The good and bad drinking water- Simple litmus test!

An interesting post I spotted on FB recently- We believe bottled water is pure and good for health- apparently some of them are not. River water seems to have its natural advantages over commercial water- requested author if this can be published as a blog post. Published here with permission... (If some of you think I sourced this article purely because of mention of coconut in it, you're mistaken.) Over to Amrita Kaushik to explain her findings- Shrinidhi Hande

A quick test on drinking water!

Human body (read blood) is naturally at a slight alkaline ph level, (~7.35 PH, while 7 is the neutral level and alkalinity increases as the level increases). Our body works hard to keep it at that level. Researchers have shown that diseases cannot survive in the natural state of human body which is the alkaline state but they thrive in an acidic environment. That happens because ph level in blood determines its oxygen carrying capacity (acidic blood means low oxygen and alkaline means higher oxygen) and ample oxygen supply at cellular level cures all diseases.

There are many ways to achieve ample oxygen supply - aerobics, deep breathing, yoga, breathing exercises from yoga etc. With respect to eating habits, its advised to eat and drink more of alkaline food than acidic food. Examples of alkaline foods and drinks are - raw green veggies, ghee, sprouts, ginger tea, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, watermelon, vegetable juices etc. Examples of acidic foods and drinks are - alcohol, all meats, refined foods, grains, sugar, salt, sugary drinks etc. Its important to keep your acidic food intake to a minimal to ensure healthy oxygen supply to your organs and cells.

Now what about the water we drink, that should be neutral PH right? Well, that's hardly the case and its important to know the PH of your regular source of water. I did this quick Sunday afternoon litmus test on various brands and options of water. A short of summary of my test follows along with the picture I took indicating the PH levels of different waters I tested so you know which waters to avoid -

Good water: Kaveri water from tap, Qua, Perrier, Evian, Kinley 
Neutral: RO treated borewell water (Bangalore)
Not so good water: Aquafina, Bisleri, Himalayan
The curious case: Coconut water was the most acidic of all but like lemon water or juice it has alkaline effect on your body when fully metabolised so have this as much as you like for its alkaline effect and cure-all property.

Disclaimer:- The results are limited to PH level test and further limited to the specific water bottle the author bought during her test in Bengaluru and may or may not apply to all batches of these brands in all parts of the country.

By Amrita Kaushik