How to Make Alkaline Water at Home: A Refreshing Tonic for Weight Loss

Our body maintains a pH balance, which is extremely crucial to carry out various processes in our body. A pH scale measures from 1- 14 where 7 is the neutral point, anything above 7 is alkaline or more commonly known as basic in nature, and anything below 7 is acidic in nature. Confused? Don't let these scientific terms make you believe that these are some complex phenomenon. They are actually very easy to understand and at the same time important for the human body. Let's see how. For the uninitiated, pH is also known as power of hydrogen, which basically means to measure the amount of hydrogen ions in your body. Ideally, a healthy human body needs the presence of both bases and acids but the ratio that it normally maintains is 51:49, keeping the alkaline (basic) nature just a little higher than the acids. The pH level of a normal body is believed to range between 7.3 - 7.45.What Is Alkaline Water?Acid is a necessity, especially in the stomach wherein it is required to break and digest food. However, certain foods are also acidic in nature, and over consumption of such foods can increase acidity in the stomach, leading to various problems. Alkaline water is a water with a higher pH level than normal drinking water, and is meant to induce a basic nature in the body. This water is made of calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium. It is said that alkaline water helps in maintaining the pH balance in the stomach.What Does it Do?Here are some pointers about alkaline water -1. Contains AntioxidantsFree radicals from pollution, smoking and other toxic sources are neutralised by antioxidants and this water is a good source to obtain these antioxidants.2. A Good Source of DetoxificationThere are acidic waste accumulated in our body which are nothing but toxins. Alkaline water helps to flush these toxins out of your body, which facilitates cleansing of the entire system.3. Keeps You HydratedAlkaline water is absorbed quickly due to which our water intake increases and it keeps us hydrated. Alkaline water also contains ionised minerals that are very vital for our body, especially for efficient blood circulation.4. Maintains the Body's pH LevelAilments like acid reflux produces unwanted stomach acid or bile, which irritates our body and causes chest burns. This can prove to be very harmful for our body and can decrease the basic nature of our body. To neutralise this acidic content, alkaline water is beneficial to give a quick boost to the pH level of the body.5. Helps in Weight LossAn infamous study in 2011 called The effect of daily consumption of 2 liters of electrolyzed water for 2 months on body composition and several physiological parameters in four obese subjects: a preliminary report concluded that the participants who were a part of the study lost 12 lbs over the course of two months without altering their diet, just the addition of alkaline water to their every day routine caused the weight loss. After this experiment, it is believed that alkaline water could possibly lead to weight loss.Stop! Don't Go Overboard with itWe need a balanced pH level in our body since excess of everything is bad. If we start consuming alkaline water in excess then we are making our body more alkaline, which disrupts the biochemical processes in our body. Vitamins like B12 need the stomach acid to absorb it but the alkaline nature of the system can neutralise these acids leading to loss of vital vitamins. Metabolism and digestion can be affected due to diluted stomach acids and an excessive alkaline nature of the body can produce a condition called the metabolic alkalosis.How Can I Make Alkaline Water at Home?Here's the perfect recipe to make your very own home-made alkaline water-Ingredients:1 litre of water (filtered)
1 lemon
1 1/8 tablespoon sea salt (Himalayan pink sea salt preferably)Method:

• Take a pitcher and fill it with water.
• Then cut the lemon in half; squeeze half of the lemon in the pitcher and then thinly slice the other half and add it to the water.
• Lastly add your sea salt. Mix it well and let it sit overnight (8-9 hrs at least).

Go ahead sip on your freshly made alkaline water and make sure to let us know how you feel about it by commenting down below. Enjoy!Disclaimer:The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. NDTV is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this article. All information is provided on an as-is basis. The information, facts or opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.