Natural mineral water "Tichė"

Both this and other mineral waters will be evaluated according to the amounts (concentrations) of minerals present in them which are necessary for the human body. And here it is important to clarify which ions are more important for the human body and which are less important. Having studied specialised literature, the impression has been formed that calcium, magnesium, and potassium ions are more important for the human body than other ions. If we consider this to be true, then it will not be difficult to determine the value of various mineral waters. Likewise, it will not be difficult to determine which mineral water is more valuable and which is less valuable. 

1 table essential minerals (ions) provided Recommended adult daily intakeHowever, these numbers should not be considered absolutely correct and unchangeable.).

1 lentelė. The recommended daily intake of essential minerals for an adult

Attention! Specialists from the National Food and Veterinary Risk Assessment Institute report that The World Health Organization (WHO) has set new guidelines on sodium and potassium intake.adults should consume less than 2000 mg of sodium (or less than 5 g of salt, i.e. NaCland no less than 3510 mg of potassium per day.

For people who consume more sodium and less potassium than recommended, there is a higher risk of developing high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.

The World Health Organization emphasises that most people consume too much sodium and too little Potassium

Sodium is naturally found in many foods, for example, milk and cream (about 50 mg of sodium per 100 g of product), eggs (about 80 mg/100 g). Significantly more sodium is found in processed products, for example, bread (about 250 mg/100 g), meat products (some – even over 1500 mg/100 g), snacks (popcorn – about 1500 mg/100 g), sauces (soy sauce – about 7000 mg/100 g), broth or stock cubes (about 20,000 mg/100 g).

Beans and peas are high in potassium (around 1300 mg potassium/100 g product), as are nuts (around 600 mg/100 g), some vegetables like spinach, cabbage, and parsley (around 550 mg/100 g), and fruits such as bananas and papayas (around 300 mg/100 g). Food processing reduces the potassium content in many foodstuffs.

These sodium and potassium guidelines, indicated on food products, are very important for public health and other specialists working in the field of non-communicable diseases (e.g., heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, respiratory diseases).

To reduce sodium and increase potassium intake in society, as well as to reduce the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, measures such as food labelling (indicating salt content), consumer education, development of national dietary recommendations and cooperation with food manufacturers to reduce salt content in processed foods are used.

Gediminas Pridotkas, Director of the National Food and Veterinary Risk Assessment Institute, points out: "In Lithuania, as in most other European countries, too much salt is consumed. The National Food and Veterinary Risk Assessment Institute has investigated the amount of salt in commonly consumed processed foods. Based on the research results, we can state that processed foods contain quite a lot of salt. For example, Lithuanian black bread contains about 1.1% salt, which corresponds to 440 mg of sodium/100 g of product, and boiled sausage contains 2.1% salt, which corresponds to 840 mg of sodium/100 g of product. We eat not only too much, but also too salty."

Prepared according to the "Respublika" daily newspaper supplement "Let's be healthy"

17/02/2013 purchased at the shopping centre 1 litre of still mineral water 'Tichė'.

Manufacturer: UAB "Baltic Mineral Water Company". The manufacturers claim the water is extracted from a borewell 689m deep in Telšiai district.

Labelling information:

Cl^–46 mg/L

So₄^2–834 mg/L

HCO₃^–108 mg/L

F^–0.3 mg/L

Na⁺76 mg/L

Potassium…………..19 mg/L

Ca²⁺…………..220 mg/L

Mg²⁺73 mg/L

BM (total mineralisation)……1378 mg/L

Drill depth – 689 m., and the date 2013-12-14 (here, apparently, is the product expiry date).

Manufacturer – UAB "Baltic Mineral Water Company".

Upon checking the ion concentrations, it was found that they are close to those stated on the label.

Brief comment: This water contains the most positive calcium ions and negative sulfate ions. Thus, it can be said that it is Calcium sulfate other ions are significantly less concentrated.

2 in the table The provided information concerns the most important ions, i.e., it calculates what percentage of these mineral substances (ions) the human body would receive from drinking one litre of "Tichė" natural mineral water.

Table 2. The recommended daily intake of minerals for an adult (mg) and the proportion of this intake (%) contained in one litre of water.

We note that by drinking natural mineral water "Tichė", we can only supplement the body with calcium and magnesium ions to a more serious extent. In general, this is a natural mineral water with relatively low mineralisation and good quality. This water falls into the drinking water category, as its specific electrical conductivity (SEC) is considerably lower than the limit value specified in the Lithuanian Drinking Water Hygiene Norm HN24:2003, i.e., 2500 μS/cm. I will remind you that SEC is directly proportional to the concentration of dissolved mineral substances (salts) in water.