Food Friday: Taking the Waters – More Easy Health Beverages

I read an article recently about calcium and magnesium uptake from bottled water.  Got me thinking that maybe this is one aspect of the “French paradox” – they may have better mineral uptake than Americans.  They certainly drink mineral water, as opposed to bottled water,  much more regularly than Americans. True mineral water looks like it is worth seeking out, per this recent Washington Post article:

Depending on the brand, one liter a day can cover you for 20 to 58 percent of calcium and 16 to 41 percent of magnesium needs. On the flip side, it can also contribute a significant amount of sodium, so read the label carefully to decide what is right for you.

A favorite water in Europe is Badoit (Bad-wah)- touted on many water websites as one of the better mineralized mineral waters. In my travels, it was common to see French families with a large bottle of Badoit – still or sparkling – in fact I once watched a cute french baby bashing its stroller with an empty bottle while yelling “Badoit, Badoit, Badiot” incessantly the way an American child might yell for candy or ice cream.  Badoit can be found on Amazon, although you’ll pay a significant shipping price.  It ranks very favorably in terms of calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate (many people seek out bicarbonate because of its alkaline nature, which helps counter Americans’ acidic diets).  I was pleased to see in another article that a German water that is readily available at my 2 nearby grocery stores — Gerolsteiner – has an equally good mineral profile.  It is quite salty tasting, compared to a Perrier sparkling or a Fiji “still” style water – but then again that is the point – that taste is from the health-producing minerals.

I have been resisting all bottled waters because of the polluting aspect of the bottles themselves – not to mention the inconvenience of the recycling (we do our own recycling at a recycling center in our town).  That being said, if I can get many of my minerals from water rather than more caloric sources such as milk (which I don’t even like to drink), I am just substituting one recyclable for another with added benefit.  As a thirst quencher, I do find myself buying frequent Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts coffees in their plastic cups in the summer.  A further impetus to stick to mineral water.  In the case of Gerolsteiner, this water has the advantage of coming in a glass bottle.  In the world of recycling, glass always earns a recycling facility more money and therefore more of the glass is actually recycled.  So, if you have a choice between glass and plastic packaging, always choose glass. From the health standpoint, glass is preferable because it does not leach chemicals into water (or food) the way plastic does.

The other day I was at a restaurant that featured a delicious soda water drink that is perfectly adapted for mineral water.  I have reverse engineered it below – think of it as a non-alcoholic version of a Pimm’s Cup – and enjoy – à votre santé!

Blend the following and then place in a glass pitcher: juice of 1/2 lemon, juice of 1 lime, 1 cup fresh mint leaves- mashed, 1/2 medium roughly chopped cucumber, (peel and de-seed first).  Pour a 750 ml bottle Gerolsteiner or other high mineral content sparkling water over the juice mixture, blend with a long handled spoon.  Pour over ice – serve promptly to preserve fizz.  Serves 5.  You can also add Truvia (the stevia brand I love) to make a slightly sweeter drink.