The new year just started and most of us are undoubtedly trying our best to keep up with our resolutions. Whether you’re aiming to eat more plant-based foods or vowing to exercise more, losing weight is probably one of your biggest goals to start the year off on the right note. But besides spending more time at the gym and changing your eating habits, shedding those excess pounds can be very difficult and require a lot of time and patience. That’s why whenever there’s a new health trend that is said to help with kickstarting a weight loss regime, why not jump at the chance to try it out?

Say hello to your potential new weight loss buddy: alkaline water. One of the most popular and beloved health trends that’s recommended by everyone from Hollywood celebrities to nutritionists, alkaline water is reported to help with digestion and detoxifies your body. An easy habit to incorporate to your daily routine, it has a long list of benefits ranging from encouraging weight loss to helping with those who suffer from acid reflux. 

So what exactly is alkaline water? Simply put, alkaline water’s main different from regular water is that it has a higher pH level. While normal drinking water has a pH level of 7, alkaline water’s PH can range from above 7 to 9.6, which is higher due to the addition of an alkalizing agent such as magnesium or calcium. The bottom line is that due to the higher pH level, alkaline water is believed to be less acidic and more hydrating than regular water, with the added bonus of containing more minerals and vitamins.

Just like many other health myths and fads, there’s a lot of heated debate about whether alkaline water really works or if it’s yet another marketing scheme to make you spend a little more on your water intake. But before we get into that, let’s look into how the alkaline water trend took off in the first place. Largely based off the traditional alkaline diet, wherein you ingest alkaline-rich food like fruits and avoid acid-forming drinks such as alcohol and carbonated water, it is believed that keeping your body in a stable alkaline state is hugely beneficial to your health due to claims that it can change your blood’s pH level. The pH scale is from 0 to 14, going from completely acidic to completely alkaline. As mentioned, regular drinking water and tap water are at a neutral pH of 7, while alkaline water’s higher pH can keep the acid in your body at a more controlled level as it kills pepsin, an enzyme that breaks down food proteins and is one of the main culprits for acid reflux.

While there is an extensive list of the many benefits of introducing alkaline water to your daily routine, the focus here is on how it can help you with your goal of dropping those excess pounds. In short, alkaline water is believed to help you with losing weight or maintaining your ideal weight. This is because it promotes an alkaline-rich environment, wherein there is less acid in your body. Acidic foods result in the culmination of more fat cells, which alkaline water helps to eliminate. Many other factors and benefits can result from alkaline water and can help with weight loss, such as giving you a natural boost of energy for your workouts, helping you with inflammation, and increasing your metabolism. Alkaline water is also touted as being more hydrating, which helps in muscle recovery and reduces the oxidation of cells.

So how can you get alkaline water? Alkaline water is readily available in bottled form and can be found in most supermarkets and health stores. You could also purchase a water ionizer, add baking soda or lemon juice to regular water, buy pH drops to add to your water, or invest in a water filtration system. While there is still a lack of scientific research to fully support alkaline water advocates’ claims and beliefs, drinking alkaline-rich water may have different effects for everyone. So whether you see results or not, it’s an easy health trend to take part in and there have been no reports of alkaline water causing anyone any harm.