Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a number one priority for every human being, right? Especially if you’re spending plenty of time outdoors, you want your body to be in its best possible shape so you could survive in a case of emergency. One of the most popular and effective ways of staying healthy nowadays is by consuming alkaline water and if you are wondering how to make alkaline water, you’ve found the right article.
Besides taking alkaline water, a lot of experts recommend consuming food that is on the alkaline end of the healthy food spectrum and by doing that you will achieve an overall healthy and alkaline body. Also, by learning how to make water alkaline, you will always have an endless source of health on reach and your organism will be forever thankful.
We have created this article in order to get you familiar with the concept of alkaline water, the possible methods for making it at home, as well as its benefits and possible drawbacks. Luckily, there are few methods on how to make it and the benefits from it are numerous. So, bear with us for 15 minutes and let this healthy ‘charm’ to win your hearts as it won ours too.
What is Alkaline Water?
Whether the water is alkaline or acidic it is because of its pH level. “pH” refers to the amount of hydrogen ions that are contained in a particular substance and the more they are contained within the substance, the more acidic it becomes. In order for the water to become more acidic, these particular ions are being attached to the water molecules.
A Thing or Two About pH Levels
The pH level of water is neutral and if it is measured on a scale of 1-14, it has a level of 7. Each substance that is in the spectrum below 7, it is said that it is acidic, while those above 7 are basic, or alkaline.
For example, many processed foods, such as white bread, sweets, pasta, popcorn, or animal products such as meat, cheese and eggs have a pH level up to 6 and they are referred as acidic products.
However, they are part of many modern diets which in turn contributes for the creation of acidic pH level in our organism. Therefore drinking alkaline water can increase the ability of our organism to resist particular diseases and maintain an overall healthy lifestyle.
Tap Water – Neutral or Not?
Even though tap water it is supposed to be pH neutral, its level can change when it is travelling through the pipelines from the water factories to our homes. That is because it can attract hazardous metals from the pipelines which will make it acidic and unhealthy.
Before engaging into any filtering process, you can first find out the pH level of the water by testing it with special pH stripes. If you prefer, you can even make the stripes at home with the help of red cabbage.
Homemade pH Stripes
What you need to do is blend the cabbage with a bit of water so that you can get out the juice. Then, you need to boil the cabbage together with the juice and dip a filter paper inside until it is thoroughly soaked and colored.
Once it is dried just cut it into stripes and they are ready for use. Be sure though to test it in acidic and alkaline substances before dipping it in water in order to reassure that you’ve got it right.
If the color of the stripe once you dip it shows yellow to red shades, then the water is acidic. Blue to violet tones will indicate that the water is basic, while green stands for neutral.
What are the Benefits of Drinking Alkaline Water?
There can be many health benefits of drinking alkaline water and in general, its role is to improve the overall performance of the body. If being healthy is not a good enough reason for you to turn to drinking basic water, take a look at these following reasons why you should start as soon as possible.
Boosting the Whole Immune System
It is scientifically proven that consuming alkaline goods will improve your overall health and immune system of your whole body. While it may be harder to integrate the habit of eating alkaline food most of the time, it will be easier to stuff your organism with alkaline water.
By doing so, you will be less likely to develop the flu or catch a cold and even protect yourself from developing serious diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and even cancer.
Also, it will make you feel quite rejuvenated, it could improve the pH level in your bloodstream and can deal with bone loss. The water will actually convert all of the radicals into oxygen, which your body will further on use it for increasing the energy production and for tissue oxygenation.
Increasing Energy Levels
Who needs an energy drink when you can improve the energy production of your body with the right dosage of alkaline water? In general, water is known for improving all of your bodily functions, by keeping your system hydrated all the time.
But, by drinking alkaline water not only that your body won’t feel tired and fatigued, but it will also have the proper nutrients that it needs for proper functioning which cannot be obtained from regular tap water.
Replacing Anti-age Creams
As we have already mentioned, alkaline water battles the free radicals and that is because it is negatively charged and it is considered as an “antioxidant”. The same as these properties are effective when it comes to preventing diseases, they are quite effective in slowing down the ageing process.
The alkaline water will slow down the appearance of sagging skin and wrinkles because it is effective in reducing the cellular and DNA damages caused by those free radicals.
The overall skin health will be improved and you will get to enjoy a more beautiful and glowing complexion. You will have a younger appearance as getting older has nothing to do with aging itself – aging is caused because too many body tissues are being damaged.
Improving Digestion
Probably one of the most beneficial outcomes from the consumption of alkaline water is the improved digestion. If you tend to consume more spicy food and alcohol and on top of that if you tend to overeat, you might cause an overproduction of stomach acids which can go back into the gullet as a regurgitated gastric acid and as a consequence it can cause a heartburn. If this condition repeats several times, it can damage the inner walls of the gullet and trigger serious diseases.
In addition to the stomach acid, you might experience other problems, such as nausea, indigestion, vomiting and bloating. So, in order to protect yourself from all of those side effects, including alkaline water in your diet will soothe the effects of unpleasant acid and will improve your overall digestion.
Lowering the Risk of Osteoporosis
The more acidic the organism is, the weaker the bones will be, as they will lose their mineral density which can possible lead to an occurrence of osteoporosis. If it is not prevented appropriately in the early stages and treated properly, for some people it can cause consequences for the rest of their lives.
This disease can easily progress without you being aware of it and it can even result in a sudden bone fracture. The wrists, the hips and the spine are most prone to exhibit osteoporosis-related bone fracture, but it is not limited only to those, as almost any bone can be a victim of osteoporosis.
Increases the Possibility of a Weight Loss
Probably one of the eternal struggles of them all is the problem with weight gains. We strive towards healthier lifestyle all the time, but quite often we can get lost on the way. One of the reasons for gaining weight is because various toxins are being accumulated and stored in the fat tissue. The body will hold onto the fat as an adaptive mechanism because if it has too much acid it cannot be easily processed and consequently, there can be a lot of serious problems.
Once you reduce the level of acidity, you can more easily get rid of unnecessary fat, because the body needs it in order to battle it. By incorporating alkaline water and alkaline diet in your lifestyle, you can finally get the desired weight you have always dreamt of.
Healthy Methods of Making Alkaline Water at Home
While you can easily turn to the stores to buy alkaline water, we recommend to make it at home, because nothing is as healthy and nice as the homemade. For that purpose we have learnt about few methods of making alkaline water at home and following in the rest of this article, you can get familiar with each of them and you can try them on your own.
However before trying any of the methods, don’t forget to check the pH level of the water first. As the usual pH level of the water is 7, you will want to increase it to approximately 9 and you can check this by using the pH stripes, no matter if they are store-bought or homemade.
Alkalize by Using Baking Soda
This method is probably the most popular one. It is really easy and all you have to do is mix the water with baking soda. The sodium bicarbonate is one of the most famous basic substances and it has a pH level of 9. It is sold in every store and it is a quite cheap alternative for making alkaline water.
The ratio of water-to-baking soda is ½ tablespoon of sodium bicarbonate per 1 gallon of water. Once you combine them, you have to stir them well and strenuously until the baking soda dissolves completely. Some even recommend to bake the sodium bicarbonate before dissolving it, because it may increase the chances of making the water alkaline.
This version of alkaline water will have increased level of sodium, so it is not recommended for people with kidney problems, diabetes or other medical problems, but it has a positive impact on indigestion and heartburn. However, it is wise to speak with your doctor before using this method.
Alkalize by Using Lemons
If you didn’t fall for the baking soda, then lemons might win your heart. They are really acidic, but once consumed, they will alkalize in our bodies because they are also anionic. If you plan to make one gallon of alkaline water, you will need approximately 2 lemons.
Cut the lemons into eights and place them at the bottom of the container and pour them with water. It is not necessary to squeeze them because they will slowly dissolve in the water as you will have to let them sit overnight at room temperature.
Once it is ready you can consume it and you can enjoy in its refreshing taste. This version of the alkaline water is also very rich with vitamins and minerals that are necessary for the functioning of our brains.
Alkalize by Using pH Drops
If you don’t have much time on disposal, then alkalizing your water by using pH drops is the fastest way to do it. This method for preparing the alkaline water has the least complicated procedure and you can just simply buy the drops from the stores.
The package contains instructions on how much of the drops should be put in the water and you can rest assured that your water will be properly alkalized. The drops are consisted of highly concentrated alkaline minerals and all you have to do is stir them in the water.
However, the good thing always come at a price and so is the case with this method. Even though it is one of the fastest ways to convert tap water to alkaline water, it is one of the most expensive ways too, as its price might range from $6 to $20.
Alkalize by Using Water Ionizer
If you want a wellspring of ionized water, then the water ionizer is the one for you. Its purpose is to provide you with two different kinds of water, alkaline and acidic. The alkaline one is great for drinking and cooking, while the acidic one comes out of a separate hose and you can use it for washing dishes, hands or to simply bathe in it.
Placing a water ionizer though requires more space in your kitchen, as it has to be placed on the counter itself, unless it is attached by a professional as a faucet. Through the process of electrolysis, the positive ions of the water are gathered at negative electrodes, while the anions are gathered at the positive electrodes using electricity.
Alkalize by Using Reverse Osmosis
Similar as the water ionizer is the reverse osmosis water filter and it is an ideal alternative for highly effective filtering of the water as well as for making it alkaline.
This water filter works on such a way that it uses osmotic pressure and microscopic filter membranes which will allow only for hydrogen and oxygen to pass through them. When water flows through the system, it passes through several membranes which remove all of the bacteria. In the end, it also passes through a carbon filter and every lasting bit of smell, or color is removed.
Overdosing on Alkaline Water
Even though it doesn’t exist enough evidence on a possible overdose from alkaline water, there might be some unpleasant side-effects such as bladder and urinary tract infections, anxiety or hypertension. These signs do not have to indicate an imbalanced pH value in our body, because they may occur from a lot of other external factors as well. However, it is wise to always keep a track of your alkaline water intake and it would be nice to switch to a tap water from time to time.
Also, some argue that whether the water is naturally or artificially ionized has a big role and it is recommended that you can drink bigger amounts of it when is alkalized with baking soda or lemon. However, comparing the positive and negative side-effects, it is safe to say that the healthy benefits tend to outweigh the harmful ones.
Wrapping Up
Whether you want to boost your metabolism, to improve the bone density, or you want to slow the aging process, alkaline water is a great alternative in order to boost your overall health and it is really easy to prepare it at home. Nowadays, it is really important to be aware of the consequences that the acidic intake can cause and it is our duty to give to our bodies what they deserve.
For that purpose, we mentioned in this article the benefits of drinking alkaline water as well as several methods for preparing it at home. We have also mentioned the possible negative side-effects, even though we are still convinced that the ionized water has an overall positive effect on your body.
In case you have any other suggestions and opinions on alkaline water, do not hesitate to share them with us in the comment section.
