Water my choices?

I drink a buncha water. probably close to 2L per day, just in the form of WATER, not including coffee. (and yes, i balance it out with electrolytes....) I rarely drink fruit juices, I don't drink cola/pop/soda. Rarely iced-tea. I typically don't buy beverages at gas stations, and when we go out to dinner, it is "coffee and water, please". Insider tip: DECLINE THE LEMON in your water at restaurants. They are typically the MOST HANDLED FOOD in the place. NOT everyone washes their hands as well as you would like to think they do....and then...PLOP! right into your beverage...mmmmm....cesspool.....
But where was I? oh, right. Water. Short version: chose TAP. At least it isn't medicated.
What????
Yes.
I drink water from the tap. not the britta/whatever, but straight from the tap. sometimes, because i am a REBEL, i will drink from the GARDEN HOSE!!! yep.
but this past weekend, at Mike's graduation party, I drank a bottle of Nestle PureLife water. It went down fine, i didn't get any in my nose, and things were good. Until i read the ingredients. Yep, that's right; ingredients. FOR WATER.
I expected to see "two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen", but was AGAST to see the following listed as being ADDED to 'purified water':
Calcium Chloride
Sodium Bicarbonate
Magnesium Sulfate

what what WHAT??? seriously? yep. So today i went to their website to try to figure out WHY these things were added to my water. I found this:
(this space intentionally left blank), accompanied by the sound of....no, not crickets. it was a sucking sound. what was making it? the sound of $1.29 per 500mL bottle being SUCKED out of our pockets under the guise of WATER. I CALL SHENANIGANS!!!  The label states that these are added 'for flavor'. Ummm....water doesn't HAVE flavor. Further exploration of their site helped reinforce what I thought: it isn't WATER, it is a BEVERAGE. but it is masquerading as water. With MEDS added. yep. meds.
I took the liberty of googling the ingredients. here is what i found:
MAG SULFATE:::
www.thefreedictionary.com/magnesium+sulfate
magnesium sulfate n. A colorless, crystalline compound, MgSO4, used in fireproofing, ceramics, matches, explosives, and fertilizers. {{{{{{CERAMICS????? exPLOSIVES????? no, thank you.}}}}}
http://www.everydayhealth.com/drugs/magnesium-sulfate
What is Magnesium Sulfate?
Magnesium Sulfate
Magnesium is a naturally occurring mineral. Magnesium is important for many systems in the body especially the muscles and nerves. Magnesium sulfate also increases water in the intestines, which may induce defecation. Magnesium hydroxide is used as a laxative to relieve occasional constipation (irregularity). {{{oooh! THAT's a PLUS.....I feel healthier already...}}}

SODIUM BICARB:::(a salt)
http://kidshealth.org/parent/medications/sodium_bicarbonate.html
Is it safe for my child to take this medicine? Not if your child has an allergy to sodium bicarbonate or any other part of this medicine. Be sure to let healthcare provider know if your child has any allergies or reactions to medicine, food preservatives, or dyes. Make sure to tell about the allergy and how it affected your child. This includes telling about rash; hives; itching; shortness of breath; wheezing; cough; swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat; or any other symptoms involved.
Not if your child has any of the following conditions: High bicarbonate levels, high sodium levels, low calcium levels, unexplained belly pain, or water in the lungs.
{{{how often do we check WATER to see if we may be allergic to the INGREDIENTS??????}}}

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a682001.html
What side effects can this medication cause?
Sodium bicarbonate may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:
increased thirst {{{WAIT, WHAT??? increased thirst after drinking this??? OOOH! what a great marketing plan!!! "drink our water. we bet you'll want more!!!!"}}}}
stomach cramps
gas
CALCIUM CHLORIDE::(another salt)
http://www.oxycalciumchloride.com/
Calcium Chloride
OxyChem is the world's largest producer of calcium chloride, a premium salt with a variety of beneficial uses.  OxyChem's calcium chloride products are used for snow and ice control, dust suppression, road stabilization, agriculture and in many other applications including oilfield services. {{SAY WHAT???? 'sure' it isn't quite the same as what is in my bottle, but, but....is it???}}

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_chloride
OtherCalcium chloride is used in concrete mixes to help speed up the initial setting, but chloride ion leads to corrosion of steel rebar, so it should not be used in reinforced concrete.[12] The anhydrous form of calcium chloride may also be used for this purpose and can provide a measure of the moisture in concrete.[13]
Calcium chloride is included as an additive in plastics and in fire extinguishers, in wastewater treatment as a drainage aid, in blast furnaces as an additive to control scaffolding (clumping and adhesion of materials that prevent the furnace charge from descending), and in fabric softener as a thinner.


SO....i'm not going to tell you NOT to buy bottled water (even though I would like to), but PLEASE, PLEASE read labels. Not just on your cereal. Not just on your canned soup. Even on your water.

#nomorebs.

Be Well,
Gene