Drinking plain water throughout the day may not be everybody’s cup of tea. How to make the hydrating process more fun and interesting? The answer is sparkling water. You can add fruity twists to sparkling water to make it an enjoyable addition to your everyday hydration routine.
Sparkling water has gained popularity amongst weight watchers and fitness enthusiasts. What is sparkling water and why it is so popular is debatable. It is basically just plain water infused with carbonated gas under pressure to give it the fizz that makes it an enjoyable drink to keep hydrated. There are several types of carbonated water like seltzer water, club soda, fizzy water, and soda water.
While carbonated water needs salt, sweeteners, or sugar to highlight the carbonation, minerals in normal water help maintain electrolyte balance in the body. There is a very thin line between carbonated water and regular water.
Health Benefits of Sparkling Water
Sparkling water is a healthy alternative to sugary sodas and energy drinks. Besides the sugar content, what else makes this carbonated water preferable? Here are the reasons:
1. Keeps You Hydrated
Keeping hydrated throughout the day by drinking sufficient amounts of water is good for other potential health benefits. But if you get tired of drinking regular water, you can switch a glass or two of regular water with sparkling water. This carbonated drink is a better alternative to soda as it provides more hydration and fewer calories than soda. Additionally, extra hydration will have a positive impact on your health.
Being hydrated can improve your physical as well as mental performance. Oxidative stress that occurs during heavy workouts can be prevented by keeping yourself hydrated throughout the workout routine. Dehydration can impact your focus and mood. It can even cause headaches. Drinking sparkling water can keep all these issues at bay.
2. Helps in Weight Management
If you frequently feel hungry, it is an indication that you are dehydrated. Your body cannot tell the difference. Drinking more water keeps you full for longer and will reduce your calorie intake. keeps you full.
In addition to keeping you full, carbonated water may help keep food in your stomach for longer than plain water. By controlling the calorie intake, sparkling water helps in weight management.
3. Provides Respite from Constipation
Studies have shown that people who suffer from constipation after a stroke experience much relief after consuming sparkling water. In addition to providing respite from constipation, sparkling water may help with improving digestive issues.
4. Makes Switching from Sugary Drinks Easy
One of the sparkling water benefits is getting adapted to it easily. If you are addicted to coffee or soda and want to transit, then sparkling water is the best alternative. It can make the transition easy by tricking your brain. Fruits, herbs, or cucumbers added to the carbonated drink will enhance the flavour.
A switchover from sweet beverages or drinks to plain water can be challenging. But changing over to flavoured seltzer or sparkling water can be comparatively easy, It is much better than the high-calorie sweetened drinks.
5. Promotes Heart Health
Drinking carbonated water may also have various advantages, one of which is a possible improvement in heart health. Initial studies have been encouraging, and one of them assessed the impact of carbonated water on cholesterol levels. The study concluded that consuming carbonated water increased levels of “good” HDL cholesterol. It also discovered that the sparkling water benefits included reducing:
- “Bad” cholesterol LDL
- Levels of blood sugar
- Symptoms of inflammation
Side Effects of Sparkling Water
Water is essential for various bodily functions, and you cannot survive without it. In fact, 65% of the body comprises water. You need to consume a minimum of 8 glasses of water a day. You have the option of switching one or two glasses of water with sparkling water if you find it difficult to consume huge amounts of water. However, there are some potential health risks associated with sparkling water which you should be wary of.
1. Loss of Calcium
Carbonated beverages contain phosphorous that inhibits calcium absorption into the bone. However, carbonated water, i.e., sparkling water does not contain phosphorous. The National Osteoporosis Foundation claims that several carbonated mineral waters can help strengthen bones. The group emphasises that calcium-rich liquids like milk shouldn’t be substituted for fizzy beverages.
2. Impacts Dental Health
Natural or synthetic sparkling water contains CO2, which makes it somewhat acidic. The hard enamel-coating that protects teeth from damage can be eroded by acid in food and beverages.
Studies conducted demonstrated that artificially carbonated water damages dental enamel. When the water’s carbonation level was higher, the degradation of enamel was more pronounced.
To improve the flavour of some sparkling waters, citric acid may also be added to them. Citric acid can also make carbonated water more acidic, which might cause erosion. The eroding impact on enamel is also accelerated by the sugar addition in some carbonated water.
By drinking with a straw, a person may be able to reduce the erosion caused by carbonated water.
3. May Flare up Irritable Bowel Syndrome Symptoms
Drinking sparkling water may not cause irritable bowel syndrome. But it may spike the symptoms of IBS. People with symptoms of IBS should avoid the consumption of sparkling water.
How to Improve the Flavour of Sparkling Water?
You can enhance the flavour of sparkling water to make it more interesting in a healthy way by adding the following to the drink.
- Slices of citrus fruit or cucumber
- A splash of fresh juice of any fruit.
- A few blueberries or strawberries
- Few mint leaves
- Pieces of watermelon or mango
Adding fruits or vegetables to the carbonated water will have the additional benefit of acquiring essential vitamins and minerals while hydrating.
Conclusion
Sparkling water is nothing but plain water infused with carbon dioxide to give it its fizziness. Sparkling water is a popular choice for fitness enthusiasts and weight watchers to keep them hydrated throughout the day, especially, during a workout.
Besides, this sparkling water helps in keeping you satiated and restricts your calorie intake. It is very effective for weight management. Drinking a sufficient quantity of sparkling water to keep you hydrated throughout the day is better than soda as it has fewer calories.
In addition to helping in weight management and keeping you hydrated, sparkling water benefits include providing relief from constipation, promoting heart health, and improving various other digestive issues.
Though sparkling water benefits are many, some of the potential health risks should not be ignored. The carbon dioxide content in sparkling water makes it slightly acidic which can erode the teeth’ enamel. Adding citrus fruits to enhance the flavour may increase the acidity of sparkling water and cause more erosion of tooth enamel. Additionally, it might make IBS symptoms worse.
Weigh the pros and cons of sparkling water before switching over from any other drink like soda or sweetened beverages to carbonated water
