Water is a big deal, especially when it comes it health. We consume about 3 quarts of water daily, just to survive. Many celebs including Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, and Jared Leto, to name a few are turning to an alkaline diet, which includes drinking alkaline water. The idea behind an alkaline diet is to maintain a good alkaline-acid balance in your body. This is accomplished by keeping your blood chemistry level at the slightly alkaline pH level of 7.4. You can eat plant foods high in alkaline levels such as fruits and vegetables, seeds, nuts, seeds, and healthy oils are rich in iron, magnesium, copper, calcium, and zinc. You can also drink water that has higher alkaline levels.
Alkaline pH Level
One reason behind drinking alkaline water is that it helps the body get rid of toxins. The toxins we are referring to are acids, those foods with a high acidic content high, especially meats, breads, pasta, soft drinks, seafood, jams and jellies to name a few. To maintain the right pH balance while detoxifying, you need to consume foods and drinks with an abundance of alkaline buffers. Most noteworthy is alkaline water. Water high in alkaline contains magnesium, potassium, calcium, silica, and bicarbonate which helps buffers a body’s acidity level.
Alkaline Water Benefits
Some studies reported that drinking water with high alkaline levels helps your gut by protecting your body from bad bacteria or viruses. Additionally, lab experiments have shown that alkaline water lowers a body’s glycemic (blood sugar) index, reduces liver damage, and diabetes. In addition, athletes drink alkaline water to help increase their performance before fatigue sets in, often triggered by increased acid levels. Lastly, Dr.Oz wrote in his blog that drinking high quality alkaline water can greatly improve various gastrointestinal disorders.
All water is not the same. Some are filtered, purified, treated, distilled, deionized, and alkaline. To maintain a high alkaline level, look for a bottle labeled with a pH level of 7.0 to get the best benefit. Labs tested many water brands to measure their pH levels. These are some of their top findings:
- Waiakea Hawaiian Volcanic Water 8.8
- Mountain Valley 8.35
- Dannon Natural spring water 7.84
- Deer Park 7.8
- Evian 7.9
- VOSS 7.6
- Whole Foods 365 Water 7.5
- Zephyrhills 7.5
- Fiji 7.5
- Vittel 7.5
Check with your local water district and determine your tap water pH level. You may be surprised. Here’s some samples:
- St. Louis tap water 9.5
- Palm Beach Municipal water 8.13
- Los Angeles tap water 7.5
- New York City tap water 7.0
Lastly, consult your physician before drinking water with high alkaline levels, especially if you have a kidney disorder.
What brand of water do you drink?