Alkaline Water – A Super Healthy Beverage or Another Fraud?

Many people believe that alkaline water is much healthier than both tap and bottled water. Advocates of alkaline water believe that, as it has a lower pH, it provides both better hydration and nutrition than regular water. However, things are not that simple.

Today, water is manufactured and bottled in different ways. Its chemical makeup can be changed or nutrients can be added to it to change its pH.

So, what makes water alkaline and how do you benefit from it?

What is Alkaline Water?

A combination of hydrogen and oxygen produces water. Its pH level tells us how acidic it is. Water acidity ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 being considered neutral (i.e balanced). Below 7 makes it acidic, while above 7 makes it alkaline. Most tap waters are acidic or slightly acidic.

Drinking acidic water such as tap water can contribute to body acidity and when you increase the acidity of your blood and cells which, in the long term, contributes to the development of many diseases. But, when you water which is neutral and in its purest form, you are giving your body the chance to effectively cleanse your system, flush out toxins, and revitalize body cells.

The best water recommended by science and medicine is natural spring water. Natural spring water is the purest form of water and at a neutral pH.

But what about alkaline water? Is it healthy? What benefits does it have? Well, some people believe that drinking alkaline water helps you reduce the overall acidity of your blood. They believe Alkaline water has many health benefits, ranging from improved digestion, increased energy, to slower aging. There are also claims that alkaline water can destroy cancer cells. But what is fact and what is myth?

Inasmuch as alkaline water is purported healthy, what benefits we ascribe to it will depend a lot on how we source it. Or what ingredients it contains. And so, while an alkaline water made from natural spring water and zest of key lime juice or tamarind juice is perfectly healthy.

About 10-20% of your daily needs of minerals come from the water you take, so it’s important to take water that is highly rich is natural minerals. Plain Natural spring water is the easy go to, but many find taking as much as a gallon of water daily is not that appetizing. So, I found a way to ramp up my motivation for taking 4 liters of water daily by making my own refreshing alkaline water made from spring water!

So, as water made by adding one or two additional alkaline ingredients tastes more refreshing than regular water, you will probably drink more water than you normally do. That way, drinking alkaline water becomes a way of boosting your mineral intake.

6 Benefits of Alkaline Water

There are many benefits of alkaline water although science does not support these claims. 6 main benefits of alkaline water include:

1. Helps with detoxification

Toxic overload may lead to chronic fatigue, low energy,  bloating, mental confusion, etc. If you take alkaline water regularly, it can help you rid your body of heavy metals. Recent studies even suggest that people living in alkaline-rich areas are naturally protected against mercury.

2. Helps with weight loss

Several studies suggest that obese individuals drinking two liters of alkaline water a day can lose about 12 pounds over two months.

3. Helps reduce acid reflux (heartburn)

Those who struggle with acid influx are familiar with the burning feeling in their chest after a meal. Alkaline water seems to be a natural therapy for this condition. It not only lowers the overall acidity of blood but as it contains pepsin, an enzyme that plays a role in acid reflux, alkaline water can relieve heartburn naturally.

4. Improves bone health

Several recently published studies suggest that alkaline water is more important for healthy bones than milk. It contains two markers associated with bone loss – PTH and S-CTX.

5. Provides antioxidant benefits

Alkaline water is a natural antioxidant that can neutralize harmful radicals in the body. It’s even healthier if mixed with vitamin C.

6. Improves your heart health

Drinking alkaline water every day for 3-6 months can reduce certain risk factors associated with heart disease, eg high blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol.

Alkaline Water Facts and Myths

Alkaline water is a relatively new phenomenon so not surprisingly, quite a few myths surround the idea that alkaline foods or water can improve your health.

5 common myths regarding alkaline water:

1. Alkaline water cures disease

Alkaline water has many health benefits but is not a drug. On its own, it may not cure a disease but it surely supports your overall health in many different ways.  How effective it is to healing is highly dependent on what ingredients it contains.

2. Kangen water is better for your health

Kangen water is a brand of ionized water that has been successfully used to improve mild digestive problems in Japan and Korea.

3. Alkaline water melts the pounds away

On its own, alkaline water cannot help you shed pounds but it can be a part of a healthy lifestyle which includes a healthy diet and regular exercise.

4. Bottled water is a substitute for alkaline water

A fact that many people are not aware of is that bottled water contains BPA, a harmful chemical used in the production of plastic bottles and food containers. Heat makes BPA leech out of plastic  which is why you should never drink bottled water that has been in a hot car.

On the other hand, alkaline water made at home has no BPA. Besides, bottled water is usually tap water that has been bottled. Until it is processed with a water ionizer which will purify it and remove chlorine, and alkalized, it is no match for alkaline water.

Where to Buy Alkaline Water?

So, how do you really get alkaline water? You can either buy it from specialized shops or you make it at home. But many of the store bought alkaline water brands are turning out to be highly overrated, unnecessary or even outright fraud. I stopped buying store-bought alkaline water a long time ago, because many of the brands, I cannot trust.

So, I make my own alkaline water at home. You can you make your own alkaline water at home. Its very simple. And needs only a handful of ingredients.

How to Make Alkaline Water at Home

Making alkaline water at home is not difficult and all you need is a few ingredients that you may already have in your kitchen. Or, you can buy an alkaline water filter machine.

However, please note that alkalizing your water does not make it free of any impurities it may contain so to be on the safe side, use only pure natural spring water as your base.

2 Approved methods of making alkaline water:

• Method 1: Key Limes

This method takes longer, between 8 – 12 hours. You can use either whole key limes or 100% pure key lime juice. If you can’t tell key limes from regular limes, check out this post on how to differentiate key limes from persian limes. Cut up a key lime into 8 slices and put them in water (you don’t have to squeeze them). Close the water container tightly and let it sit for 8 – 12 hours (or overnight) at room temperature. Key lime water is not only alkaline but is also rich in many minerals and vitamins including potassium and vitamin C. We use key limes in a variety of dishes including the famous Key lime pie recipe.

• Method 2: Green Coconut Water

You can make alkaline water from green coconut water. Simply add the water from a medium green coconut to a cup of natural spring water.

• Method 3: Alkaline Water Drops

You can buy alkaline water drops that are a concentrated alkaline solution. Look out for good brands and use 1 drop per 1 liter of water. Shake or stir until dissolved.

What is the Difference Between a Key Lime and a Lime?

What Water does Dr. Sebi approve of?

According to Dr. Sebi method, you should drink ONLY natural spring water. Natural spring water contains all the natural rock minerals present from leeching.

Natural spring water is also one of the purest forms of water and helps flush out accumulated toxins.

Dr. Sebi recommends drinking about 1 gallon (3.8 liters) of natural spring water every day for best benefits.

Natural spring water, together with many of the herbs from Dr. Sebi Food list are diuretics that increase urination; and so, toxins are naturally flushed out through urine, stool, and sweat.

However, as noted earlier, making your own alkaline water from approved ingredients is perfectly okay. Just be mindful of dangerous or controversial commercial brands that may contain ingredients that are not Sebi approved.

Final Notes

Alkaline water is great but how great it is would only depend how how its sourced or made. I get asked all the time if its appropriate to make alkaline water from baking soda or lemon juice or aloe vera or even mint.

Although alkaline water made from these ingredients are being touted as healthy is many health circles, however remember these so called “healthy ingredients” are not Dr. Sebi approved. Always keep in mind that whatever food we make, we must only use ingredients listed in the approved nutritional guide or download it here.