A s alkaline water flaunts a myriad of health benefits, including metabolism-boosting, better nutrient absorption of the body, and more, it is easy to see how its popularity skyrocketed in the past years, more and more people turning to it for their daily hydration. If you want to switch to an alkaline water diet, you have to consider how you obtain it.
Store-bought is definitely the worst option of them all as it makes you a direct participant in environmental pollution, and it’s not cost-effective either. Your other option, the one we discuss here today, is to make your own alkaline water at home as instructed in the following. It’s definitely the cheapest option and one that might give you extra satisfaction as you hydrate with a product you made with your own two hands.
There are systems you can opt for to produce it, on the more expensive side being alkaline water ionizers, while a cheaper variant is provided by alkaline water pitchers.
Determine Water Sample pH
Woefully, while water pH level is a good indicator of whether or not it is safe and recommended to consume, most people don’t pay attention to this aspect. This, in turn, can be detrimental to your health seeing how water that does boast a high pH can help balance the pH in your body. Seeing how the human body tends to be acidic as a result of the activities we perform, water we ingest, and foods we eat, to obtain balance is no easy feat.
Natural water is rated at 7 pH, but when impurities reside in it, the water tends to become more acidic. With alkaline water, however, things differ as this impurity-free water flaunts a pH level ranging from 8 to 11. What you must do, if you want to alkalinize it on your own, is to first test a water sample’s pH so that you are aware of how thorough the process must be to reach your desired results.
Use pH test strips or digital alkaline water testers to get an accurate representation of the water sample pH level.
Use Additives
Baking Soda
The high base-forming content of baking soda makes it the most common option to use when preparing alkaline water. Just add 1/8 tablespoon of baking soda in an 8-ounce glass of water, and you will notice how the additive increases its base-forming properties. This ingredient is good for people who seek a quick fix for indigestion or heartburn as well. On the other hand, if you are on a low-sodium diet, you should avoid this additive as it flaunts high sodium content. It’s not advisable for individuals who suffer from diseases like kidney problems and diabetes to consume alkaline water prepared with it either.
Lemons
Another option you can turn to as an additive is the lemon. This citric fruit is a viable option as it is anionic, the reaction between it and your body when you drink lemon water being to make it alkaline so that digestion occurs faster and easier. Place a few slices of lemon in the water-filled pitcher, and cover it. As it takes time for the process to take place, we recommend you let it sit unbothered overnight.
Fun fact: Lemons also contain potassium which helps nourish the brain, as well as calcium that helps strengthen the bones.
pH Drops
These are readily available and the potent alkaline minerals in their composition aid in the transformation process. Find them online or at health food stores (asking price isn’t steep at all). However, while the pH drops do indeed increase alkalinity levels, they don’t have the ability to filter out the likes of chlorine or fluoride, two common water contaminants.
Filtration Systems
As an alternative to actually preparing alkaline water, you can have it available whenever you want to hydrate by using filtering systems like:
- Water ionizer;
- Ionizing filter;
- RO system.
If you consider installing an ionizer, keep in mind that it attaches to the faucet. But this isn’t a sophisticated procedure in the slightest, so you won’t have trouble with setup. Regardless of the option you do end up with, whether it’s a more simplistic machine like the Aqua Ionizer Deluxe 5.0 or a more expensive, tech-forward system like the Tyent UCE-11, what is certain is that it will provide you with the water without being overly complicated to operate.
You can go with the ionizing filter as well, which is quite alike to a normal filter that you find in appliance stores and that doesn’t ask much knowledge to use. Last but not least, you can install a RO water filter - using the fine membrane it is fitted with for filtration and providing you with high pH water that is pure and safe for consumption.
Conclusion
As you can see, it’s not complicated in the slightest to make the super-hydrating water at home. Best of all, it’s a cost-effective option as opposed to the other variants you have to obtain it. Nonetheless, there is no denying that it’s much more convenient to get it on demand from a water ionizer. Considering that the machine even purifies the water, you get double the benefits from using it, so the upfront investment actually results in you winning more than you lose. However, this is a decision you must take on your own, and whatever option you pick, whether you make it yourself or let a machine do it for you, what is important at the end of the day is to hydrate properly.