How To Make Antioxidant-Rich Drinking Water

Can you imagine how great you would feel if you could drink something that had more antioxidants than green tea all day, every day? Imagine how vibrant you would be if you were getting 3-4 litres of antioxidant-rich fluids every day.

We all know how important it is to drink enough water and stay hydrated every day, but drinking the right kind of water could make an incredible difference to you health, energy and vitality.

The Three Biggest Causes of Disease Are…

1. Dehydration
2. Chronic Acidosis
3. Oxidization of Cells

Drinking ionized water addresses all of these points.

Antioxidants & Water

You might be wondering exactly how water can contain antioxidants. I don’t blame you. If you had asked me a few years ago I would probably have said – you can only get antioxidants from food! It is what the media tells us, eat bright coloured foods – and they’re right. Bright coloured foods such as blueberries, tomatoes, oranges contain high levels of antioxidants such as Flavonoids, Lutein, Lycopene and Phytosterols.

However, an antioxidant is, quite literally, a molecule capable of inhibiting the oxidation of other molecules. This clearly does not have to only come from fruit and vegetables. As long as something has the capacity to inhibit oxidation it will act as an antioxidant in the body.

And this is exactly what ionized water does

How Ionized Water is Antioxidant Rich

To understand how ionized water is an antioxidant I need to explain two things:

1) How ionized water is made
2) What ORP is

How Ionized Water Is Made

To keep this simple and, hopefully, not too scientific(!):

- We create ionized water by separating the hydrogen ions (H+) from the hydroxide ions OH-. To make acid and highly oxidizing water, we increase the concentration of hydrogen ions in the water. Conversely, to make alkaline and antioxidant-rich water we increase the concentration of hydroxide ions.

When the water runs through the ionizer it splits these ions into acid and alkaline and depending on the setting you select you will get the required mix of ions to create the pH and antioxidant level you are after.

What is ORP and Why ORP is Important

The antioxidant capacity of liquids is measured in ORP (oxidation reduction potential or redox potential). This is the standardised measure of antioxidants in liquids in the same way that ORAC is the standard measure of antioxidants in foods.

Basically all liquids have an Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP), which, as per the definition of an antioxidant above, is the potential for one liquid substance to reduce the oxidation of another substance. It is measured in millivolts (mV) and most liquids fall between +700 and -800. In other words, the more powerful the antioxidant, the lower the ORP level. As things oxidize, the ORP rises.

To give this some meaning and relativity, here are some rough ORP measurements:

• Tap water: +250 to +400 ORP
• Cola: +400 to +600 ORP
• Green tea: -120 to -250 ORP
• Orange juice: -150 to -250 ORP
• Alkaline ionized water: -200 to -800 ORP

So, as normal tap water has an ORP of +250 to +400 this means it basically has zero potential for reducing oxidation. Alkaline ionized water has an ORP of -350 to -800, depending in part on the amount of minerals in the source water and how the ionizer is adjusted.

What This Means

This means that if you are drinking alkaline, ionized water with a pH of between 8.5 and 9.5 then you are drinking water that is very, very antioxidant-rich.

Again, just imagine the difference it could make to your health, energy and vitality if you were drinking 3-4 litres of water each day that had more antioxidants than green tea or freshly squeezed fruit juice.

Summary

So, to keep it simple – ORP basically means the level of antioxidants in liquids and the lower the better. When water is ionized it increases the concentration of hydroxide ions (OH-) which leads to a negative ORP.

Alkaline, ionized water is not only alkalising and amazing at buffering excess acids, but it is also antioxidant rich – infusing your body with free-radical scavenging antioxidants that will protect your cells and encourage your health and wellness.

For more information about alkaline water ionizers click here

Tagged as: Alkaline Water, antioxidants, ionizers

Note: This blog is only my opinion. It is not medical advice or diagnosis. Only opinions based upon our own personal experiences or information detailed in medical/academic journals or other publications is cited. WE DO NOT OFFER MEDICAL ADVICE or prescribe any treatments. Please consult with a medical professional before making any diet or nutrition changes. Refer to our full disclaimer for more information.