Drinking Water

[smokeyquartz]

I'm curious about peoples' opinions on drinking from natural water sources. 

Do you think that humans can adjust to any parasites/impurities that naturally occur in untreated water?  I'm thinking about giardia lamblia as an example.

I usually drink distilled water, but then there is the concern about the plastics leaching from the gallon jugs.  Who knows how long it has been stored in that container and at what temperature.  I also realize any distilled water or filtered water would be unnatural for our ancestors.  But I suppose the filters are necessary to keep out chlorine and who knows what else that is put in water today.

People used to drink from untreated streams and wells and springs all the time, right? 

[Bradley David Good]

Interesting question and a good one.

I am no expert but I would be more concerned with chemicals and plastic than naturally occurring bacteria, so I think I agree with you.  If it was natural bacteria, I think you could adjust and could just drink small amounts for a while and see how it goes before loading up on it.

I'm not sure I would be concerned with actual names of the bacteria as I think that is hype most of the time...but how my body reacted to it in small doses and how I felt in a month or two.

[smokeyquartz]

I agree about being more concerned with plastics/chemicals. 

I've thought about this a lot since reading nonfiction books of people who are thruwalkers on the Appalachian Trail or similar trails.  One book I read was "On the Beaten Path" and I think that even with using water tablets to treat the water, the author still got giardia but he simply adjusted to it after sometime.  But from what I read in his book, people hiking on that trail don't eat the best diet (this book was written in the 90s, so maybe things have changed since then) - in the book the author mentioned a lot of processed foods like pizza, spaghetti, pancakes, and anything boxed or canned that lasts that they carry on the trail.  So I wonder if someone who ate a better diet would or would not be affected by the water.  Our ancestors drank the water without any ill effect somehow.

[Susadele]

I'd do long distance trekking frequently if it wasn't so hard to get good (real) food along the way..

Regarding water sources: It also depends on the natural water source. I am zero worried with the ones coming directly of the mountain / stones whatever or well, since they are not exposed to animals and usually not by human polution. With other waters (with some exposure) I am more careful.
Our ancestors and indigenous tribes know more about it / are experienced but I am not sure if one could one to one compare us with them regarding ability to drink natural water. I mean, generally I am not too scared of it but I can imagine that modern world people could get sick from it in terms of uncommon bacterial exposure and hence adapting to it. But there might be people who are too sick to easily handle it. Don't know.

If I were to drink distilled water, I'd only drink water that I distilled myself with a stainless steel distiller. And then I'd do more research on if one could bring back some life to it. Since natural water from mountains etc has another chemical structure and life in it (or however one wants to call it, I think you get an idea).