Buying Alkaline Water in India? Read this first
We all know that staying hydrated is the key to good health and wellness. In our fast paced lives, bottled water and mineral water give us the ease and comfort of staying hydrated on the go. More than a choice, mineral water has become a need at this point and you do find it everywhere — from your corner store to even online on Amazon.
Maybe you saw an ad, or a famous celebrity or athlete endorse it — but these days all anyone seems to talk about is alkaline water. So many brands claim alkaline water can increase your energy, hydrate you better than regular water and even increase your immunity and longevity. But how true are these claims and what is the logic behind it? If you buy alkaline water in India, read below to make an informed choice.
What is alkaline water?
The pH level measures how acidic or alkaline a substance is on a scale of 0 to 14. Normal drinking water has a neutral pH of 7. Alkaline water has a pH closer to 8 and above.
Most consumers think that alkaline water only has a high pH level because today in the market you get alkaline water with pH 8, 9, and even 10. But this is scientifically inaccurate. The pH alone isn’t enough to impart substantial alkalinity to water. For water to be alkaline it must also contain natural-occurring citrate minerals like calcium, magnesium, sodium, bicarbonates etc. So in reality it is the mineral composition (TDS) of a water that affects its pH and makes a water alkaline. These minerals can either come from nature or they are produced by a machine called an ionizer.
Natural Alkaline Water vs Artificial Alkaline Water
When a spring or aquifer water passes through underground layers of soil and alluvium it picks up a range of citrate alkaline minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, bicarbonates and silica etc. The presence of these naturally occurring minerals raise the pH of water closer to 8 and above which makes the water alkaline, naturally. Natural alkaline water is originally natural mineral water, but not all natural mineral waters are alkaline — it depends on the mineral composition. This type of natural mineral water which is also alkaline, is bottled directly at source and is so pure that it does not require any kind of chemical processes, RO or purification. Drinking naturally alkaline mineral water can be a good source of bioavailable minerals which are a part of our daily diet as proven by scientific research and even endorsed by the World Health Organization.
The raw water in artificially produced alkaline water, also known as ionized water is sourced from anywhere. Before it is put through an Ionizer, ionized alkaline water is usually purified using RO (Reverse Osmosis) which demineralises water and causes 74% water wastage. In ionized alkaline water, ionizers split apart water molecules using electricity to artificially raise the pH level. These electronic ionizers manipulate the pH to very high levels 8, 9, and 10 and above, however, this high pH is temporary and can decrease over a period of time, sometimes in a matter of a few hours. What about minerals? Some brands re-add minerals to ionized alkaline water after doing RO purification but , scientific research suggests that almost none of the commonly used methods to re-add minerals to water after RO can be considered adequate to positively impact human health. In fact even the WHO cautions against drinking demineralised water or mineral water with a low mineral content because natural bioavailable minerals are a must to stay hydrated and healthy.
Which alkaline water should you buy in India and why?
If you are buying mineral water in India, first check for an ISI mark as well as a FSSAI certification. Did you know that it is illegal to buy mineral water in India without a BIS ( Bureau of India Standards) certification? According to BIS and FSSAI there are only two types of mineral water in India : Natural Mineral Water certified under IS 13428 and Packaged Drinking Water certified under IS 14543. There is no specific BIS standard or FSSAI license for alkaline water. In fact if you are buying mineral water in India which says the pH is above 8.5 , that is not permitted according to the mineral water laws in India. The BIS and FSSAI have clearly defined the permissible pH range to be between 6.5–8.5
If the mineral water you are buying has an IS 13428 certification and the pH is 7.8 and above it is a naturally alkaline mineral water. This type of natural alkaline water is the best for wellness because its natural minerals like calcium, magnesium and electrolytes like sodium are very important for a healthy diet. We don’t manufacture minerals in our body, we get them from our diet and just like the food we eat, even the water that we drink is an important source of these minerals. These minerals are needed in our body to protect cardiovascular health, help bone density, better digestion and prevent diseases caused by deficiencies such as osteoporosis in the long run. If you are an athlete, natural alkaline water has the minerals and electrolytes that you need to recharge. Natural mineral water in India is rare and India only has 28 licenses of natural mineral water. Out of all the Indian natural mineral water brands, Vedica has a pH of 7.9 and Aava Natural Mineral Water has an average alkaline pH of 8 as mentioned on their packaging. If you compare the mineral compositions, Aava water which originates from the Aravalli hills has silica which is an essential mineral for good skin and collagen production which makes it a unique alkaline water, naturally.
90% of mineral water brands and alkaline water brands in the India market are packaged drinking water (IS 14543) brands which use RO and other processes such as UV Radiation, Ozonization and Ionization. Apart from removing healthy minerals from water, for every litre of water that’s purified with RO, 2 or more litres of water is wasted. Such ionized alkaline water brands are easy to find but they are priced at Rs 100 and more. If you use RO filters at home and install a water ionizer , you too can make ionized alkaline water in your home instead of paying a premium price for it. Most ionized alkaline water brands re-add some minerals but as shown above, science says it’s no match for what is found in nature.
So the next time you are buying alkaline water in India, make sure you check for the BIS certification to ensure it’s naturally sourced and mineral-rich. Ionized alkaline water with a high pH is essentially just purified and packaged drinking water with fancy nomenclature. Don’t believe everything you read online because science shows that alkaline water is healthy when it’s natural — that too because of its natural minerality not just a high pH.
