On the back of my water bottle, a label states that there is both sodium and chloride, along with some other stuff. What are these things, why do they matter, and how come my water isn’t salty?

Question

I’ve been wondering this all my life. Please help.

EDIT: I FEEL SO MUCH SMARTER NOW, THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR ENLIGHTENING ME!

In: 2

Answer 1

All spring + tap water contains a small amount of minerals and that’s perfectly normal. You actually need small amounts of these salts in water for your body to function and absorb it properly.

The water doesn’t taste salty because the concentrations are so low, but the mineral content can alter the taste of the water.

In fact drinking pure distilled water with no minerals in it is actually really bad for you. Drinking distilled water will leach the minerals out of your bones over time.

That’s what killed my Grandmother… self induced osteoporosis from years of drinking distilled water because she was terrified of the tap water. Broke her spine and hip.