photo credit: markhillary

Water filtering products are becoming more popular because many people ask the question is their tap water is safe? Most people think that bottled water is both healthier and more pure than tap water.

So is there a distinction between water that is healthier and water and that is safer?

Largely the answer to this question depends on what country you live in. In the UK stringent water regulations impose more rigorous standards than those regulations which are applied to many bottled waters. Bottled waters often contain quite high levels of harmless bacteria whereas mains water is treated with chlorine, (a carcinogenic) to prevent the growth of bacteria.

Furthermore many water companies actually add valuable minerals to the water, minerals such as magnesium calcium potassium and iron. However certain pollutants can still get into the water in minute quantities. These include weedkillers, industrial chemicals, heavy metals, and fertilisers.

Some bottled waters are high in sodium which contributes to high blood pressure.

I honestly don’t think you can say that tap water is safer than bottled water in general. What is clear is that tap water is much safer than most natural sources of drinking water. Certainly bottled water is definitely safer than tap water when you’re travelling in countries which have many waterborne diseases.

So should you filter your water in some form or another?

By all means. Filtering your water will make it much safer for you to drink regardless whether it is tap water or bottled water. It is important for whatever type of filter system that you choose, you need to make sure that you replace the filter itself regularly according to the manufacturer’s instructions, otherwise pollutants will start to be released back into the water and bacteria will multiply.

There are generally three types of filter system.

Firstly there are filters which are built into a clear plastic jug and you pour water over them. These are known as activated carbon filters. They are relatively cheap to replace and remove pesticides, some chemicals, and chlorine. They have little effect on fluoride or nitrates. The jugs themselves tend to be on average around the 2 litre size requiring frequent filling and have slow filtering times.

The second type of filter system and the most expensive are distillation units. These units use a lot of electricity to vaporise and then condense the water leaving the impurities behind. However distilled water has a distinctive taste which many people find unpleasant.

The third system is the second most expensive choice. This is the system which is installed in your home by professionals, or in some cases can be installed by yourself with a little care. These units are known as reverse osmosis systems because they filter water and then force the water through a membrane to remove virtually all chemicals and minerals. Unfortunately this also removes friendly minerals and harmless minerals such as fluoride, or magnesium and calcium which make your water taste better.

The bottom line is filtered water is always safer.

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Image via Wikipedia

Peppers are a good source of Vitamin C and beta-carotene. Surprisingly weight for weight peppers are a better source of Vitamin C than Citrus fruit. The average sized green 125g pepper contains 300% of an adults RNI for Vitamin C. Better still a red one contains 400%!

This is because the common peppers ripen from green, to yellow, to finally red. Once picked a pepper won’t ripen further. They only ripen on the vine. Perhaps you were like me and thought the different colours were different varieties!

There are other varieties which appear purple brown and it is known that the deeper colours of pepper are high in bioflavonoids which can help prevent cancer.

Spanish explorers are responsible for the naming of the pepper. They apparently confused them with peppercorns which are unrelated.

Advantageously fast cooking peppers, such as stir frying do not greatly lower their nutritional value.

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by Leah Quinn

Fun loving pasta eaters, rejoice! The fennel, garlic and broccoli go very well with sliced sauteed sausage and freshly grated parmesan cheese along with the crumbled goat cheese - ciao bella! Quick and easy meal to help sneak in some veggies to unsuspecting teenagers and hubbys everywhere!

Ingredients:

• 2 or 3 each hot and sweet sausage links, semi-frozen
• 2 small crowns of fresh broccoli
• 3-6 cloves of fresh garlic
• 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
• 1 or 2 bulbs fennel with their fawns
• Olive Oil
• Large pot of boiling water for pasta - try rotitini or penne
• One large deep skillet, enough that when after cooking sausages and veggies, you can also throw pasta in.
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
• A couple shakes of dried red pepper flakes
• Freshly cracked pepper
• Salt

Directions:

1. Put pot on to boil for pasta
2. Take out sausage from freezer, and slice links into 1/3 inch slices
3. Put skillet onto stove, add small drizzle of olive oil and put sliced sausages in.
4. Add red chili flakes and fresh cracked pepper - the heat from the skillet opens up their flavors.
5. While the sausage cooks, mince up garlic and set aside.
6. Rinse and break apart broccoli into small bite size pieces and set aside.
7. Cut off frawns from fennel, and with the remaining bulb, slice thin and break apart to resemble onion slices. Set aside frawns for now.
8. Once water has started to boil, add good amount of salt to water and a bit of olive oil.
9. To cooking sausage slices, add sliced fennel and broccoli to skillet.
10. Continue cooking broccoli, sausages and fennel allowing the fennel to caramelize along with sliced sausages.
11. Mince up two tablespoons fawns from the fennel and grate up your cheese.
12. Drain pasta when just al dente, but try and reserve up to 1 cup of pasta water.
13. Add drained cooked pasta to deep skillet and add freshly minced garlic to the mix.
14. Add 1/2 of the cheese and up to 1/2 cup pasta water and stir till all are combined. Continue cooking for one to 4 minutes. Add crumbled goat cheese.
15. Serve up on plates, sprinkle a little of the minced fennel frawns and extra grated cheese. Ciao Bella! Mangia Mangia pronto!

This is one of those great tasting easy dishes, and the goat cheese once is melts creates a similar feel in your mouth to alfredo sauce but without a lot of the naughty added fat.

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