It might happen in the airport before a flight. Or on the way home from a gig in another city. Or you’re driving along late at night on an unfamiliar highway and the headlights from the oncoming cars are blaring in your face.

Or it’s raining really hard, and your wipers could certainly be replaced but now is not the time since you must get back home and where will you find a shop that replaces wipers in the middle of a strange highway? Well, nature is calling, and you cannot wait much longer as you struggle in your seat and pray that a rest stop will magically appear.

You must have prayed well because before long you spotted a respectable rest stop (you would have stopped anyway no matter what it looked like at that point.) After taking care of your personal business, you spot an array of bottled water drinks in a fridge on the way out to your car. “Excellent” you say to yourself, because not only are you so thirsty from the long trip and all the worrying about the weather and other personal issues but you realize that you neglected to take your antibiotic on time. You had begged your doctor a few days ago for a Z Pack even though he claimed your terrible sore throat was only viral and here you are neglecting to take that very medication that you had pleaded with your doctor to prescribe for you.

As you don’t want to waste more than a few seconds you grab the first water bottle that catches your eye. It is square shaped with a bright red label and the company must have done lots of research as to what type of bottle would appeal to a rushing driver such as yourself. Bottled water is cleaner than tap water, so you are already ahead of the game. However, it is certainly painful to pay as much as three dollars for a bottle of water that is neither mineral nor spring water.

As many people today are impressed with the claims that spring water is the best water to consume, and you generally use a brand name of spring water in your home water cooler and on the go. However, in your haste you did not check the water bottle you just purchased and now as you head to your vehicle you see that it is not spring water but purified water. “Beggars can’t be choosers”, as the old saying goes while you jug down the water with your antibiotic pill. However, as you continue driving you are annoyed that you paid a hefty price at the rest stop for purified water and not spring water. Let’s check out the different varieties of water that are on the market today.

Most folks will be surprised as to how many varieties of water there are. These varieties include purified water, spring water, alkaline water, caffeinated water, hydrogenated water, distilled water, mineral water and CBD water. (There are other varieties such as structured water (aka magnetized water) which is not recommended by water experts).

What Are the Different Types of Bottled Water and What Do They Mean?

Purified Water: This popular bottled water goes through reverse osmosis which eradicates harmful chemicals. Purified water generally originates as tap water with bacteria such as E. coli that are removed during reverse osmosis. Additionally, the typical taste of tap water is enhanced, and most experts agree that purified water is safe to drink.

Spring Water: This is the most popular water and is regarded respectfully as long as it comes from an environmentally safe source. It’s what water used to be like before it became contaminated with all kinds of harmful things. Drinking reliable spring water is like visiting a far-out spring and filling your cups and bottles full.

Alkaline Water: Another name for ionized water which has a modified pH level is Alkaline water. An electric current splits the water into two different streams, one will remain plain and the other with an increased pH level ( Our bodies try to maintain an average pH level of 7.4) Alkaline water pH levels range between 7 and 9.5 because there are other concentrations of compounds such as magnesium, calcium, sodium and potassium which help keep our body strong in case we are missing these compounds. Proponents of alkaline water claim increased energy, prevention of diabetes and fertility. Unfortunately, although alkaline water is safe the majority of experts dismiss these claims stating that your body is self-regulating and can maintain a safe pH level of about 7.4 without any outside help, in fact, your body will simply excrete any additional alkaline water.

Hydrogenated Water: Water that is Hydrogenated has health benefits although the jury is still out. Hydrogen is added to this water by mixing H2 gas in the water and this is supposed to help lower “oxidative stress”.

Distilled Water: Through distillation the water undergoes a certain type of purification process. Water is heated up to steam and then cooled down which turns the water back into liquid removing contaminants. However, as the contaminants are removed so are some positive minerals which the body needs that are found in plain drinking water. This process does not sound that much different than boiling water at home.

Electrolyte Water: Many folks are aware of the advantages of drinking electrolyte water after working out or while home sick. Fever and exercise deplete the body of fluid and electrolyte water is certainly helpful to restore the lost potassium and sodium in the body. The problem with most electrolyte drinks is that they contain sugar so the label should be checked before consumption.

Mineral Water: As we mentioned above our bodies need certain minerals to stay healthy. There are two types of mineral water on the market, natural and artificial. Natural mineral water must have at least 250 PPM (parts per million) and any water that minerals are added synthetically cannot legally be called mineral water.

CBD Water: Proponents of CBD believe that it has amazing natural medicinal qualities such as anxiety and pain relief and reduction of inflammation. Folks who use CBD oil testify to its pain relief power and other advantages such as silky hair with decreased dandruff. CBD dosage is diluted in water so you would have to drink a lot to make a difference. You might be better off sticking to the real CBD oil although there is nothing unhealthy about drinking CBD water.

Caffeinated Water: Many of us drink several cups of caffeinated coffee per day and some people think that coffee can be counted as part of our daily water consumption which is so vital to our health. According to some caffeine experts, drinking caffeinated coffee actually does the opposite, too much caffeine can be dehydrating. This type of water has no taste but is infused with caffeine to help you wake up in the middle of a hard day at work.

Now if you are a straight black coffee drinker you need not worry about extra calories, but many other coffee lovers will drink their coffee with some type of milk and even sugar. And what about those Dunkin coffee varieties ranging from lattes to other more caloric coffee drinks?

If you can get your caffeine high from caffeinated water, you will be saving on your calorie intake. However, being tasteless, this water will by no means be a replacement for the flavor of a real coffee beverage.

Final Words

It certainly seems that bottled water is here to stay at least until we get our environment cleaned up. With more cars on the road and so much garbage that needs to be disposed of a simple cup of tap water may not be safe to drink. Home water filters are one way to enhance the taste of water and remove at least some impurities. The trouble is most of the world is not home during the day, whether it is school or at work so practically speaking there is going to be a time of day when you will need to purchase a bottle of water. Even if you are in a hurry, wherever you are, in the mall, in a strange office or at the airport, check the label before purchasing bottled water and you may be surprised as to what is inside that fancy-looking bottle.

If you’re okay with regular bottled spring water, there is no need to spend extra money on specialty waters. If you find it difficult to drink unflavored water, then the varieties mentioned in this article could be for you especially if you are on a weight loss diet. Just make sure to check the calorie and sugar content on the specialty water bottle before buying. You could also opt to make your own infused water with your home water cooler. So, the answer to the original question is no, your bottled water does not have to be boring.