When I first started on the alkaline diet and learning about alkaline water I had NO idea what ionized water was, whether it was different to a distilled, reverse osmosis or why I couldn’t just use pH drops in my tap water. The whole thing about water ionizers just confused me.
To be honest, very soon it fell into the ‘too-hard basket’ for many years. It all seemed too complicated to understand and there was no clear information on what it was or what it did. I thought that if it just makes alkaline water then why bother with anything other than bicarbonate of soda?
I realised much later how foolish I really was. Ionized Alkaline water is a real game changer and simply amazing.
As you might know by now, one of my core beliefs are that getting healthy and alkaline is easier than we are led to believe and my driving passion is to make it simple, easy and enjoyable – and alkaline water is no different.
So here it is, my Ultimate Guide to the Alkaline Water
In this guide I am going to cover, in simple terms, the following:
- Why drink alkaline ionized water
- What an alkaline water ionizer is and how it works
- The features of our alkaline water jug
- Is alkaline water right for you?
- The upkeep and ongoing costs of an alkaline water
- The difference between an alkaline water ionizer and reverse osmosis, distillers and pH drops
Why Drink From an Alkaline Water Ionizer?
I truly believe that drinking alkaline, ionized water is one of the very best things you can do for your health & vitality. The benefits I have seen in my own life have, quite frankly, blown me away and from all of my research & experience in the alkaline diet world – I think that this could be the most important thing you can do.
While I am not one to promise miracle-cures and I never say there is a magic bullet that can fix everything, I truly believe that the three biggest contributors to illness and health issues are:
- Dehydration
- Over-acidification
- Oxidation (free-radical damage) of cells
Ionized, alkaline water addresses all three of these issues:
- Dehydration – Micro-clustered Water – the ionization process breaks down the water structure so there are 4-6 clusters rather than tap water which has 12-15 clusters – the smaller cluster size means the body can better absorb the water making it much more hydrating
- Over-acidification – consistent high pH water – Ionized alkaline water delivers a consistent flow of alkaline minerals and ions
- Oxidation – Antioxidant rich water – The water jug delivers water that is hugely antioxidant rich, meaning it prevents free-radical damage. With an ORP of -100 (ORP is the measure of antioxidants in liquid and the lower the better) To give context tap water is +200
So let’s get onto…ionized alkaline water …. How it Works
I want to keep this concise and straightforward. The overwhelming feedback that I get is that this is what you prefer – so here goes!
The alkaline water ionizer works by a fairly straightforward process:
Step 1: Water passes through the internal alkaline water filter:
So the water feeds from your tap directly into the ‘In’ tube on the back of the alkaline water ionizer. Once it is in there the water runs through the in-built alkaline water filter to remove as many of the impurities as possible.
Step 2: An alkaline water ionizer runs water over positive and negative particles in a process known as electrolysis:
The water, once entering this section has a very specific low voltage electric current passed through it.
I hope this makes sense! Please let me know if this needs more explanation for you in the comments below. I’m always happy to help!
The features of an alkaline water ionizer
For so long I relied on pH drops alone and was only getting a fraction of the benefit…
There are 4 main features and benefits of using an alkaline water and here they are in order of importance:
Antioxidant Rich Water: yes, even more important (in my opinion) than pH is the fact that ionized water is hugely rich in antioxidants! This is not to say the pH is not that important (which it is – pH is a 10 out of 10 in importance) but the antioxidant benefit is simply amazing. As mentioned above, when tap water passes through the water ionizer it gets a tiny electrical charge and becomes electrolyzed.
Antioxidants in liquids are often measured in ORP (oxidation reduction potential, also sometimes referred to as REDOX) and the water from an ionizer can come out at anywhere between -50 and –higher.
It is important to note here that the higher negative the better (up to around -350 where the benefit doesn’t really increase).
To give some perspective, here are some average ORP scores:
- tap water +200
- bottled water +350
- soda +400
- reverse osmosis water +200
- distilled water +200
This is amazing! To think you could be getting a huge surge of antioxidants with every single glass of water you drink – imaging how amazing you’ll be feeling and in no time at all!
Perfect pH 9.5: of course, you probably know how important alkalinity in the diet is and that’s why you’re here, and when it comes to water, you want your water to be alkaline with a pH of 9.5.At pH 9.5 you are drinking water that is over 300x more alkaline than tap water and over and when compared to pH 8 water from pH drops which is just 10x more alkaline than tap water you can see the difference!
An alkaline water ionizer allows you to set the pH at the level YOU want so you know you are always getting the perfect pH 9.5, antioxidant rich water.
Why is this important? Check out this low-down on alkalinity from Robert Young of the pH Miracle
So while I truly believe that health is a combination of hydration, diet, exercise and emotion – alkaline, ionized, micro-clustered water from a water ionizer moves you massively towards your health goals. There is absolutely no doubting that.
What are the benefits of ionized alkaline water?
There are over 40 studies
on the benefits of alkaline water that show there are benefits that you don’t get with plain water. Alkaline water has been shown to positively affect many different parts of your body at the same time. For example: When you drink alkaline water for weight loss, you’re also detoxing. While both of those things are happening, your rate of bone loss decreases, as does your blood pressure. All this happens as beneficial probiotics flourish in your gut, which is why in clinical testing, 88% of people with mild digestive upset found gradual relief from just drinking alkaline water!
Weight Lost: 12 Pounds In Two Months
A study called The effect of daily consumption of 2 litres of electrolyzed water for 2 months on body composition and several physiological parameters in four obese subjects on obese, middle aged people showed the benefits of alkaline water for weight loss. Patients in the study lost 12 pound in two months, just by drinking alkaline water! There was no will power or diet changes involved, they just lost the weight. There’s several reasons alkaline water could spur weight loss: Better hydration may increase your metabolic rate, so you burn calories faster. Alkaline water supports beneficial probiotic microflora in the gut, and those beneficial bacteria break food down into the form needed by your body to produce energy. If you have weak probiotic microflora, then harmful anaerobes will turn your digested food into the form that your body stores as fat.
Hydration: 17% Better Than Regular Water
Multiple studies done at Montana State University have shown that one of the benefits of alkaline water for both athletes and everyone else is that it hydrates faster and more thoroughly than plain water. The studies found that alkaline water re-hydrated athletes faster than regular water, and that it hydrated them more thoroughly than plain water. The Centers for Disease Control have found that about 3 out of 4 Americans suffer from chronic dehydration.Chronic dehydration can lead to many health problems such as constipation and migraine headaches. So chances are, getting hydrated with alkaline water will make a difference in your health that you can feel.
Liver Health: Hangover Help And Protection From Oxidative Damage
Alkaline water has been shown to have the potential to help you detox from a hangover. It works by breaking down hydrogen peroxide, a harmful oxidant, into water and oxygen. Hydrogen peroxide is a metabolic by product of alcohol metabolism that kills liver cells. By breaking it down, alkaline water helps protect the liver. At the same time, it helps rehydrate the body, and dehydration is a major part of what causes the morning after headache that comes with a hangover
Digestive Health: 88% Of People With Mild Digestive Upset Found Relief
Clinical trials from Japan showed that 88% of people with chronic mild digestive upset found gradual relief from their symptoms just by drinking alkaline water. There’s a couple of reasons for this, alkaline water:
- Neutralizes pepsin – The enzyme that triggers GERD
- Contains magnesium hydroxide, the active ingredient in Milk of Magnesia.
- Supports healthy probiotic microbes in the gut
The painful burning of gastroesophageal reflux is triggered by an enzyme called pepsin. Alkaline water permanently neutralizes pepsin, so the harmful burning sensation of GERD is never triggered. Alkaline water is actually the only known safe method for controlling GERD. Long term use of the medications commonly taken for it called proton pump inhibitors, have been linked to dementia and alzheimer’s.
Magnesium hydroxide works to counteract acidity to stop the painful burning of acid indigestion. Alkaline water acts to both counter some acidity, and dilutes acidity at the same time.
The beneficial probiotic microbes in your gut are called anaerobes, and they hate oxygen-rich environments. Alkaline water supplies antioxidant hydroxyl ions, which act to displace oxygen in the gut. This helps tilt the balance in your gut away from the harmful anaerobes, and towards the beneficial probiotic microbes. The researchers in Japan that conducted clinical trials on alkaline water observed several different changes that showed this change in gut microflora was happening, including
- Reduced flatulence
- Healthier stools
- Reduced constipation
Detoxification From 10 Heavy Metals
Two Swedish studies showed that the pH of the water you drink can protect you from heavy metals, specifically mercury. They showed that Swedish women who drank water from wells that was alkaline absorbed calcium, magnesium, and other beneficial nutrients from the alkaline water they drank. Women who drank water from wells that had acidic water absorbed higher amounts of acidic elements like mercury and boron. The results were definitive, which lead the researchers to suggest that one of the important benefits of alkaline water is that it may protect against the harmful effects of mercury.
Clinical research in the US showed that people who were new to alkaline water discharged 10 different heavy metals in their urine after starting to drink alkaline water. The reason it works is that raising the pH level of your urine increases renal clearance of toxic metals such as fluoride and mercury.
Benefits Of Alkaline Water: It May Protect Against Alzheimer’s And Dementia
Oxidative stress, which is caused by free radicals and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) is a major contributing factor to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Your brain cells are especially sensitive to oxidative damage, and as you age, your body’s defenses against oxidative damage decline.
Antioxidant supplements can’t protect your brain from oxidation, because they are blocked by the blood/brain barrier – a membrane that all blood entering the brain must pass through. Alkaline water isn’t blocked, so it passes right through the blood/brain barrier and into the brain where it can break down harmful oxidants before they have a chance to destroy brain cells.
Alkaline Water Safer Than Drugs For Bone Health
The strongest clinical proof of the benefits of alkaline water is for bone health. Multiple studies have shown that drinking alkaline water lowers enzyme markers in the blood that doctors use to measure bone loss. This bone-saving effect has been shown in both young and older people. Drinking alkaline water is quite literally one of the best things you can do for better bone health.
There are side effects to the bisphosphonate bone drugs like Boniva, which are commonly prescribed for bone health. These drugs help for a short term, less than five years. But after five years, they can have serious side effects such as jaw necrosis: Rotting away of the jaw bone. Alkaline water is the only thing that is beneficial for bone health that has no side effects.
Even milk has problems, milk acidifies your body when you drink it, which interferes with your ability to absorb calcium. This has lead some researchers to speculate that middle-aged people who drink milk for bone health may actually be doing more harm than good.
What’s wrong with milk? Middle-aged and older people’s bodies’ ability to neutralize acidity declines with age. A younger person’s body buffers the acidity in milk so they can absorb the calcium in it. An older person’s may not be able to buffer that acidity well enough for that person to benefit from the calcium in milk. If your digestive tract is too acidic, your body doesn’t absorb calcium very well.
The calcium you need for better bone health is easier for your body to absorb from water than it is from food. According to The World Health Organization, calcium is 30% easier for your body to absorb from water than it is from food. Because of this, the WHO recommends that you get 10 – 20% of your daily needs for calcium from the water you drink. Alkaline water for a water ionizer is an excellent source of highly bioavailable calcium.
Half Of A PH Could Save Your Life!
What harm could half of a pH cause? It could be a sign that you have Metabolic Syndrome: A “constellation of physiological problems happen when your body is in a constant state of low-grade metabolic acidosis. People who have metabolic syndrome are slowly dying, their organs are shutting down as they are destroyed by acidity. The five symptoms of metabolic syndrome are:
- High Blood Pressure
- Obesity
- Blood Sugar Problems
- Bone Loss
- Kidney Stones
The common factor in all these symptoms is low urine pH balance. The difference between having all of the symptoms of metabolic syndrome, and having none? It’s just a half of a pH!
Benefits Of Alkaline Water For Cholesterol Reduction
Another one of the benefits of alkaline water which has been documented in studies is cholesterol reduction. Alkaline water has been shown to be especially effective at reducing the levels of the two most harmful forms of cholesterol: Triglycerides and Very Low-Density Lipoprotein (V-LDL) cholesterol. Some health experts who have studied alkaline water’s effect on cholesterol believe that alkaline water helps by improving the body’s uptake of magnesium. Just like calcium, your body absorbs magnesium from water 30% faster and easier than it does from food or supplements
Benefits Of Alkaline Water And Gatorade: Supercharged Workouts
This really works! Drinking alkaline water mixed with an electrolyte drink mix such as Gatorade, will supercharge your workout. A study done on athletes who drink alkaline water mixed with Gatorade were able to work out significantly harder and longer. The study showed that It lowered the perceived effort that the athletes felt they needed to accomplish a workout. As a result, the athletes in the study simply had more energy and could go harder before hitting their max.
It works because drinking alkaline water speeds absorption of electrolytes into your system. It’s higher pH balance also boosts the muscles ability to neutralize and flush out oxidative wastes. This means that you can go harder before your muscles start to feel that performance-robbing burn.
Could Our Water Help You?
Everybody’s body is different, but one thing is for sure: Alkaline water is good for your health, you get many different benefits of alkaline water just by drinking it.
And here’s the good news: Get your own alkaline ionizing jug Today and you will get your first 3 filters included absolutely free.
Where can I purchase these jugs?