The use of clay pots for storing drinks is a traditional way that is often said to be outdated, especially with the emergence of various trendy options such as plastic and aluminum. However, there are lots of benefits that arise from the use of claypot.
Initially, the clay pot is often used for kitchen purposes, like to store food ingredients and for cooking. The primary material used in making clay pots is glazed or unglazed pottery. Clay is initially created using various techniques (e.g., molding, throwing, coiling or pinching), which is then dried and fired at high temperatures (212 degrees Fahrenheit) to affirm the shape of the clay pot. The Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia in Pottery states that clay crafts are one of the oldest works of art in the world, so they are often found in various historical cultures.
The use of Claypot
In ancient Chinese culture, the clay pot was used to cook rice pots, often called rice casseroles. The use of clay, in this case, was the initial trend before the development of cooking utensils made of aluminum and stainless steel. Some people in China often cook rice using a clay pot that is burned with charcoal to produce a distinctive-nuttier flavor. The use of a clay pot in cooking rice not only produces moist and fluffy rice but also creates a crust on the edges of the clay pot, which adds texture to the dish. Nowadays, the clay pot is used for cooking and serving food to keep the food warm and give a traditional and authentic impression of the dish. Regarding drinking purposes, in Indonesia, the practice of storing water in clay pots is still quite widespread among the people.
Clay crafts such as clay pots are considered a part of local history and culture passed down from generation to generation. The manufacture of clay crafts was initially intended to fulfill household utensils. Gradually, clay crafts have also become part of the community's livelihood, which provides economic benefits. Some locations in Indonesia that are famous for clay crafts include Kasongan Village (Yogyakarta), Kapal Village (Bali) and Anjun Tourism Village (West Java).
Clay is also an environmentally friendly substitute for plastic utensils, Although clay has a texture that tends to be more vulnerable, furniture materials with clay are heat resistant and have the most negligible negative impact on health. Only some plastic materials are resistant to heat in the microwave or other cooking processes. In some cases, the use of plastic at high temperatures will result in the contamination of food ingredients. This also includes plastic bottle packaging that contaminates beverages due to exposure to sunlight. Plastic materials are also non-biodegradable, so they will end up in landfills or in our oceans. However, besides being environmentally friendly, using clay pots to store drinking water also has several positive health impacts on the body.
Benefits of Drinking from the Clay Pot
1. Maintain the pH balance in the body
The human body is acidic; meanwhile, the clay pot is alkaline in nature, so the combination of the two results in creating a balanced pH level in the body. Controlling intake into the body plays a huge role in balancing the body's pH to prevent the development of various viral or bacterial diseases. When the body's pH level is clinically traying from the standard pH balance (7.35-7.45), the body can experience various possible health problems. Especially if the body has a high acidity level, it can affect the ability to circulate oxygen throughout the body, resulting in fatigue and decreased immunity.
2. Increase Metabolism
Metabolism is the chemical processing in our body by nutrients absorbed by the body and converted into energy. Metabolism is needed to maintain the health of body tissues. Drinking water stored in a clay pot will maintain testosterone levels in the body, which is known to be very good at supporting metabolism. Some plastic materials containing Bisphenol A or BPA have been shown to reduce testosterone levels and can damage the endocrine glands in the long term. In addition to maintaining testosterone levels in the body, water stored in clay pots also contains mineral levels compared to water stored in plastic containers. This is because clay generally contains minerals that support metabolic processes in the body.
3. Refreshing Our Body
Consuming water in the heat of summer or during strenuous activities can refresh the body. However, in some situations, the temperature of the water also affects the sensation of freshness. The clay pot surface generally has pores that allow the evaporation process to store drinking water. This process gives a cold sensation to the water so that it can refresh the body, especially when we have a sunstroke in the summer; making a clay pot a solution to improve your drinking experience at a low cost.
4. Filter out Impurities in Drinking Water
The surface with microscopic pores on the clay pot is not only used for air circulation. Several types of clay pots are used as clay-based water filters. The surface covered with microscopic pores is intended to filter drinking water from various dissolved substances that are harmful to the body. Water will seep through the pores in the clay filter, which is then accommodated in a container for daily consumption.
Water Filter Using Clay-based filter
An example of a drinking water filter product that still uses clay as the primary material is a ceramic water filter from Terra Water Indonesia. The clay content not only provides a cooling sensation but is very effective in trapping various bacteria dissolved in water. Terra ceramic filter combined clay material with colloidal silver and activated carbon that supports each other in producing drinking water that is clinically tested.
With a filter speed of 2 liters per hour, you can trap bacteria and parasites in the microscopic pores of rainwater, rivers, lakes and tap water. This ceramic filter technology has been supported by various prestigious health and technological institutions worldwide, such as the World Health Organization, the United Nations, and the Center for Disease Control in the USA, among many Ministries of Health, including the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia. Get your clay-based water filter now!