Bottled water has become very popular in recent years. The bottled water companies would like you to believe their water is better for you than your tap water, but this is not always the case. Not all bottled water is created equally; some bottled waters contain sodium and other minerals while others are nearly pure water. It’s important to read the label of your bottled water and understand type means and where it comes from.

Let’s start with some of the basic types of bottled water that you might find at your local grocery store.

Spring water: Spring water is exactly what it sounds like. It is bottled water that is collected from springs. A spring is an underground formation that allows water to flow to the surface. It is normally required that spring water be bottled at the source of the spring.

Mineral water: This type of bottled water contains dissolved solids that normal give it a distinctive taste and body. If your tap produces hard water, you are already drinking mineral water. It just might not taste as good as the bottled stuff.

Ground water: This is normally lake or stream water that is bottled and sold as a specialty product.

Purified water: This type of bottled water is produced by distillation or reverse osmosis. It is normally the purest water you can get. Nearly all impurities and chemicals are normally removed, making some people refer to it’s flavor as ‘flat’ while others characterize it as ‘sweet’. You will have to draw your own conclusions.

Sparkling water: All of the above types of water can have a sparkling adjunct. This is because sparkling water is simply bottled water that has had carbon dioxide added to it. The carbon dioxide bubbles out of the water when you expose it to the air and that’s what makes it ‘sparkle’.

Now, is bottled water better for you than tap water? Probably not, unless you live somewhere that has dangerous water. In many cases selecting bottled water over tap water actually removes important additions such as fluoride from your water. Bottled water however will probably taste better than your tap water and for many people, that is reason enough to buy it.