Abbey Verigin

Keep reading to learn more about the Berkey Water Filter. Learn why we chose it, how it’s different, and what we like about it in this Berkey Water Filter review.

For a very, very long time I have wanted a berkey water filter. I did research years ago on various water filters on the market. It seemed like most of the water filters available either filtered out too much, or didn’t filter out enough. The price point kept us from purchasing a Berkey for several years. In hindsight, I wish it was an expense I had made a priority sooner! It turns out when you consider the filter cost and their capability, it is a fairly inexpensive long term investment. In this Berkey Water Filter review, I am sharing why we chose it, how it’s different, and what we love about it.

What Is A Berkey Water Filter

The Berkey Water Filter is a gravity fed water filter. There is a top and a bottom chamber, and with gravity water is pulled from the top chamber through the filters, and into the bottom chamber. All except the Berkey Light are stainless steel. While depending on the size you choose it is quite large, it’s fairly light when empty and doesn’t require any electricity. In an emergency situation we could take this with us and filter water as needed.

What’s So Great About The Berkey Water Filter

If you’re looking into spending around $500 on a water filter, I’m going to go ahead and guess that you want to make sure it’s worth it before you spend your hard earned cash. There are plenty of water filters on the market at much lower price points, so why would you want a berkey water filter?

The water we drink is easily one of the foundations of our health. Clean water, sunlight, nutrition, sleep are all key players when it comes to our health. It doesn’t take much digging to find that most city water is filled with chlorine, fluoride, lead, arsenic, and viruses and bacteria. None of these are particularly things that I want in my water.

Per Berkey, their Black Berkey Purification Elements Remove:

• >99.999% of viruses
• >99.9999% of pathogenic bacteria
• >99.98% trihalomethanes
• Inorganic Minerals up to 99.99%: Chloramine, Chloride, Chlorine Residual, Free Chlorine
• Heavy Metals
• >99.9% Micro-Organisms (including e.Coli)
• >99.9% Pharmaceutical Drug Contaminants (yep, this can be in your water!)
• Pesticides & VOC’s to below lab detectable limits

You can find more detailed information on this straight from Berkey.

While Berkey removes all that junk, it does leave the minerals we need in our water. Consuming water stripped of minerals can be very depleting.

Berkey also has fluoride filters. We are on a water line and our water in untreated, so fluoride is not something we have to worry about. Had we purchased our Berkey while we were living in the city, we would be using the fluoride filters as well.

How Is The Berkey Water Filter Different From Other Filters

There are so many different types of water filters, including reverse osmosis, pitcher systems, under counter systems, etc. To keep it simple, here are some of the differences between Berkey and a store bought, inexpensive pitcher system.

While a Berkey may seem like a more expensive option due to it’s upfront cost, when you compare it to the cost of a typical pitcher filter, Berkey is much, much cheaper at filtering water per gallon. Every Berkey system comes with 2 Black Berkey Purification Elements which will last up to 6000 gallons. Given the cost of a set of the black Berkey filters, it works out to a cost of about 4 cents per gallon. My quick calculation of the cost of a typical store bought pitcher filter based on how many gallons it will filter gives you a cost of about 15 cents per gallon. Long term, Berkey is the cheaper option by far.

The store bought pitcher systems will not remove pathogens, pesticides, herbicides pharmaceutical drug contaminants, or heavy metals like the Berkey does. Depending on the brand, these may reduce them but will not remove them. For a more detailed comparison on many different brands of water filters versus Berkey, check here.

What Size Berkey Water Filter Should I Get

Berkey makes a variety of sizes for water filters. Make your choice based on how you intend to use your Berkey, the space you have, and the size of your family. We went with the Royal Berkey which holds 3.25 gallons, or over 12 litres of water which is recommended for a family of 2-6 people. We use our Berkey for drinking water, to fill pots and the kettle, our coffee maker, fermenting etc. I didn’t want to feel like we were constantly filling up our Berkey if we went with a smaller model.

While it felt like a big expense when we purchased it, I only wish we had went with a Berkey Water Filter sooner. I feel at peace knowing that we are getting some of the best water possible, free of anything harmful. I hope this Berkey Water Filter Review helps you in making your decision!

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Learn how to make DIY Fabric Softener & Scent Booster. The perfect addition to your laundry routine for fresh and soft laundry free of toxins. All you need is epsom salt, baking soda, and essential oils to make this DIY recipe.

I switched over to using completely non-toxic products on my body and in my home over a decade ago now. I first read a book that triggered me to think more about the beauty and personal care products I was using, and that acted as a catalyst to change all the other products I was using. It is a huge passion of mine to advocate for using natural products in the home, and educate others on how toxins impact our health.

Why Should You Clean Up Your Laundry Products

One of the first switches I made was to homemade laundry detergent. The reason I chose my laundry products to be some of the first that I swapped out, was largely to do with not wanting toxic chemicals to be sitting on my skin all day. Did you know that our skin is our largest organ? When we use toxic detergents on our clothing, there’s a good chance that some of that is going to get absorbed. Many conventional cleaning products on the market include ingredients that are known carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and irritants including fragrance, SLS, formaldehyde, benzene, and more. These are not things that have a place in my home.

Prior to cleaning up the products in my home, I loved anything scented! Now I know better that synthetic fragrances are not necessary to make your laundry (and your home) smell great. This DIY fabric softener requires only 2 ingredients you likely already have in your home. While it isn’t necessary, I always load it up with my favorite essential oils to give my laundry that boost. When making your own home cleaning products, just make sure that you are using high quality essential oils to ensure that you aren’t getting any of the synthetic fragrance you are likely looking to avoid. I like to make a large batch of my DIY fabric softener & scent booster at once so I am stocked up for awhile.

How Does DIY Fabric Softener & Scent Booster Work?

My recipe for DIY Fabric Softener and Scent Booster is beyond simple. All you need to make this is epsom salts, baking soda, and essential oils. Not only are the ingredients effective, but they are also super inexpensive.

I use epsom salt and baking soda in this recipe because they help soften laundry. Baking soda is powerful in removing odors in many applications, including from laundry. Lastly, I add essential to help scent my laundry. As a bonus, both epsom salt and baking soda work to leave laundry looking brighter. High quality essential oils are very potent, and you can really customize based on your preference. I typically use lavender in my DIY Fabric Softener & Scent Booster because of it’s soothing aroma, however I also find the scent of Lavender really lingers.

I Washed My Clothes with DIY Fabric Softener & Scent Booster And They Don’t Smell Like Anything

There are a couple of reasons why this could be. First, I would look at the brand of essential oils that you are using. I am very particular with the oils that I use. Most essential oils on the market are filled with synthetic fragrance or diluted with carrier oils as the industry is not regulated. Not only will this effect their performance, but even more importantly their safety. This could be contributing to why you aren’t finding the scent linger on your clothes out of the wash.

I would keep in mind that natural fragrance from pure essential oils will never be as strong as synthetic fragrance. Every store bought laundry scent booster I have seen are filled with synthetic fragrance among other toxins. If you’re expecting that same result with natural, pure essential oils it’s time to rethink that. I also find that some oils linger better than others. I find that when I use citrus oils, they typically don’t last as long on my clothes. Lavender is my go to, and it lasts through the wash, dryer, and in my closet. Something to consider is that you are putting the oils through the wash where your clothes will be rinsed after. Some people have better luck adding oils to dryer balls before transferring clothes into the dryer. I often do this as well, though I don’t find it necessary.

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Classic, nourishing chicken noodle soup made with bone broth for added gut healing benefits. This version of the classic soup is gluten free, and makes for the perfect hearty winter meal.

We have been in the thick of soup season for several months now, and while the snow is beginning to melt and the grass is peaking through, I’ll still be making plenty of soup until it becomes too hot to bear. Chicken noodle soup is a classic. It is the epitome of comfort in a bowl, and when made with the right ingredients it will nourish your body as well as your soul.

What makes this chicken noodle soup special?

You may already have a favorite recipe for this classic soup, this is ours! There are a few things that I feel make this chicken noodle soup special.

For this recipe I use bone broth. I also cook with grass-fed butter, use fresh herbs in place of dry, and more garlic than is probably socially acceptable. Does anyone actually use 2 cloves of garlic when the recipe calls for it? I don’t think so! I like to use bone broth for it’s amino acid profile, being rich in glycine, which we don’t typically get much of with our society’s focus on muscle meats. The bone broth as well as the butter creates a rich base to the soup. There’s nothing worse than a watery, bland soup broth. Using fresh herbs in place of dry truly does elevate the flavor, and adds a little nutrition. As for garlic, well, there’s no cooking without it, but it also is loaded with medicinal properties. All the more reason to use plenty, especially if you’re feeling run down!

Why do I crave chicken noodle soup when I am sick?

Chicken noodle soup has a reputation of being the ultimate comfort food that everyone gravitates towards when they are feeling under the weather. Sure, often times it ends up coming from a can, but the homemade version is the perfect food to support your body while it’s fighting illness. There are several reasons why we crave chicken noodle soup when we’re sick. It’s warm, hydrating, and comforting. It’s also chock full of nutrients from the carrots, celery, garlic, onion, and bone broth. Bone broth contains amino acids that we often are lacking, that are known to enhance immunity.

Can I make substitutions?

Absolutely! One of the things I love most about soup is that it doesn’t require much of a recipe, it’s easy to make substitutions as needed.

Substitutions are easy to make in this recipe for chicken noodle soup made with bone broth. If you don’t have bone broth on hand, feel free to use chicken or vegetable stock in it’s place. Dry herbs can easily be used in place of fresh. If I don’t have butter on hand, which is a very, very rare occurrence, oil works as well. I prefer coconut oil. For noodles, I typically use gluten free brown rice spaghetti, but any pasta of your choice will work!

• In place of bone broth, feel free to use chicken or vegetable stock.
• Dry herbs can be used in place of fresh in a pinch. Decrease the measurements as noted in the recipe.
• I sometimes use oil in place of butter if I have to. I prefer coconut oil.
• Use whichever noodles you like. I use gluten free brown rice spaghetti, but any variation will work.
• Carrots, onions, and garlic are essential, but I have made this often without celery.

Can I use precooked chicken?

For sure. A simple roasted chicken is an almost weekly staple in our household. I have pretty much stopped buying chicken breasts. Roasting a whole chicken is more affordable, more flavorful, and gives us plenty of leftovers. I also love that we can utilize the bones for bone broth. With the leftover shredded or chopped chicken we inevitably have, I often incorporate it into soup. All you need to do is skip the step in the recipe of cooking the chicken breast. After adding the broth, add in the chicken and bring it to a boil until the chicken is heated through.

How to make chicken noodle soup with bone broth:

Homemade chicken noodle soup with bone broth is easy to make, and it needs very little hands on time.

Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente. I use gluten free brown rice pasta, however you can use any kind you’d like. Drain, rinse, and set aside. I find cooking the noodles separately instead of in the broth makes for the best soup.

Next, I melt the butter in my favorite dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add in the carrots, celery, and onion. I continue cooking the vegetables for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until they begin to soften. Next, I stir in the garlic and push the vegetables to the sides of the pot.

Turn heat up to medium and sear the chicken breasts for 3 minutes per side, until golden. Next I pour in my chicken bone broth and turn the heat up to high. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to medium high. Continue cooking for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Next, I shred the chicken. I do this right in the pot using two forks, however you can remove them from the pot if you find that easier! Stir in the pasta, and enjoy!

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