Erle Shipley

That's a super common question, and I'm here to back up what the first user said: don't panic and don't assume it's a major deficiency! The spots are almost certainly just punctate leukonychia, and they're harmless. I've had them appear after a bad manicure where the technician was a little too rough with the buffing. They are basically imperfections in the nail as it's forming. A different scenario, though, is if the entire nail is turning white, or if you have white bands/lines running across the nail (leukonychia striata). That is when you might need to check with a doctor, as those bands (sometimes called Mees' lines) can, in very rare cases, be related to systemic illnesses, certain medications (like chemotherapy), or even heavy metal poisoning. But again, for the small, irregular white spots, just keep your nails moisturized, protect them from injury (especially the base/cuticle area), and they will literally just grow out over the next few weeks or months! They're like a tiny scar in the nail.

This is actually a more complex question than it seems! Pure water itself doesn't really have a "taste" in the traditional sense—what we perceive as water's taste is actually the absence of strong flavors, combined with how it feels in our mouths. The temperature and mineral content dramatically affect what we experience. Cooler water often tastes "better" because it's more refreshing, while the minerals in tap water (like calcium, magnesium, or sodium) create subtle flavor differences. If water has a distinct taste, it's usually due to these dissolved minerals or treatment chemicals like chlorine.