What is Alkaline Water and why should we drink it?

The importance and benefit of alkaline water in our diet is rapidly gaining recognition. Boosted by the growing links between acidic foods and chronic disease, the consumption of alkaline water is now seen as a simple and natural way to significantly improve our health.

What is alkaline water and why is it so important to us? First it must be recognised that natural water (unpolluted ground water or spring water in the environment) is normally alkaline and mineralised. Rain water, or pure water, collects on or in the earth’s surface where it becomes infused with naturally occurring minerals and trace elements. This water has served as a vital source of drinking water for all living creatures, including humans, for millennia.

We (humans) must drink around 3 litres of water every day just to stay alive. It is vital to our very existence.There are a number of natural water sources around the world that are regarded as having remarkable healing qualities. These waters all have high pH (8.5 or greater) and high alkalinity (dissolved salts and minerals). This is the hallmark of high quality, healthy water- they are alkaline.

The measures of pH and alkalinity are related but different.The pH scale is a measure of the amount of hydrogen ions in the water and indicates whether a solution is acidic (pH less than 7.0) or alkaline (pH greater than 7.0). Total alkalinity is the measure of the amount of hydrogen ions present plus the amount of other chemicals and minerals, such as carbonate and bi-carbonate ions, present.

The important natural carbonate ions typically associated with the primary alkaline minerals are calcium, magnesium, potassium, manganese and sodium. These minerals create a strong buffering, or stabilising effect for the pH of the water. The higher the alkalinity the higher the buffering effect and the more stable the pH. Water with a total alkalinity greater than 80ppm has a very stable pH, and is typically in the alkaline range.

So, back to food, water and good health. Your body is more than 70% water, and this water is maintained very tightly in an alkaline state (about pH 7.35). All food needs to be in an alkaline state in order for it to be absorbed by the body. Food that is digested in the acid environment of the stomach is made alkaline in the upper intestine by the addition of bicarbonate ions from the pancreas. Alkaline foods, such as fruits and vegetables, contain an abundance of minerals and natural carbonate ions and are thus easily and efficiently absorbed by the body.

Acidic foods that are rich in protein, highly processed carbohydrates and sugars, and highly acidic soft drinks contribute to metabolic acidosis of the body, a condition that is considered to be fundamental to the generation and maintenance of chronic disease. Water which is both high ph (>8.5) and high alkalinity (>80ppm) strongly supports the digestion process and the natural absorption of nutrients, minerals and essential trace elements by the body. That is why natural alkaline waters, such as the Lourdes water in France, have historically been attributed with remarkable healing qualities.

Vital Waters have 2 classes of alkaline water: Ph Plus and Himalayan Plus. Both have been designed to replicate the alkaline healing properties of natural water, with the added bonus of having been initially totally cleansed of all unnatural, polluting and often toxic agents found in many tap waters, well waters and other ground waters.

Vital Waters Himalayan Plus is the ultimate in quality alkaline drinking water. At pH 9.6, an alkalinity of 120 ppm and infused with pure 250 million year old natural salts sourced from the Himalayan mountains, this water is the perfect foundation for a healthy lifestyle.