If you have walked through the water aisle in a grocery store or gas station, you may have noticed alkaline water is more expensive than the average bottle of water. According to Science Direct, this is due to the electrolysis process, “an electrochemical water splitting process using electricity.” But a Kroger shopper reveals how to make alkaline water without breaking the bank. All you need is baking soda.
TikTok user Korey Thatcher (@koreythatcher0) stands in the water aisle at Kroger’s, focusing on the gallons of off-brand alkaline water.
“For those of you who are going to drink alkaline water, please don’t spend four dollars,” he says, zooming in on the $4.19 price tag. Then the content creator refocuses his attention back on the water. “You can just add a teaspoon of baking soda to a gallon of water and it will be alkaline,” he says. “You’re welcome.”
During an interview with the Daily Dot, Thatcher explained how he discovered this.
“It’s basic chemistry, alkaline (or basic) is the opposite of acidic,” he revealed via TikTok direct message. “I knew that baking soda was basic which means adding it to water makes the water alkaline.”
Essentially, this has helped the content creator save money.
“Yes it’s saved me money in that I’m not paying $4 friggin dollars for a gallon of water,” he said.
Viewers react
“Baking soda? That would taste horrible,” one person remarked.
“That’s not going to taste good though,” another concurred.
Others warned of the dangers of alkaline water.
“Don’t drink alkaline water at all…it messed up the acidity in my stomach,” one stated.
“And for those who have acid reflux, don’t drink this, unless you want the worst acid reflux of your life,” another wrote. Acid reflux happens when the stomach acid travels back up to the esophagus, resulting in heartburn.
Some felt conflicted. “I don’t even know what to drink anymore,” one wrote.
Can baking soda create alkaline water?
Indeed it can, but the amount isn’t correct. According to Alkazone Antioxidant Water, “add about ¼ teaspoon of baking soda for every quart of water,” raising the pH to 8 or 9. However, you should be cautious because consuming too much baking soda can cause health problems.
“Clinically, what we’ve been doing is giving bicarbonate supplementation to these people to basically offset the acid load and help give the kidneys less acid to get rid of,” Dr. Paul O’Connor, professor of physiology at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, told CNN. “Being too [acidic] can cause bone and mineral loss and muscle waste and a few other problematic things.”
@koreythatcher0 ♬ original sound – Korey Thatcher
Does drinking alkaline water provide any health benefits?
Some scientists claim benefits but others say it needs to be studied more. According to WebMD, people who drink alkaline water had slightly improved bone density and those with gout had reduced inflammation.
Harvard Health Publishing claims that another potential benefit is that it can help temporarily ease heartburn. On the other hand, there are risks if you drink too much of it, such as itchy, irritable skin, metabolic alkalosis (damaged pH in the blood’s acid-base), and injured kidneys.
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