Why Health-Conscious Celebrities Swear by Alkaline Water
The high-pH beverage has become a staple of high performers.
If you want to live a healthy lifestyle, staying hydrated is one of the most important steps you can take. Not only is hydration important for lubricating joints, protecting tissues and getting rid of wastes, but failure to drink enough fluids can cause overheating, constipation, mood changes and unclear thinking.
That said, all drinks aren’t created equal. For Tom Brady and Beyoncé, alkaline water is the must-have beverage for improving hydration and overall health. It’s also the choice of BodyBreak co-founders and Canadian wellness icons Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod.
But what exactly is alkaline water?
This quick primer delves into the pH scale, the alkaline diet and how alkaline water could become part of your health regimen.
How the pH scale works
“The pH scale measures how acidic or alkaline a substance is,” explains BodyBreak’s Joanne McLeod. “The scale ranges from 0 to 14.”
- 0 is highly acidic
- 7 is neutral
- 14 is highly alkaline
What does “alkaline” mean when it comes to food?
Pure, distilled water has a pH of 7, making it completely neutral. Otherwise, foods and beverages tend to be acidic or alkaline. Foods with a low pH (below 7) are considered acidic, while foods with a high pH (above 7) are alkaline.
“Maintaining a balanced alkaline diet has become a popular approach for wellness,” notes BodyBreak’s Hal Johnson. This type of diet involves increasing your intake of alkaline foods and decreasing your acidic food consumption.
Examples of alkaline foods and drinks
- Most fresh vegetables
- Soy including miso, tofu and tempeh
- Fats like olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds
- Herbal teas
- AC+ION water (the highest pH water in Canada)
Examples of acidic foods and drinks
- Some types of cheese
- Fish and seafood
- Eggs
- Salty processed foods
- Deli meat
- Commercial grains like breakfast cereal and bread
- Refined sugar including soft drinks, sugary sports drinks, candy and pastries
- Coffee
- Alcohol
When to drink alkaline water
“Proper hydration is essential and has a huge impact on your overall health,” Johnson says. “It’s even more important if you’re active, have poor eating habits or you’re stressed.” Beyoncé has been known to drink exclusively alkaline water while on tour, while Tom Brady believes that an alkaline diet (and anywhere from 12 to 25 glasses of water in a day) reduces inflammation and keeps him young.
AC+ION alkaline water promotes optimal hydration and has the highest pH of any water in Canada. “It’s filtered multiple times to remove impurities and is UV processed, reverse osmosis demineralizes it and then it’s ionized to create a pH of 9.5,” notes McLeod. According to Johnson, “AC+ION is a great alternative to low pH, sugary sports drinks, helps balance out low pH foods and is a great way to keep hydrated.”
Wherever you go, tote your alkaline water with you—especially if you’ll be exercising. If you find that you don’t drink enough throughout the day, set an alarm every 30 or 60 minutes to get into the habit.
AC+ION water is available at select convenience stores across Canada for a suggested price of $2.99/litre bottle. You can also find it at amazon.ca. For more information, visit drinkactionwater.ca.
