A few days back, I was at a store. I came across water filters that claimed they increase energy and regulate the body’s pH level. It tempted me. To add something more healthy to my regimen, I purchased an expensive filter without knowing what I was really buying. Now that I have read up a little on Alkaline Water, I want to share my thoughts on it.

First, let’s understand what Alkaline Water is and how different it is from regular water. Certainly, it boils down to the pH levels. Liquids with a pH closer to 0 are very acidic while liquids with a pH close to 14 are very alkaline. Pure water is neutral and has a pH of 7.0 whereas Alkaline Water has a pH between 7-9.5.

In today’s fast paced world, our gastric acid levels have increased. Due to our dependence on processed foods, artificial additives, refined sugar, increasing stress levels and reduced physical activity, there’s an imbalance in the acid and alkaline environment in our body. So we are moving towards quick fixes like alkaline water.

Advantages of alkaline water

• The most important health benefit of alkaline water is to fight acid reflux, which is a common health concern these days
• It makes us feel more energetic as our body is able to absorb it more quickly
• Healthier gut, as higher pH water protects us from dangerous microorganisms due to its negative oxidation-reduction potential (ORP).
• Provides antioxidants
• Protection from contaminated water

Disadvantages of Alkaline water

• Digestive malfunction – drinking alkaline water can cause steep changes in the levels of pH and can hinder the digestion process
• Can cause a condition called hypochlorhydria, that is the reduced absorption of calcium in our body
• Presence of too many ions in the body can result in acute dehydration at the cellular level
• Exert pressure on the kidney to bring the pH level to ideal

Artificial Alkaline Water

Lot of water ionizers are available in the market these days. In essence, what they do is split the water molecules with electricity to create alkaline water. We get them in the form of water filters or filter bottles.

All water found in nature has a pH that perfectly corresponds to the minerals in water. When we drink alkaline water, our body assumes it is receiving alkaline minerals like calcium and magnesium. The problem with ionized water is that the body thinks it is receiving more alkaline minerals than what are actually present in the water.

Before the body is stressed by the artificial alkalinity, the first 30 days might make you feel better due to the presence of antioxidants and hydration. Other side effects can be erratic heart behavior, hypertension, UTI, infections etc.

It is also advised that if we are drinking ionized water or artificially alkaline water, we should measure our bodies pH daily and regulate the consumption accordingly.

Few Interesting facts about our body’s pH

• Our body regulates blood pH in a very narrow range because all the enzymes are designed to work at pH 7.4. If the pH varies too much it will not be able to function
• We cannot change the pH of our blood but our diet does affect the pH of our urine. Normally urine is at pH 6, which is acidic but normal and shows our kidney is working fine
• The pH of the stomach acid or gastric acid is 1.5 – 3.5 which is required for the proper digestion of our food . Alkaline ions might cancel the acid and neutralize it
• It is the job of the lungs, liver and kidney to maintain a normal pH of our body
• The most common minerals found in water are calcium, potassium, copper, manganese, magnesium and iron. According to World Health Organisation(WHO), water contributes to 1-20% of the dietary intake of some trace minerals

How to Make Your Body Alkaline Naturally

• Start your day with a glass of lemon water
• Add a tsp of natural baking soda to water and drink it the first thing in the morning.  It helps neutralise stomach acids and provides relief from indigestion in adults
• Add some cucumber slices to water to make it alkaline
• Store water in a copper vessel and drink it in the morning
• Drink cumin water or cumin tea. Cumin water generally stimulates the secretion of digestive enzymes and accelerates the digestion process, thus helping you fight gut issues
• Vegetable juice will not only make your body alkaline but add various nutrients to your diet too
• Start your day with a glass of water with 1-2 tbsp of Aloe Vera juice added to it. Aloe Vera juice alkalizes the body, balancing overly acidic dietary habits
• Drink natural coconut water. The pH acidic level in the body turns alkaline when you drink coconut water and that’s why it’s good for acidity
• Add more fruits and vegetables in your diet. According to the Institute of medicine 20% of water comes from food sources

Naturally occurring alkaline water is undoubtedly good for health but what we get in the present times is water that is artificially made alkaline. If our goal is to be healthy why would we drink or eat anything artificial.