Water, water, everywhere — but which do or should you drink?
Some of us buy the imported brands because they come from bubbling creeks high in the French Alps or some artesian spring in Fiji.
Others choose their water based on the shape and color of the bottles they come in.
Nutritionists say it doesn’t matter what kind you consume as long as you drink enough of it.
“Our bodies use water to fuel every metabolic process,” says Sheila Kelly, a registered dietitian for efit.com, the online health and fitness network. “You need to drink eight 8-ounce glasses a day just to replenish yourself. And when it’s warmer out, you need to drink even more.”
A good rule of thumb, she says, is to drink an extra ounce of water for every degree over 65 degrees. That means if it’s 90 degrees outside, you should drink an extra 25 ounces (or three 8-ounce glasses) a day.
Also, don’t trust your body to tell you when to drink up. “Our thirst mechanism lags behind our actual need,” says Kelly, “so by the time we feel thirsty, we’re actually already depleted.”
New Yorkers are luckier than most, says Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Geoffrey Ryan, because our tap water is considered “superior” — meaning it doesn’t just meet but actually surpasses all federal and state health standards.
In a recent regional tasting of tap water, Ryan says, Yonkers placed first and New York City placed second. “That’s pretty funny,” adds Ryan, “since the water in both cases came from the same Catskill/Delaware watershed.
While our tap water is regulated, the pipes through which they travel are not, says Ryan, who suggests letting the cold water run a minute or two — to remove the residue in pipes –before filling your cup.
Or stock up on the bottled stuff. And though a 1999 study by the Natural Resources Defense Council questioned the safety of bottled water — because traces of bacteria were found in some batches — the Food and Drug Administration claims it’s perfectly safe.
As one official cautiously put it: “We’re not aware of any illnesses associated with the consumption of bottled water in the United States and consider bottled water to be a low-risk food.”
So drink up — and see what our experts had to say when they tested the waters.
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Here’s how our panel at The Post — Pia Nordlinger, Bill Hoffmann, Steve Cuozzo and Billy Heller — rated six still (non-sparkling) waters in a blind taste-test. Prices listed are based on a .5-liter bottle.
Evian
Source: Cachat Spring, Evian, France
Price: $1.50
Nordlinger: Really metallic — even a little soapy.
Hoffmann: Almost sweet. Not as plain-tasting as the others.
Cuozzo: Flavorless.
Heller: A chemical aftertaste. Metallic.
Poland Spring
Source: Poland Spring, Maine
Price: $1
Nordlinger: Plain, indistinct taste. Woodsy almost.
Hoffmann: Eh. Like tap water. Nothing special.
Cuozzo: I could swear I taste the plastic bottle it came in.
Heller: Flat-tish, almost chemical. Nothing special.
Deer Park
Source: Hoffman Spring, New Tripoli, Pa.
Price: $1
Nordlinger: A slightly metallic taste.
Hoffmann: Very plain, like normal spring water. Good.
Cuozzo: Flavorless and inoffensive — which is what I want in a water.
Heller: Kind of flat. Like bad tap water.
Highland Spring
Source: Blackford, Perthshire, Scotland
Price: $1.50
Nordlinger: Chalky.
Hoffmann: Chemical tasting.
Cuozzo: Flavorless.
Heller: This is awful — like it came out of really bad pipes.
Volvic
Source: Clairvic Spring, Auvergne, France
Price: $1.50
Nordlinger: Indistinct. Natural-tasting.
Hoffmann: Heavier tasting. There’s a slight edge to it.
Cuozzo: A cloudy, milky taste.
Heller: Not particularly good. Almost medicinal.
New York City tap
Source: Catskill/Delaware Watershed
Price: Free
Nordlinger: The color’s a bit brown. Has a bite to it. Bitter.
Hoffmann: Crisp. The best so far.
Cuozzo: A distant chemical flavor.
Heller: Refreshing — there’s almost a lake-like quality.

