The shelf life of boiled water, something 99% of people don't know? It's shocking! Water is the source of life, and no one can go a day without it. We drink water every day, but do you know how to drink it correctly?
What exactly is in boiled water?
In terms of composition, the water we commonly drink daily includes boiled plain water, as well as bottled or桶装 (barreled) mineral water or purified water. Both plain boiled water and mineral water contain minerals, while purified water is water without various minerals and microorganisms. For example, the thick white scale that builds up inside a kettle after boiling water is a sign of mineral content. In this sense, plain boiled water can also be considered a type of mineral water. So, is the presence of these minerals and trace elements in water good or bad? In fact, the mineral content in water is very low and has little impact on supplementing the minerals the human body needs. The minerals the body requires are generally obtained from other foods. Therefore, various claims circulating online, such as that drinking mineral water for a long time will lead to excessive mineral intake and even poisoning, are incorrect. Similarly, the claim that long-term consumption of purified water leads to malnutrition is also wrong.
While everyone is influenced by various advertisements and cares about whether water has nutrients, they overlook the most important fact: water itself is a nutrient. We often talk about carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water. So, no matter if you love drinking water, tea, or soup, you must consume enough "water nutrient" daily to keep the complex machine of the human body running properly. From this perspective, plain boiled water is an essential and inexpensive "nutrient."
Step 1 of Drinking Details: Boiling Water—Water is healthiest after boiling for three minutes
Almost everyone believes that drinking water obtained from safe sources has no health risks because it's clean and won't spoil. But in fact, if you overlook the details of drinking water, even the cleanest water can spoil and quietly harm your health.
To understand how water spoils, we must start with its source. The water people drink daily is generally of two types:桶装 (barreled) purified water and boiled water from home.
All qualified purified water is treated in strict accordance with national safety standards for drinking water. As long as the transportation is handled properly, all indicators will be up to standard. The water boiled at home is brought to a boil, but few people know that after the water boils, it should continue to be boiled for another 3 minutes to remove the chlorides from the tap water. After boiling for 3 minutes, you should turn off the heat because boiling for too long will increase the nitrites in the water, and nitrites are a recognized carcinogen.
Step 2 of Drinking Details: Sunning Water—Cover and let it sit until it reaches 25~30°C for best results
During the boiling process, harmful substances that should evaporate do so, and those that should be killed are eliminated. But don't think you're in the clear yet, because there are many health pitfalls in the process of drinking water.
For example, don't rush to drink water right after it's boiled. You should let it sit until it cools to 25°C-30°C. In the natural cooling process, it helps the residual chlorine to volatilize and for solid substances like calcium to precipitate, which moderately softens the water. During the cooling process, the most important thing is to cover it. For the same reason, if you left boiled water uncovered the night before, it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria!!