A looong time ago, there was just one kind of water — the one that you drank straight from the tap or faucet. No fuss, no muss; no fear, no tears. Life was pure and so much simpler then.
Fast-forward to today: Most people dread drinking tap water like the plague. Which is probably why even at home, everybody drinks bottled (mineral) water (we do!). Fact is, some people never leave home without a small bottle of water stashed away in their bags; they bring one anywhere they go it’s almost an indispensable accessory.
Bottled water or tap water?
Of course, the choice is crystal clear, especially in areas where tap water may be contaminated. Barring that, the only difference between some bottled water and tap water, according to the International Bottled Water Association, is that one is distributed in bottles while the other comes from the pipes.
Of course, when you’re traveling, even chlorination won’t protect you from some enteric viruses and parasitic organisms that cause amebiasis, according to Carol Turkington, author of Protect Yourself from Contaminated Food & Drink. So, when in doubt about the safety of the water, especially if you’re a first-time visitor to the place, these are the only safe things to drink, according to Turkington: boiled water (but more on that a bit later); hot beverages made with water that has been boiled, like coffee or tea; canned or bottled carbonated beverages (I have a friend who used to work at Coca-Cola and was brainwashed by her boss to drink only Coke when she goes on assignments to far-flung provinces like Tawi-Tawi); beer and wine — we’ll drink to that!
But because you like your beer or soft drink ice-cold, you ask for some ice. Here’s hot warning from Turkington: “Don’t use ice that may have been made from unsafe water (wish we knew). If you’re drinking directly from a can or bottle, wipe it off first so that it’s clean and dry, because water on the surface of the container may be unsafe (we’re also warned about rat urine that may have collected on the lids of soft drinks coming from rat-infested factories). Don’t brush or rinse your teeth with water that may be contaminated.”
On the other hand, for people in the lower income bracket, the World Wildlife Fund says that boiled or filtered water is still the best bet.
How to treat water?
Try this: Boil vigorously for a few minutes, or use a chemical disinfectant. You can chemically disinfect with either chlorine or iodine (chemical disinfectants are available in drug stores).
Allow water to cool on its own before drinking (don’t add ice to cool it down). To improve the taste, add a pinch of salt or pour the water from one container to another.
So go ahead — eat, drink, and be wary.
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A mouthful on the GFCF diet
Dear Consumerline,
I read with interest your article in The Philippine Star, “Food labels: Watch out for the fine print.” As a mom of an autistic child, this is also one of the things that I have to do when buying food from anywhere. Unfortunately, only bottled food coming from the supermarkets have food labels. The fast-food restaurants do not have food labels on their burgers and fries.
Why is it necessary for the mom of an autistic child to constantly check food labels?
I am trying to put my son on a gluten-free, casein-free diet. In essence, the GF diet disallows ingestion of any food containing wheat, oats, barley, among others. On the other hand, a CF diet disallows ingestion of milk and other dairy products. For my son’s food, I buy almost everything from Healthy Options, where there is a section that says GFCF, although the assistance of the store personnel is necessary as a food item may be GF but not necessarily CF. From the supermarket, I can only buy Lay’s Potato Chips Natural Flavor and Sprite.
I would thus like to seek your help in my quest for more food items that are both gluten-free and casein-free. This would be of great help to me and, most especially, to my son.
— Name withheld upon request
To answer this concerned mom’s query, here’s a mouthful on the GFCF diet:
The rationale for the GFCF diet is to avoid the formation of opiate-like products that seem to exacerbate the symptoms of autism and PDD. Proteins from grains and milk — gluten and casein, respectively — are two of the hardest proteins to digest. Fortunately, rice, millet, and buckwheat are gluten-free. The best snacks to give, therefore, to Filpino kids with these concerns are kakanin made with the very healthy coconut and either rice or malagkit. There are times they crave gluten-laden grains like corn, oats, rye, barley, and wheat, which has the highest level. Sally Fallon mentions in her book Nourishing Traditions that soaking grains in warm water and fermenting milk make it easier for the proteins to be digested and absorbed. Soybeans (soymilk, taho, and tofu) contain enzyme inhibitors that can lead to protein assimilation problems.
The milk protein casein is one of the most difficult proteins to digest. And what did they do to the milk? Pasteurization destroys all enzymes in milk which help absorb calcium. Fermenting/souring milk partially breaks down lactose and predigests casein.
Traditionally, cultured buttermilk is low in casein. Cheese consists of highly concentrated casein. Cheese from raw milk contains a full complement of enzymes and is therefore more easily digested than cheeses made from pasteurized milk. Cheese is more digestible when eaten unheated. I use Organic Valley brand raw milk cheese. There have been testimonies on the benefits of drinking raw milk. Pasteurization destroys helpful lactic acid-producing bacteria that protect if a batch of milk is contaminated.
Some link autism to poor immune function. Artificial colors, preservatives, coloring, excess sugar, refined flour, commercial vegetable oils, including Canola, are not kind to the immune system. Lack of dopamine production from the substantia nigra in the brain has also been implicated as a cause of autism, especially when there is mineral imbalance. For this reason, biophysicist Christian Opitz recommends Crystal salt from the Himalayas, Andes mountain in Bolivia, and some ancient salt beds in Utah. I hope I have enlightened you with my response.
— DR. ANGEL RESPICIO JR.
Nutrition adviser
The Sleeplab at
Hawaii Medical Center-West.
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