Essential Minerals Your Drinking Water Should Include

The importance of minerals in tap water is a widely debated topic. Some people believe that the minerals in drinking water are essential to our overall well-being and significantly supplement our dietary intake. Other people believe that we get enough minerals from our food and vitamins, so the trace amounts in drinking water don’t play an important role. They think that it is safer to remove the potentially harmful contaminants than to drink tap water with mineral content.

Minerals Required for Healthy Water Consumption

Water is crucial to human survival and plays a significant role in the functioning of the human body. Drinking water regulates body functions and provides many other benefits through its mineral content. The molecular formula for water is H2O, but it is important to understand that there are also trace amounts of essential minerals in the water. Researchers suggest that drinking water is a vital source of minerals for the human body because the minerals that are found in water exist in their ionized form and are easily absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract.

There are a total of 21 essential minerals in drinking water. Some of the most important minerals for optimum human functioning include:

• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Sodium
• Potassium
• Iron
• Zinc

These minerals contribute to strong bones and teeth, a healthy nervous and immune system, hemoglobin production, optimum muscle functioning, and maintaining a balance of water around the cells.

Did you know that mineral content varies depending on the source of the water? Learn more in our bottled spring water vs. filtered tap water post.