On the Netflix show, we are taken to West Hollywood hotel Petit Ermitage and shown the seemingly ridiculous water somelier tasting water with Zach Efron and Anna Kendrick.. as hilarious as tasting water appeared, there’s actually a lot we don't know about water.

Anna Kendrick seemed to show signs of ‘shock’ when tasting the different waters presented to her but she does mention that it could just be psychology of presenting something in a fancy way and agreeability. Just like when we are given the first pour of wine when the bottle is opened and we just say “mmm good” even if we don’t really know.

Without having to watch the entire show, I’ll explain a few important events that happened throughout the show.

Not all tap water is created equal

Water in France is one of the most controlled product. The idea in France is that water is for everyone meaning that the free water available in the fountains everywhere is drinkable. (including the 1000 public fountains)

The water is natural with nothing added besides simple CO2 for sparking water.

The unique treatment of water is different from the US and they’re so confident about the production they show us upfront. The high standard water filtration and clarification process allows the removal of particles from the water. They use a UV light system (Ultraviolet rays penetrate harmful pathogens in th water, destroying illness causing microorganisms by attcking their geentic core). UV is very good thing because it allows the process to be without any added chemicals. However, the US uses a very high amount of chemicals specifically chlorine up to 300–600x which creates carciogenic effects.

“Chlorine was first used in the United States as a major disinfectant in 1908 in Jersey City, New Jersey. Chlorine use became more and more common in the following decades, and by 1995 about 64% of all community water systems in the United States used chlorine to disinfect their water.”

So till now, in the US we are essentially drinking chlorine water.

The solution to the problem in the US

Boiling water will remove 98% of chlorine out of water. However, “UV radiation has been successfully used in the pharmaceutical and food industries to destroy free chlorine and/or chloramines present in water, and kill all known spoilage microorganisms including bacteria, viruses, yeasts and moulds (and their spores).”

In the process of using UV light treatment to remove those carcinogens from our water, we are also removing the good bacteria as well. (same process with the use of hand sanitizer hence the reason people warn not to overuse it)

When removing the good bacteria from the water, we are essentially drinking water with no nutritional value. Which brings up the supplementation of probiotics which are live microorganisms containing beneficial bacteria to help strengthen our microbiome. Without these beneficial microorganisms, we can have an overgrowth of bad bacteria which will create microscopic lesions in our intestinal barriers causing a leaky gut. Thus a leaky gut creates a plethora of health issues such as eczema, acne, inflammation, IBS, bloating, yeast overgrowth, and the list goes on.

Another rising issue on dairy is how Europeans consume dairy without the problems Americans face when consuming dairy products which you can read more about here.

Adding probiotics into your diet, especially if you are an American, is critical. The food and beverage industry will not change overnight, however your your knowledge of the issue and choice of taking action in the supplementation of probiotics will affect your overall health throughout your lifetime. Make the choice to add one of the highest quality probiotics into your daily routine today: