The Underrated $1 Whole Foods Grocery I Wish I’d Tried Sooner

I’ve never been a big water drinker, but I do try to get several glasses down every day, because I know it does my body good. I also know that not all drinking water is created equal, so throughout the years I’ve done my best to try to navigate the world of H2O. Before moving from New York to Tulsa, Oklahoma, that meant weekly trips to the supermarket to purchase Acqua Panna in the glass bottles, by the case. 

As you can probably guess, Panna can be pricey — especially if you’re going through several bottles a day. Over the years, I’ve also bought other brands like FIJI, Essentia, Icelandic Glacial Natural Spring Water, and JUST Water, to name a few. Then, this past June, during an impromptu tag-along trip to Whole Foods Market with a gal pal, my “water game” got flipped on its head; I discovered the store has a machine that dispenses the same water I’d been busting my butt to purchase, for a fraction of the cost.

I’ve shopped at Whole Foods before, but somehow I never noticed the FreshPure Waters dispenser until my friend pulled three empty gallon bottles out the trunk of her car that fateful day. I casually and curiously asked her what the bottles were for, and she explained that she was going to get her water. My jaw dropped once I spotted the machine hiding in plain sight. 

If you don’t have gallon containers, you can purchase them at the store. You can also fill up whatever bottles you have on hand; I’ve done this a few times before a long walk or trip to the gym. 

Operating the machine, which offers Reverse Osmosis water, Deionized water, and, my preference, High pH water, is a cinch. (The benefits of high pH, or alkaline, water have been overstated in the past.) Simply select the type of water you want and turn the accompanying handle to dispense the water. You pay for the water when you checkout. 

The high pH water is the most expensive, at 99 cents per gallon (to select this option you just need to push a button on the machine in addition to turning the handle). The other two options are half the price, just 45 cents per gallon. I still can’t get over all of the good I’m doing for my wallet as well as the planet. According to the company’s website, for every 5 gallons of water purchased, 35 single-use plastic bottles are saved.  

I dream of a world where we can all enjoy fresh, clean water without all of the waste that comes with purchasing bottles upon bottles. I have a humidifier in my apartment that I like to use distilled, or the Deionized Water, for, and with storm season soon approaching in Oklahoma, which is located in Tornado Alley, I plan to stock up on several gallons of high pH Water so that I have it on hand in case there is a power outage or I am forced to be indoors for an extended period of time.

Find it in stores: FreshPure Waters High pH Drinking Water, $0.99 for 1 gallon at Whole Foods

Have you tried FreshPure Waters drinking water? Tell us about it in the comments below.