosing this.
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11 minMain dishpeanut oil, tofu stir-fry cubes finely seasoned, stir fry sauce sweet and sour, thick noodles, carrot julienne, beetroot julienne, yellow bell pepper, watercress,rainbow salad with tofu -
45 minMain dishRed cabbage, mild olive oil, quinoa plus, forest outing, lemon, sesame oil, soy sauce less salt, Bio Today tahini white in pot, tap water,grilled red cabbage with quinoa salad -
30 minDessertBrie, Roquefort, port salut, gruyere, Camembert, walnut, garlic, thyme, honey, grape, baguette, Red onion, red grape, raisins, Red wine, Red wine vinegar, Brown sugar,generous cheese plate with onion marmalade -
30 minDessertFull Milk, whipped cream, macaroon, custard powder, vanilla sugar, sugar, protein, amaretto, almond liqueur, basic recipe cooking pears,macaroon pastry with casserole
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Unfortunately, mineral water has one big problem: sometimes it contains too many minerals! Because nothing may be changed in the composition, the quantity cannot be controlled. That means that it sometimes contains an unhealthy amount of sodium. One Slovenian brand, Rogaska, even contained 1070 mg of magnesium per liter - while the recommended daily maximum is 300 mg.
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If you choose mineral water, check the label carefully. If it contains more than 0.15 g of sodium per 100 ml, it is simply too salty.
Spring water
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Spring water is very similar to mineral water, but the requirements are less strict. For example, mineral water must be bottled directly at the source, while spring water may also be transported first. Spring water may also be processed further, which reduces the risk of extremely high concentrations of minerals.
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5 minDrink without alcoholbananas, cool fresh apple-pear raspberry juice, Soy drink vanilla,soy fruit shake -
20 minMain dishsauerkraut, sticking potato, liquid baking product, half-to-half minced, Spice meatballs, pineapple, olive oil, liquid baking product,gratin sauerkraut dish with minced meat -
40 minMain dishlemongrass, fresh ginger, Red peppers, onions, tomato cubes, fresh cod fillet, coriander, oil, ground turmeric (koenjit), coconut milk, salt,fish in creamy coconut sauce -
15 minSide dishsweet potato, soft goat cheese, egg, spring / forest onion,stuffed sweet potato with egg
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An important point to keep in mind: spring water is often extracted from exactly the same sources as our tap water. For example, in households near Utrecht, Bar le Duc simply flows from the tap. In such a case, bottled mineral water adds very little more.
Tap water
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Which brings us to tap water. Many people think this is the least healthy option among the types of water - and the opposite appears to be the case. Tap water in the Netherlands is of exceptionally high quality. In fact, the requirements for tap water here are higher than the European requirements for spring and mineral water!
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It is sometimes thought that â € ˜hardâ € ™ tap water is bad for you. That is not the case either. This type of tap water contains a little more lime, but your body can often use that well. At most, it will destroy your devices faster due to limescale build-up.
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20 minMain dishTasty vine tomato, (olive oil, fresh basil, onion, garlic, Parmigiano Reggiano, zucchini spaghetti, pumpkin spaghetti, mini buffalo mozzarella,lukewarm pumpkin and zucchini spaghetti -
15 minSide dishtraditional olive oil, curry powder, wheat flour, coconut milk, sambal oelek, chicken broth tablet, water, fresh mango,curry sauce with mango -
30 minMain dishtraditional olive oil, lean ground beef, frozen Mexican wok vegetables, salsa sauce mild, taco shell, grated young cheese, creme fraiche,Mexican vegetable in tacos -
95 minMain dishmaize chicken, lemon, coarse sea salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, thyme, zucchini, tomatoes (small to), black olives without pit,provençal chicken with zucchini and tomatoes
Purified water
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Then we finally have â € purified waterâ € ™. This comes in different shapes and sizes. In particular, there are quite a few brands that offer so-called purification cabinets or other installations. This could remove unhealthy substances from your tap water.
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That sounds nice, until you realize that the mentioned unhealthy substances are not in that tap water at all. â € waterPurified waterâ € ™ is usually talk of companies that mainly try to make money. Abroad, where the tap water is often less pure, it may very well benefit you. In the Netherlands it is a waste of money.
So, what are the healthiest types of water?
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All in all, there is very little difference between all the types of water you can get in the Netherlands. Mineral water and spring water are in any case no healthier than tap water; at most they have some extra disadvantages. However, if you pay a little attention to that salt, you will also be fine with bottles.
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Does it really matter? Well, a bit: perhaps the biggest advantage of tap water is the price. You can drink enough of it all year round for about 1 euro, if you calculate one and a half liters per day. If you choose water from a bottle, it can go up to 500 euros.
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Moreover, all that plastic is also a lot worse for the environment! Tap water is therefore - at least in the Netherlands - by far the most convenient option.