You Know About Raw Food, but WTH is Raw Water?
Look, I'm as much of a proponent of eating food that gets processed as little as possible. By as little as possible, I would have to consider some processing necessary to ensure safety and good taste. Apparently, these guys in San Francisco believed that Americans could benefit from something called "Raw Water."
Enjoy Your Parasites!
If you look up a definition for raw water, you find that it describes water in its natural state. That means it still has all of its minerals and ions. It also means it contains bacteria, parasites, and these days, probably little bits of plastic. Enjoy your hydration.
Is Raw Water Just Plain Evil?
Alright, so not only is this raw water sold without processing, it's also really expensive. Look at the cost:
- You can pay about $37 for your first 2-1/2 gallons, and then about $15 to refill the jug.
- That raw water has a 300-percent premium over other bottled water that's actually been filtered.
- Of course, you could spend much less to just drink for your municipal water supply.
If You Won't Listen to Me, What About the CDC?
The CDC has an entire warning page about the dangers of drinking untreated and unfiltered water. (https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/public/water_diseases.html) On the other hand, the United States can be proud of one of the world's safest networks of community water supplies.
Is Raw Water the New Cigarettes?
You know, there were actually people (even doctors) who discussed health benefits of cigarettes at one time in the United States. Even when cigarette companies knew their products were addictive and dangerous, they did their best to mask the evidence. Personally, I like the taste of mineral water and believe it may have some health benefits; however, I'm certainly not going to buy anything that I don't believe has been filtered and treated.
Some Dirt on the People Behind Raw Water
Do you remember the Jucaro? It was supposed to work with these exclusive bags to juice fruit for people who are convinced that juicing is the road to health. Anyway, inspectors found that they enjoyed the same results when they squeezed the bags within their hands as when they placed them inside of the machine and turned it on. Right, the same guy who was making millions by peddling very expensive squeezing machines is behind Raw Water.
Some Further Reading
You might be interested in these sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/public/water_diseases.html
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2018/01/why_the_raw_water_movement_is_so_obnoxious.html
https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/public/water_diseases.html
http://www.extracrispy.com/drinks/4671/the-founder-of-juicero-is-now-shilling-for-a-fearmongering-raw-water-brand
Explain to Me Why Raw Water Isn't Just Sick
There are poor people in this country who don't have access to clean drinking and bathing water. That's a tragedy. Meanwhile, a bunch of upwardly mobile entrepreneurs thought that selling Raw Water would be a great idea. What a world. Is this some weird conspiracy to undermine the U.S> utility system or just nuts?
I'd love to discuss this. Please leave your comments, and I will almost always get around to voting and replying if they are relevant.