Guide To Buying Alkaline Water

Water is the stuff of life: every cell, tissue and organ in your body craves it. It seems like such a simple thing, but if you’ve visited the bottled water aisle at the grocery store, you know there are about a million different kinds. Flavored water, sparkling water, electrolyte water, coconut water; the list goes on! But today I’d like to talk to you about the kind of water that’s good for your body: alkaline water.

But What’s Wrong With My Dasani?

First, let’s talk about your everyday “run-of-the-mill” bottled water - these are the Dasanis and Aquafinas of the world. It’s basically glorified tap water that’s been filtered by reverse osmosis. Maybe they add back in a few nutrients (like magnesium), but the price markup is crazy! 

What’s worse: the pH of this type of water is usually around 4.5, meaning it’s acidic, which is bad for your body. Plus, to add insult to injury, the water is sold in plastic bottles. There is a lot of research out there indicating that nanoparticles from the plastic can seep into the water, which is totally bad news.

What Is Alkaline Water?

Pure water has a pH of 7, which means it’s “neutral”: not acidic, not alkaline. But most tap water in the U.S. is actually acidic, with a pH falling between 4.3 and 5.3. The reason that’s such a problem is that the American diet is already super acidic to begin with. We eat a lot of beef, we drink a lot of coffee, we eat a lot of sugar - those foods are acidic. There’s a lot of research showing that such an acidic internal environment wreaks havoc on our bodies. It can lower your energy and zap your strength.

One way to restore balance to your body is by drinking alkaline water. Alkaline water is water with a pH over 7.5; some alkaline waters have a pH as high as 10.0. The alkaline quality of the water offsets and neutralizes some of the acids in your gut, bringing your system back into balance.

“One way to restore balance to your body is by drinking alkaline water.”

Alkaline Water Recommendations:

The best in class bottled water you can get at the grocery store is Mountain Valley Spring Water, which is bottled at the source in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas. Because this is spring water, it’s naturally rich in minerals like magnesium, calcium and potassium. The pH of Mountain Valley is between 7.3 and 7.7, which is on the mild end of the alkaline range. But what I like even more about Mountain Valley is that it’s bottled in glass: that means none of those nasty nanoplastic particles.

Another great option is Flow Alkaline Water. Flow is another naturally alkaline spring water, with minerals and electrolytes, and a pH of 8.3. Boxed in a paperboard container, it’s another alternative to plastic. Stick with the original flavor, which contains no additives or “natural flavors”.

When you think of water, your mind probably doesn’t go straight to Mark Wahlberg and P. Diddy. But their brainchild, AQUAhydrate, deserves an honorable mention. It’s supplemented with electrolytes and 72 trace minerals, and elevated to a pH of over 9 using electrolysis. While I don’t like the fact that it’s in plastic bottles, AQUAhydrate is one of the more alkaline offerings available.