Trying to decide between mineral and regular water? This article explores the differences to help you make an informed choice for your health and hydration needs.
Guess what the most popular drink on the planet is? It’s water, the perfect choice for when you need to quench your thirst. But is all water equally healthy and how, with all the variety, can you choose the one that won’t cause harm?
Why does the body need water?
Water is a universal solvent, without which no chemical reaction in the body is possible. In addition, it is needed to maintain normal body temperature, digest food and remove toxins.
Lack of water leads to a condition called dehydration. A dehydrated body has difficulty coping with its functions or stops coping with them at all. As a result, problems with the kidneys and other organs may arise.
There is an opinion that every person should drink about eight glasses of water daily. In recent years, this point of view has been refuted: it is important to drink water in principle, but there is no need to chase volumes.
What types of water are there?
All people are different, and everyone has their own preferences. Some people like regular water, while others like carbonated water. There are carbonated mineral waters of natural origin – they contain many microelements and salts. Among them, there are also medicinal ones: they are recommended, for example, if there are problems with the kidneys or digestive system disorders. You should drink medicinal mineral waters with caution, since excessive consumption of such drinks without specific medical recommendations can cause more harm than good.
In addition, there is simply carbonated water, which differs from still water not by its special composition, but simply by the fact that it is enriched with carbon dioxide. If ordinary water is carbonated, it will not contain additional minerals or salts. The composition will remain the same, but those very bubbles that many people like so much will appear.
Benefits of carbonated mineral water
There are many myths and misconceptions about carbonated water. Some choose it, thinking that it is healthier than regular water. Others, on the contrary, refuse carbonated water, holding the opinion that it can harm the body.
Most of the misconceptions about carbonated mineral water are related to the fact that many people confuse it with sweet soda. There are also quite a few such products now, and most of them have nothing to do with healthy eating.
The harm of sweet carbonated drinks has been proven many times: they contain added sugar or artificial sweeteners, may contain flavorings, colorings and preservatives, as well as other components that do not bring health benefits. It has already been proven that excessive consumption of sweet soda can provoke problems with tooth enamel, increase the chances of gaining weight, and harm the stomach.
But these horror stories have nothing to do with ordinary water containing gas. Therefore, if we are talking not about medicinal water with a rich mineral composition, but about ordinary water, simply enriched with carbon dioxide, you can safely choose the one you like best.
By the way, carbonated water has a bonus that is noted by those who are struggling with excess weight. A glass of sugar-free soda can provide a greater feeling of satiety than a drink without gas. This means that a person will not want to eat for a longer time, and the chances of snacking (including something not very healthy) will decrease.
And another important benefit: drinking carbonated water can help those who suffer from constipation. The recommendation to drink more water when constipated is one of the main ones, but it turns out that if the water is carbonated, the effect is enhanced. One study showed that carbonated water is much better than still water at alleviating constipation: the symptoms of the study participants became 58% less pronounced.
You need to be careful with carbonated medicinal mineral waters: their composition is not suitable for everyone, and uncontrolled consumption can really do harm. Before drinking such drinks, you need to consult a doctor. It is the doctor who prescribes medicinal mineral water as a medicine, indicating the duration of the course and the regularity of consumption.