In order to support our good health, the ideal pH of drinking water should be neutral – slightly alkaline, matching the optimal pH balance in human body.
But,
Do we really need to drink Alkaline Water?
First of all, what is Alkaline water?
As I’ve shown in the pH of drinking water page, alkaline water is water that is off the normal level on the pH scale. The neutral situation which is optimal for our health is 7.2. Numbers below or above this can be dangerous, depending on how far they go off.
In nature, the alkalinity of water is given by the presence of dissolved salts of Calcium and Magnesium. We call this “Hard Water” and we normally eliminate it with water softeners. This type of water is not dangerous to our health if it’s not consumed on a regular basis, but it’s not beneficial either 😉
It is true that in our modern life there are many condition that increase the level of acidity in the body. Based on this and on other related hypes, some opportunists thought to take advantage of naive consumers. They started to build and sell devices that artificially “produce” alkaline water, by “ionization”.
Be aware of alkaline ionized water quackery!
However drinking alkaline water will not solve our body acidity. The water we drink goes into the stomach only. The pH of the human body, is measured in the blood. The only thing this water can do is to interfere with our gastric juices (acidic) and eventually slow down our digestion – nothing else.
So, how can you maintain a neutral pH?
The truth is that we don’t really need to worry too much about it. When we are healthy, the pH balance is corrected by our body through the lungs and kidneys. What we can do, is just try to avoid acid producing situations, like:
- Avoid too much exposure to electromagnetic fields and spend some time outside to oxygenate your lungs, while treating yourself with some negative ions
- Worry less and try to relax. There are many methods of spa therapy for relaxation
- Aerobic exercises by nature are meant to oxygenate your body. One of the most relaxing and enjoyable forms of exercising is actually water aerobics
- Eat a balanced diet containing healthy foods
- Drinking enough water will help wash out the eventual acid producing toxins
– In case you suffer from heartburn and need to drink alkaline water, you can add a pinch of baking soda or sea salt in your glass.
– An alternative is to add some freshly squeezed lemon juice to the water you drink (the lemon juice appears to be acid, but inside our body it becomes alkaline, like all citrus fruit). * In addition, it tastes good, is refreshing and will help you stay hydrated
