There are many different options out there when it comes to drinking water. It’s not only one of the most important things for our everyday health, but it’s something that we want to get right! Setting up your water routine correctly will lead to better health while getting it wrong will surely be expensive and possibly dangerous. So, what’s the healthiest water for your body?
The three most common areas for water consumption would be at home, on the road, or dining out. For at home use, refrigerator filters and countertop reverse osmosis (RO) systems are popular. When traveling around, it seems to be the disposable plastic options or reusable containers are the options. Finally, when at a restaurant, do you go for tap, filtered, or carbonated?
Let’s figure this out together and leave you with some tips to improve your water game.
So, what’s up with alkaline water and pH levels? Let’s start off fancy. We have all seen this type of bottled water at the health food stores. Essentia Water will boast of 9.5 pH right on their bottle. What does that mean? Well, the pH scale runs from 0 to 14, and from acidic to alkaline. Normal and pure drinking water has a pH of 7, so a bottle of alkaline water at a pH of 9.5 would be considerably more alkaline than normal. What’s the point? The idea here is that a lot of the rest of our diet is acidic (coffee is a big one), and drinking more alkaline water could help regulate your body’s overall pH. Science has spoken and it is reported that drinking alkaline water helps the most after a workout for getting blood and oxygen moving freely around the body.
Does the type of container matter? Yes! From best to worst, the bottled water container awards would give glass #1, stainless steel #2, reusable BPA-Free plastic bottles #3, and disposable plastic bottles a distant last place! Glass is deserving of the top spot for the purity of taste, and it because it is a renewable and easily recyclable material. Stainless steel takes second place for its durability, but you want to make sure it doesn’t give off a metal taste in extreme heat. If you have you go plastic, the reusable BPA-Free bottles are the only way. As a society, we have to ditch the single-use beverage containers as much as we can! Instead of buying bottled water, bottle your own in your favorite (and fashionable) container!
Water source, filtration, and minerals, oh my! Most of the bottled water you consume in disposable plastic bottles will be spring water, originating from an underground spring where the water rises to the surface. Major bottling companies will collect water from multiple springs in one area, and you will see them listed on the back of your water bottle label. Mineral water is also “bottled at the source”, but for it to gain that classification, it has to be water that flows through rocks along the way. Mineral water, hence the name, will have a higher mineral content that our bodies need. Finally, tap water at home is filtered to take out impurities and then treated with chlorine to kill any remaining bacteria before it is released to the public. Be sure to go beyond just tap water and take your filtration to the next level.
Can it be carbonated? For sure! There have been some rumors and concerns around carbonated water, but no significant evidence to support them. Enjoy carbonated water instead of sodas, and what is agreed upon medically, is that it may even help with digestion!
How much should I drink, and when? We all know the 8×8 rule, which is 8 glasses of 8-ounces of water per day. It is rare however to drink too much water, so if you crave more, go for it! Try this: the first and last thing in your stomach every day is a full glass of water.
Let’s boil this down to real life…
- Alkaline water can help after a workout
- Grab a reusable glass water container and make it your new best friend
- Join the movement to stop using plastic
- Be sure to get a good at-home water filter (and use these guys at work and events)
- Enjoy that fancy glass of Pellegrino sparkling water at dinner
- While drinking your 8×8 glasses of water per day, add a squeeze of lemon or lime in there…it not only helps with taste, but it puts your body in alkaline overdrive!
