It became known why it is impossible to dilute boiled water with raw water and what the consequences will be. In fact, the theory that such a “mixture” is dangerous to health turned out to be a myth. Nothing bad will happen if clean but unboiled water gets into water that has been brought to 100°C. Scientists assure that the result will be ordinary raw water, with all its properties and the bacteria of the reservoir from which it was previously collected.
Is it possible to dilute boiling water with unboiled H2O?
It should be said right away that you can mix boiling water and tap H2O .
A one-time use of the mixture will not affect your well-being in any way. When combined, the boiling effect is neutralized, and the water you drink should be considered raw.
In such a situation, another question is asked: “Is it possible to drink raw water?”, since the very fact of mixing does not produce any effect on the body.
Fictions about the harmfulness of water memory
Another common myth “proves” the harmfulness of mixing boiled and unboiled water, based on the theory of water memory. They claim that our body can only absorb water that is homogeneous in composition, and mixing two media makes it heterogeneous and, therefore, indigestible. The theory of water memory has long been popular with various scammers who sell water charged with success, health, money, etc. to gullible consumers. Of course, many also remember recharging water from TV screens, when Alan Chumak allegedly imbued the structure of the liquid with healing properties. In fact, everything turned out to be a simple scam, and if there were cases of “miraculous” recovery, then the merit was in the placebo effect.
Well, the arguments of supporters of urban legends about the dangers of mixing water turned out to be nothing more than myths that do not stand up to the simplest critical analysis. Let's try to logically determine whether it is possible to drink mixed water.
Why do they say that there is no need to interfere?
The root of this long-standing superstition is difficult to find . It is possible that the myth has an edifying character. In times of lack of running water, people got their drink from wells and rivers. Such water did not even claim to be clean.
Pest microorganisms could actively flourish in the wells. At the bottom of the dug holes, fallen leaves rotted, moss sprouted, and sometimes even the dead remains of small animals were found. Naturally, after boiling, it is not worth diluting purified water so contaminated.
Pros and cons of raw water
Raw water is considered to be water that has not been exposed to temperature. It can be divided into bottled and tap. It differs in composition due to differences in extraction sites and delivery conditions.
This liquid goes through several stages of purification and filtration before it reaches the tap and can be consumed. Tap water has a high concentration of iron and heavy metals.
To rid the liquid of bacteria and infections, it is treated with chlorine, the concentration of which may increase due to passage through the pipes.
The degree of suitability for consumption of the resulting liquid depends on the condition of the pipes leading to the home. If they are old, then the taste of the liquid will be unpleasant, and its composition will be oversaturated with harmful chemical elements.
Bottled water is most often obtained from underground sources and undergoes not only artificial purification, but also natural filtration. For these reasons, such a liquid is considered purer and healthier. It can be consumed, but not in large quantities. However, some people still prefer boiling not only for cooking, but also for drinking.
Consequences of mixing
The following scientific (and pseudo-scientific) hypotheses about the harm of the mixture are put forward:
The first concerns the structure of water at the molecular level.
Proponents of the idea of “memory” of water claim that it is able to “remember” situations that happen to it. Consequently, boiling negatively affects the “memory” component. Adherents of this hypothesis are confident in the incompatibility of boiled and raw water due to the heterogeneity of the molecular structure of the mixture.- The next idea concerns salts in water. More knowledgeable people have suggested that mixing raw and boiled water creates a high level of salt concentration in the mixture. Although it has been scientifically confirmed: the concentration increases very slightly and has no effect on the body.
- According to the latter assumption, hot or warm boiled water promotes the growth of bacteria. And if the composition also contains sugar, such an environment is extremely favorable for microorganisms. In fact, protozoa cannot reproduce per second, despite their fertility. It will take a long time for the drink to become harmful to humans.
As practice shows, the proposed hypotheses are not true or are only half true.
Scientific opinion on diluting boiled water with raw water
Chemists conducted many experiments in laboratories and announced their results. It turned out that traditional tap water is no different from boiled water. The whole difference is the number of microorganisms, but not metal salts, which are several times less in boiled water than in raw water. In fact, it will not be possible to get rid of dissolved salts, which means they will penetrate the body, causing harm to it.
Conclusion
Do not drink water from the city water supply in any form: only spring or bottled.
Myth
It is a strange statement that boiled water is “dead” and therefore not useful for humans. That the body does not perceive it, without recognizing what it is, is another myth. Let the salts partially evaporate, although very little, but boiled water is in no way capable of neutralizing the benefits that this liquid brings to all living things on the planet.
Conclusion
Do not believe groundless talk about the dangers of boiled water, since science has not found any evidence of this.
Which one is better to choose for drinking?
It is better to drink raw, but filtered water; boiled water has little harm to the body. The main disadvantage is the scale that forms after boiling.
But it is always better to boil the liquid rather than “feed” your body bacteria . The boiling process does not have any colossal consequences.
To get rid of scale, you can additionally strain the water through cheesecloth. After this procedure, boiled water becomes harmless.
Myths about “dead” water
The very first argument of defenders of theories about the dangers of mixing boiled and unboiled water is that such a composition is not uniquely determined by our body. That is, water that has been boiled becomes “dead” and after adding raw “living” water to it, the body does not understand what kind of liquid is being poured into it. They claim that water after heat treatment, together with harmful microorganisms, also loses its beneficial properties. An interesting fact is that the mineral and salt composition of water remains virtually unchanged after boiling. There may be a slight decrease in the concentration of microelements and salts, but the vitamins in it will definitely not decrease. The thing is that they are not there in the first place. Therefore, all the horror stories about “dead” water are just stories.
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Why is drinking boiling water beneficial?
The warming effect of hot water stimulates the secretion of hormones, thereby improving metabolism, and this, in turn, helps eliminate metabolic products and toxins.
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When should you not mix?
There are disadvantages to mixing raw and boiled water, but they are easy to avoid. If you boil a liquid to disinfect it, then adding raw water will waste all your work. In many ways, the result of combining “living” water and “dead” water depends on the quality of the raw liquid. For example, if you know that the water flowing from the tap is not of the best quality, even a couple of drops will spoil the purified boiled water.
Is it possible to boil water several times?
The main purpose of boiling water is to destroy harmful and pathogenic microorganisms that die at high temperatures. Actually, this is happening for the first time. During the second boiling, water vapor is intensively released: the water evaporates, and the concentration of the mineral component increases. This can be harmful to health, warns the nutritionist.
Lydia:
Water, in addition to minerals, salts, alkaline and acid radicals, contains hydrogen and oxygen atoms. During the process of intense evaporation of water vapor, atomic hydrogen settles to the bottom, increasing the density of the liquid.
Photo: unsplash.com/@ryanjvr98
In addition, during repeated or prolonged boiling, the active chlorine contained in the water reacts with residual organic matter and mineral dissolved substances. What might happen as a result of such a reaction is difficult to predict. Repeated boiling of water leads to an increase in the variations of chemical reactions - their result can be the appearance of carcinogens (they can provoke the development of malignant tumors).
How long can boiled water be stored?
Shelf life is limited to 12 hours. Then pathogenic microorganisms may appear in H2O.
What is the difference between distilled water and boiled water?
Ideally, distilled water contains 2 molecules of oxygen and one of hydrogen, and no more impurities, salts, or bacteria. However, even according to GOST, the presence of negligible amounts of impurities in the distillate is allowed.
Boiled water is not devoid of useful and harmful substances; its composition is less pure than distillate.
For reference! The distillate has an unlimited shelf life
Is it dangerous to mix “raw” water with boiled water?
It is believed that boiled water should not be mixed with purified tap water - this can lead to diarrhea and abdominal pain. What is this judgment based on, and is it correct?
It is believed that the opinion about the inadmissibility of mixing “raw” and boiled water came to us from ancient times. Back then, people used lake and river water, which was brought to a boil over a fire before use. Water before boiling was considered “raw”. In this case, mixing boiled and “raw” water was indeed dangerous, because unboiled water from a stream, river or lake may contain pathogenic microorganisms or parasites.
Boiling allows you to kill most of the bacteria and worms, but if the water that has undergone such treatment is mixed with “raw” water, the entire effect will be lost. Today, water flowing from our taps has already been disinfected in the purification system. Many people pass it through a filter - this allows them to remove elements and chemical compounds dissolved in the liquid, the accumulation of which can negatively affect the body.
Most often, such filtered water is boiled before use. This allows you to remove even more microorganisms from it. Today, the ancient rule about the inadmissibility of mixing “raw” and boiled water has been transformed: now it is believed that when boiling water, heavy metals and salts that usually accumulate in the body “leave”, therefore it is healthier than filtered water.
Common Misconceptions
Mixing waters is not as scary as people fear it
1. You cannot mix “living” water and “dead” water.
Previously, boiled liquid was considered “dead”, because after exposure to high temperatures there were no useful substances left in it. Raw water was called “living” due to the abundance of minerals. People believed that mixing liquids could cause stomach upset because the water was more difficult to digest. In fact, the composition of the liquid changes slightly, so there is no “conflict”.
2. Water has a memory
An anti-scientific but popular theory. Some people believe that water has a memory that stores "memories" of the liquid's path. After boiling, the structure of water changes, so the memory disappears. But you can’t mix liquids, because they are heterogeneous and hazardous to health. But there is no memory, it is nothing more than a myth.
3. Bacteria grow in mixed waters
Another unlikely theory, since pathogenic microorganisms need a suitable environment to multiply. For example, this will happen if you put sweet tea in the sun and leave it there for half a day. But the liquid, diluted a couple of minutes ago, does not pose any threat to health.
