E.coli is one of the most well-known bacteria that can cause gastrointestinal illnesses. In some parts of the world diarrhoea is a daily struggle, with all of the health impacts that it brings such as dehydration, reduced nutrient absorption causing stunted growth in children. Even in countries with safer water supplies can have outbreaks of giardia, E.Coli and other GI illnesses. People with tank water can also have problems if animal poo gets washed into the tank and if they aren't properly sealed, dead animals can be found. Yep. So gross.

Now it's important to note that not all filters can deal with removing bacteria. Some filters actually become a breeding ground for bacteria. It's so important not to take any risks with bacteria. I drank "purified" water in India and ended up with dysentery and giardia. That was so much fun (sarcasm) and I don't recommend it to anyone.

As a sidenote, I was so incredibly thin and depleted after that and weighed a very unhealthy 46 kilos. I had no idea about gut health and supporting recovery after that happened which would have been so helpful, but it happened many years before becoming a Naturopath. But I digress.

If your water is suspected to be microbiologically unsafe, boil it for ten minutes. Don't risk the gut damage. It really just isn't worth it. Some people take ages getting their gut right after illnesses caused by dirty water and contaminated food. If you go camping and think the water is fine to drink from that clean looking stream or lake, it likely isn't. It's not worth the risk to your health.

If you use a water bottle, make sure you clean it out everyday. Don't leave it sitting there with water in it and take it out the next day before cleaning and refilling. Get a proper bottle brush and give it a good scrub. Don't buy water bottles which have complicated nozzles to drink from. If it looks hard to clean properly, it probably is.