Magnesium,  calcium and other common mineral deficiencies can be the cause of many weaknesses and conditions including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and many conditions.

Minerals are much more easily absorbed in water than in foods.

I go get my water from a local spring or use reverse osmosis and add minerals because the plastic packaging pollutes your water and the planet. Incredible how many more minerals are in the European waters!

Mineral Content of Some Commercially Available North American Bottled Waters (mg/L) [2]

North American Waters	Ca++	Mg++	Na+
Spring waters
Adobe Springs, Calif	3	96	5
Alhambra, Calif	1	1	4
Arrowhead, Calif	20	5	3
Black Mountain, Calif	25	1	8
Caddo Valley, Ark	36	3	2
Canadian Spring, Canada	11	3	2
Carolina Mountain, NC	6	0	5
Clairval, Canada	20	7	13
Cobb Mountain, Calif	5	2	4
Crystal Geyser Alpine, Calif	0	6	13
Deer Park, Me	1	1	1
Georgia Mountain Water, Ga	2	0	0
Great Bear, NY	1	1	3
Hawaiian Springs, Hawaii	6	3	6
La Croix, Wis	37	22	4
Mount Olympus, Utah	8	2	3
Mountain Valley, Ark	68	8	3
Naya, Canada	38	20	6
Ozarka, Tex	18	1	5
Poland Spring, Me	0	2	3
Pure Hawaiian, Hawaii	0	0	0
Pure Spring Water, Ga	49	4	0
Sierra, Calif	0	0	0
Sparkletts, Calif	5	5	15
Talawanda Spring, Ohio	0	0	3
Talking Rain, Wash	2	2	0
Utopia, Tex	76	17	8
Zephyrhills, Fla	52	7	4
Mineral waters
A Santé, Calif	4	1	160
Calistoga, Calif	7	1	150
Canada Geese, Canada	282	10	36
Crystal Geyser, Calif	8	3	160
Lithia Springs, Ga	120	7	680
Mendocino, Calif	310	130	240
Montclair, Canada	8	12	475
Montellier, Canada	3	3	340
Vichy Springs, Calif	157	48	1095

Mineral Content of Some Commercially Available European Bottled Waters (mg/L) [3]

European Waters	Ca++	Mg++	Na+
Low mineral content (less than 200 mg/L of Ca++, Mg++, Na+)
Abbey Well, United Kingdom	54	36	45
Acqua di Nepi, Italy	72	26	32
Acqua Fabia, Italy	124	5	15
Acqua Panna, Italy	15	5	3
Aqua-Pura, Engalnd	53	7	27
Ballygowan, Ireland	114	16	15
Boario, Italy	124	41	6
Brecon Carreg, United Kingdom	48	17	6
Bru, Belgium	23	23	10
Buxton, United Kingdom	55	19	24
Chiltern Hills, England	104	1	8
Claudia, Italy	104	22	56
Cristalp, Switzerland	115	40	20
Crodo Lisiel, Italy	60	2	6
Evian, France	78	24	5
Fiuggi, Italy	15	5	6
Font Vella, Spain	26	5	12
Fonter, Spain	35	7	11
Glenpatrick Spring, Ireland	112	15	12
Henniez, Switzerland	111	19	9
Hella, Germany	51	4	8
Highland Spring, United Kingdom	39	15	9
Levissima, Italy	18	1	1
Naleczowianka	119	24	21
Perrier, France	145	4	14
San Benedetto, Italy	43	25	8
San Bernardo, Italy	12	1	1
Spa Reine, Belgium	4	1	3
St. Michaelis, Germany	43	4	21
Strathmore, United Kingdom	60	15	46
Tipperary, Ireland	37	23	25
Thorspring, Iceland	6	1	8
Valvert, Belgium	68	2	2
Vera, Italy	34	13	2
Vichy Nouvelle, Finland	70	110	1
Viladrau, Spain	16	2	9
Vittel Bonne Source, France	91	20	7
Volvic, France	10	6	9
Voslauer, Austria	57	37	5
Moderate mineral content (between 200 and 750 mg/L of Ca++, Mg++, Na+)
Apollinaris, Germany	89	104	425
Aproz, Switzerland	454	67	8
Badoit, France	200	100	160
Contrex, France	467	84	7
Crodo Valle d’oro, Italy	510	51	2
Fachingen, Germany	113	62	500
Ferrarelle, Italy	408	23	50
Franken Brunnen, Germany	198	42	52
Gerolsteiner, Germany	364	113	129
Hassia Sprudel, Germany	176	36	232
Vittel Hépar, France	575	118	13
Passugger, Switzerland	286	24	46
Pedras Salgadas, Portugal	132	9	550
Peterstaler, Germany	216	49	215
Pracastello, Italy	164	46	28
Rippoldsauer, Germany	248	37	150
Robacher, Germany	256	128	40
Romerquelle, Austria	146	65	13
Radenska, Slovenia	217	97	470
Salus Vidago, Spain	78	10	660
San Pellegrino, Italy	204	57	47
Sangemini, Italy	322	19	21
Valser, Switzerland	436	54	11
Vichy Original, Finland	100	110	220
Vittel Grande Source, France	202	36	3
High mineral content (more than 750 mg/L of Ca++, Mg++, Na+)
Kaiser Friedrich, Germany	5	4	1419
Krystynka, Poland	176	60	900
SaintYorre, France	30	7	1108
San Narciso, Spain	53	9	1120
Uberkinger, Germany	26	17	1180
Vichy Celestins, France	100	9	1200
Vichy Catalan, Spain	33	8	1133

Make your own Mineral Water

One of the world’s biggest “blue zones”, where a large percentage of people enjoy remarkably long lives is in Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica. This is Dr. Oz attributes their longevity to their physical activity and the fact that they drink hard water, i.e., water high in calcium and magnesium which helps to maintain strong bones.

In the United States  approximately 1 in 9 have osteoporosis and an additional 18 million have low bone mass. Many of these cases could be caused because the drinking water is too pure and does not have enough minerals to maintain equilibrium of the mineral ions in the bones.

Calcium (Ca⁺⁺) bioavailable calcium is found almost exclusively in milk, milk products, and water. Drinking water may be a significant source of calcium, and calcium-rich mineral water may provide over one-third of the recommended dietary intake of this mineral in adults.[1]

Epidemiological studies also suggest that increased dietary intake of magnesium (Mg⁺⁺) reduces the occurrence of  heart disease and sudden death. Increased levels of magnesium in drinking water are associated with decreased occurrence of cardiac disease And nerve disorders. The majority of the U.S. population is magnesium deficient, and many individuals ingest less than 80% of the recommended level. Magnesium is found in foods such as nuts, green leafy vegetables, cereals, and seafood. However, magnesium in water is highly bioavailable and easily absorbed.

NOTE: Calcium Chloride should not be combined with the bicarbonates because calcium carbonate precipitates. The sodium bicarbonate becomes sodium chloride (table salt), and potassium bicarbonate becomes potassium chloride.

Measure carefully. Make sure that the spoons are level and not heaping. If you cannot find a measuring spoon set with 1/8 teaspoon, you can double the recipe. Use two liters of water and the more common 1/4 teaspoon measure. It is advisable to filter the source tap water with a water filter pitcher to assure that the water does not have heavy metals such as lead. Mix all the ingredients until the mineral salts are completely dissolved.

Ingredients:
All these ingredients are GRAS (generally recognized as safe) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

• Magnesium sulfate heptahydrate (MgSO₄·7H₂O) is better known as Epsom salts, and has laxative properties when more than 2 teaspoons are ingested at one time. Epsom salts are sold in most drugstores and some grocery stores.
• Calcium chloride (CaCl₂) is used to preserve the crispness of vegetables during pickling. Food grade calcium chloride is available from shops that provide ingredients for canning and food preservation.
• Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃), baking soda, is used as an antacid and a leavening agent in self-rising flours. It has wide application in making fluffy baked products. Baking soda is available in most grocery stores. Do not confuse baking soda with baking powder.
• Potassium bicarbonate (KHCO₃) is used to neutralize the acidity of wines and keep them from being too tart. Potassium bicarbonate can be obtained from winemaking suppliers.

The bicarbonates make the water alkaline and can increase the pH of body fluids. The molecular weight of these compounds can be used to calculate the amount of each mineral in the recipe.

Molar mass of CaCl₂ = 110.984 g/mol (36.112% Ca by weight)
Molar mass of MgSO₄·7H₂O = 246.475 g/mol (9.861% Mg by weight)
Molar mass of NaHCO₃ = 84.007 g/mol (27.367% Na by weight)
Molar mass of KHCO₃ = 100.115 g/mol (39.053% K by weight)
Since 1/8 tsp of each ingredient weighs approximately 0.6 grams (600 mg), the amount of each mineral can be calculated by multiplying the percentage by weight in the molar mass of the compound times the weight used in the recipe, e.g., 600mg × 0.27 for sodium. NOTE: The composition of home-made mineral water also depends on the minerals present in the water before addition of these mineral salts. Check with the water commission in your area to obtain an analysis of the minerals in your local water source. For example, the tap water in Washington, D.C. [4] has the following average concentrations of minerals in mg/L: Ca 38.9, Mg 10.3, Na 20.5, K 3.3.

References

Water Recipe by Antonio Zamora

1. Arik Azoulay, Philippe Garzon, Mark J Eisenberg, Comparison of the Mineral Content of Tap Water and Bottled Waters, J Gen Intern Med. 2001 March; 16(3): 168-175. [link]
2. von Wiesenberger A. The Pocket Guide to Bottled Water. 1st ed. Chicago: Contemporary Books; 1991.
3. Green M, Green M. The Good Water Guide. London, England: Rosendale Press; 1994.
4. Patuxent and Potomac water filtration plants Tap Water Analysis. [link]
5. BE Christopher Nordin, EDITORIAL: Calcium absorption revisited, Am J Clin Nutr, Vol. 92, No. 4, 673-674, October 2010 [link]

 

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