Let’s break this down – I promise to keep this shorter than last week!
What is pH anyway, and what does it have to do with alkaline water?
- 0-6: acidic
- 7: neutral (this is where water falls)
- 8-14: basic, or alkaline.
Your body maintains very strict pH levels in different areas. For instance, your stomach pH is between 1.5 and 3.5, thanks to hydrochloric acid, which helps digest food, activates enzymes, and kills bacteria. It’s the most acidic part of your body.
Meanwhile, your blood pH stays in a tight range of 7.35-7.45—just slightly above neutral.
When the pH in your body strays from its normal range, your body takes action to correct it. Throwing your body into a pH out of range can pose serious risks to your health.
Do you need to be drinking alkaline water?
No. You really don’t.
First, your stomach is going to bring down the alkaline pH of that water preeeeeetty quickly. Remember how acidic your stomach is? Anything you drink hits your stomach first, so the alkaline pH of the water won’t survive long.
Second, your body is already excellent at regulating pH on its own! As long as your kidneys and other systems are functioning normally, they’ll do the job without help. If you experience a medical event that would bring down your pH like acute kidney injury or ketoacidosis, seek medical attention. Alkaline water won’t help in those cases either.
Third, you’re wasting your money. A 6-pack of 1 Liter bottles of Essentia at my local grocery store is $11.49. A 15-pack of 1 Liter bottles of regular water is $6.
Plus, I get so frustrated when companies use fear to sell products. You probably never thought you needed to drink 9.5 pH water before, right? Now that it’s everywhere, you might feel like you’re missing out or even harming yourself by sticking with regular water!
On Essentia’s website, they answer the question “what are the benefits of alkaline water” by saying: “Alkaline water benefits or results are individual to each person. Some of our customers report immediate, positive results, while others more gradual.”
But wait… If we all have human bodies, why are the benefits “individual?” That sounds like a clever way of saying, “If you don’t notice any benefits, that’s on you, not us.”