Water is Life

We all know we are supposed to drink water. And yes, water is gluten-free, so why write about it? Because there is more to good health than sticking to a gluten-free diet. And there is more to water than one might think.

Water makes up nearly 60 percent of the adult human body. It makes up more than 90 percent of our blood, more than 75 percent of our muscles, about 64 percent of our skin, more than 70 percent of our brain and heart, and around 80 percent of our lungs!

Recently there has been a lot of buzz about alkaline water. Health benefit claims of alkaline water include regulating the body’s pH level, slowing the aging process, and preventing chronic diseases such as cancer.

To understand alkaline water and determine if it really is beneficial, first we need to understand pH.

The pH scale goes from zero to 14 – zero being completely acidic, seven being neutral, and 14 being completely alkaline (also called basic). To put that into perspective:

• Human stomach acid – between 1.5 and 3.5 pH.
• Sodas, processed cheeses, and sausages – 3 pH.
• Brown rice, unsalted butter, and average tap water – 7 pH.
• Baking soda and many green vegetables – 10 pH.

Water that is eight or higher on the pH scale is considered alkaline water, which can be beneficial.

To get a better understanding of the benefits of alkaline water, I recently talked to the people at AlkaWonder, a new company that bottles natural alkaline water, with a pH of 9.4. The water comes from a spring at the foot of the Western Carpathian Mountains in Romania and gets filtered naturally through layers of 145-million-year-old stones!

AlkaWonder is an example of naturally alkaline water that is low in total dissolved solids. This is important because water that is high in total dissolved solids has too much calcium salt, which can be harmful to the kidneys. AlkaWonder is also healthier for you than artificially alkalized water (usually done through an ionization machine) because it will remain at the same alkaline level even after being bottled and stored, whereas artificially alkalized water will eventually revert back to its original alkaline level if not consumed quick enough.

The benefits of alkaline water include better hydration, lower blood sugar in diabetes patients, lower blood pressure and blood lipids, reduction in acid reflux, and much more. Also, maintaining a balanced pH is said to have a huge impact on health, possibly preventing ailments like arthritis, osteoporosis, stroke, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and more.

AlkaWonder is available in bottles as well as watercooler jugs for home or offices. Its bottles are BPA-free and are now shipping worldwide!