What's the difference between regular water and mineral water?

Hi Erin!

Thank you for sharing your question with the EmpowHER community!

I am right there with you, I prefer regular water when I am doing physical activities or just running around doing errands. But, when I go out to lunch or dinner, I often order a mineral water with lime to switch things up too!

The difference between regular water and mineral water is that minerals are either naturally in the water or added to the mineral water. The minerals that are added to store bought mineral water vary, but are commonly zinc, iron, calcium and magnesium. 

There have been studies that show that mineral water is good for you and can be beneficial for your health. Certainly drinking a lot of water no matter if it is regular or mineral is very good for you. The national standard suggests that people drink a minimum of 8 ounces of water per day. 

Evidence shows that our bodies probably don't actually absorb many of the minerals in mineral water, so I'd be hesitant to say that it is truly more beneficial than regular water. 

I will caution you, some mineral waters are high in sodium which can affect people with high blood pressure. If you don't experience high blood pressure, then I would say "Go for it!" drink as much mineral water as you like but read labels when making choices. A large amount of sodium is not good for anybody and therefore, regular water beats the competition in regards to those mineral waters that have high sodium content.

Here's a great article on the benefits of drinking sparkling water that you might enjoy!

https://www.empowher.com/healthy-eating/content/benefits-sparkling-or-carbonated-water

Erin, do you have a particular brand of mineral water you enjoy? How much sodium is in your preferred beverage?

Best,

Kristin