It seems like everyone is jumping on the health bandwagon these days and trying to come up with the next big seller, or gimmick to make a dollar in the booming trillion-dollar health industry. People are always happy to hand over their money if they think there is a potential health benefit awaiting them.
There are many claims out there about the significant health benefits of drinking alkaline water, from slowing the ageing process and making the body less acidic, to preventing osteoporosis and chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease. But are any of the claims really true? Is alkaline water good for you or just another money grabbing health fad?
What is alkaline water?
The term alkaline refers to the pH level of the water. The pH number tells us how acidic or alkaline a substance is. On a scale of 1-14, a pH of 1 is very acidic, and a pH of 14 is very alkaline. Drinking water is usually pH 7, which is neutral. Alkaline water has a high pH, usually between 8-11. For the purposes of comparison, the pH of bleach is 13, and a liquid drain cleaner is 14.
How is alkaline water made?
Alkaline water is produced artificially with electricity. Manufacturers claim that when regular tap water passes through a machine called an ioniser, the ioniser allows water to interact with electrodes to split hydrogen ions from oxygen, influencing and increasing the pH of the water.
There are also a number of bottled alkaline waters available on the market. But like other bottled waters, they are extremely costly, and there is the significant environment impact of all those plastic bottles to consider. Did you know that Australians use a whopping 1.3 billion plastic bottles every year?! Food for thought.
What are the suggested health benefits of alkaline water?
There is a multitude of information available as to the health benefits of alkaline water. Some believe that it counteracts the effects on the body of eating acidic foods, that it is good for gut health and aids the body’s digestion processes. There are also claims that it can slow the ageing process, prevent chronic diseases such as cancer, cure osteoporosis, and even assist weight loss.
Our internet research revealed thousands of supposed health benefits, including detoxifying the body, ensuring acne free skin, and providing “superior hydration”. And some experts claim that by consuming alkaline water, your body will actually absorb nutrients better.
What are the downsides of drinking alkaline water?
Drinking alkaline water can actually interfere with the body’s natural digestion process. The human body is quite amazing, and when nourished with fresh water and healthy nutrients, is quite capable of managing acid in the body all on its own. In fact, our bodies are supposed to have a certain amount of acid in them, this is how we digest our food.
Attempting to alter the body’s pH level, could also potentially lead to a condition called metabolic alkalosis which has significant side effects including nausea, confusion, vomiting, tremors and muscle twitches. Metabolic alkalosis is a condition associated with health issues including hormonal problems, loss of bone and metabolic problems.
According to the World Health Organisation, alkaline water with a pH higher than 11 may irritate your eyes, skin and mucous membranes, and cause gastrointestinal problems. Doesn’t sound like fun to us!
Why is alkaline water so popular?
Alkaline water is this year’s trendiest “super water”. With waves of athletes, celebrities and musicians endorsing alkaline water, it has fast become one of the most hotly marketed beverage trends. And the benefits sound fantastic, I mean, who wouldn’t want to have perfectly clear skin, lose weight, or reduce pain caused by osteoporosis, simply by changing the type of water they drink. Many of the mainstream benefits listed for alkaline water, on face value, sound very plausible. It is not until you look into the science and research of it all and realise that many of the claims are wildly inaccurate.
Filtered water
There are many proven benefits to drinking fresh pH 7 (neutral) filtered water. In fact, many leading Government and Health bodies around the world recommend drinking water that is pH neutral.
Waterchoice specialises in 5 stage reverse osmosis as we believe it to be the best. 5 stage reverse osmosis produces water that is 99.99% pure, is pH neutral, and is as close to rainwater as you can get. Our water filtration systems are best for tap water that is heavily treated with chlorine, fluoride and a multitude of other nasty chemicals, much like the tap water found throughout Western Australia.
When you invest in a water filtration system from Waterchoice, you can enjoy fresh pH neutral water 24 hours a day.
Let’s do the water maths
I think you will be surprised to see how much cheaper it is to have a Waterchoice 5 stage reverse osmosis water filtration system! Our costing is based on a family of four drinking 56L of water per week, based on the minimum recommendation of 2L of water per day.
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Water type
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Package size
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Product cost
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Cost per/L
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Weekly cost
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Leading bottled alkaline water
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1L
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$3.00
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$3.00
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$168.00
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Coles Natural Spring Water
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1.5L
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$0.70
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$0.47
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$26.32
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Waterchoice
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Produces up to 300L per day
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$15.00
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$0.26
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$15.00
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Prices listed on coles.com.au current as at 9 May 2019.
Clearly Waterchoice’s pricing comes out on top, but the real savings don’t end there. Each of our water filtration systems makes up to 300L per day, which actually equates to $0.05 per/L. Now that is impressive value!
We often get comments from people that they couldn’t possibly drink that much water each day, but rest assured, the water system only produces as much water as you need each day. And there are many other uses for your filtered water other than just drinking it:
- cooking
- washing fruit and vegetables
- filling pet bowls
- cleaning windows
- cleaning the car
- filling up reusable water bottles for work, school, the gym, the beach….and the list goes on.
You will never run out of cold, fresh water again. And you will never have to deal with unsightly, expensive and environmental detrimental plastic bottles again. And don’t even get us started on the health implications of bottled water. That’s a whole new article in itself!
What are Waterchoice’s additional fees and charges?
THERE ARE NONE! That’s right, none!
Enjoy the best tasting and freshest water for only $15 per week*, with no other costs – EVER! And we will even include your first two weeks for free. Our fixed price includes:
- free installation
- free maintenance
- free servicing
- free call outs
- free relocation of the system if you move house, office or premises
- local service representative in each town to service all your water needs
- up to 300L of fresh, clean and delicious drinking water every single day
- tax deductible for business
* based on Waterchoice’s standard 12-month rental agreement.
Does Waterchoice have a service representative in my town?
Waterchoice is based in:
- Perth
- Geraldton
- Onslow
- Dampier
- Karratha
- Port and South Hedland
- Broome
- Tom Price
- Pannawonica, and
- Newman.
If we aren’t in your town, please get in touch as we may still be able to assist you. We provide services to many regional locations including mine sites, and remote towns with difficult access. Our reach within Western Australia is growing rapidly.
Our verdict!
It is possible that alkaline water may provide some health benefits, but despite the promotion of alkaline water by salesmen, celebrities and social media influencers, there is almost no research to substantiate any of the health care benefits and claims. Alkaline water is a billion-dollar industry, driven by clever marketing!
Our verdict? Save your money and stick to fresh, filtered pH neutral drinking water. For more obligation free information on our products, please contact us or visit our website today waterchoice.com.au.
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