There certainly is no question surrounding the importance of incorporating a balanced nutritional regime into our daily lives. The question is how to achieve better health by obtaining recommended minerals and nutrients.

A number of professionals from a variety of scientific disciplines were featured at a recent symposium in Baltimore in April 2006 to discuss the health benefits of calcium and magnesium in our drinking water. Medical professional, nutritionists, and representatives from the drinking water industry, assembled together to explore the need and benefits of enhancing our water supplies with calcium and magnesium, something that the World Health Organization (WHO) is recommending in the next set of WHO Drinking Water Guidelines.

The question is; should we rely on our water, be it tap or bottle, to deliver the daily-recommended intake of certain minerals?

In the growing bottled water industry, this very issue has presented a great debate. Are minerals in water beneficial or are the cleansing and hydrating properties of highly purified water best?

Joe Harrison, technical director at the Water Quality Association (WQA), points out that people get very little of their daily-recommended intake (DRI) from drinking water. For an example: the DRI of magnesium is 300 - 400 milligrams per day and 1000 - 1300 milligrams of calcium. Harrison reveals that one litre of mineral or spring water may contain only 10 milligrams of magnesium and 20 - 30 milligrams of calcium, of which the body only adsorbs about 30 percent of these totals. He also states "we shouldn't use drinking water as medicine."

Minerals contained in water are inorganic and are poorly adsorbed. Our bodies prefer the richest source of minerals from organic foods. Even if our bodies suddenly developed the capability to adsorb inorganic minerals from water, it would take an enormous amount of water to supply just the bare mineral quantities for appropriate life functions. For example: to receive the DRI of calcium, one would have to drink 7.5 gallons of water per day.

The best means of including and increasing calcium and magnesium in your diet is to adopt better dietary habits. Following Canada's Food Guide, and incorporating 5 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day will provide more meaningful nutrition.

Many in the water industry believe that highly purified water like reverse osmosis and distilled waters, actually enhance the adsorption of the rich organic minerals derived from fruits, vegetables and protein from recommended sources.

Your body is a water machine, fuelled and maintained by water. Clean purified water is necessary to lubricate, hydrate, flush toxins and transport nutrients to every cell in your body. Purified water aids in breaking down wastes stored in fat tissues and promotes proper elimination by your liver and kidneys.

So drink to your health and remember what your mother said "eat your vegetables and fruit!"