Water fortifies our systems and our cells. Without it, we couldn't survive. And it has been linked to many health benefits, from removing toxins from the system to improving brain function. Those 8 to 12 glasses of water a day are certainly critical . . . but if the water we drink isn't "clean," we're not doing our bodies much good.

Contaminants, from chlorine to aluminum, in our tap water supply have caused many consumers to abandon their taps for bottled water. But bottled waters have their own hazards. The acidic pH in many plastic bottled waters causes the plastic to leach into the water, particularly if the bottles have been sitting in a warehouse for a long time.

It's important to drink waters that have a pH of 7.0 and higher, and preferably housed in glass bottles or safer plastics such as PET or PETE. Here are some excellent spring and artesian water choices: Mountain Valley Spring Water, VOSS Artesian Water, Fiji Natural Artesian Spring Water, Trinity Spring Water.

If you continue to use tap water as your primary water source, consider investing in a home water filtering unit such as The Wellness Filter www.wellnessfilter.com or The Ionizer Plus hightechhealth.com. At the very least, invest in a carbon pitcher filter system such as Brita or PUR, which filter out many impurities.

Also, be careful of distilled water. Although some people will use distilled water as a detoxifier when they are fasting, it should be kept to a minimum. Distilled water has no mineral or nutritional content and long-term use can cause a rapid loss of electrolytes (sodium, potassium and chloride).

Super Health Hydration Tip: Most other fluids don't "count" towards your water goal. Soft drinks, coffee, alcohol . . . these diuretics are dehydrators that actually deplete the body of essential minerals and vitamins and compromise the gains you get from drinking clean water. Your 8 to 12 glasses should be "net" glasses of water per day.

For more information, go to http://www.superhealth7.com

About The Author

K.C. Craichy is Founder and President of Living Fuel http://www.livingfuel.com. He is a health consultant and sought-after speaker on the topic of Optimal Health.