Is Sparkling Water As Hydrating For You As Regular Water?
Proper hydration is a crucial component of overall health. Whether you drink water at scheduled intervals or aim for a certain number of ounces each day, mental and physical wellness require hydration.
While high-sugar and high-calorie beverages such as sodas and sweetened juices are best avoided or sipped in moderation, there’s a wide world of waters out there with which to hydrate.
With so many types of water to choose from these days — sparkling waters, spring waters, mineral waters, flavored waters — it should be easier than ever to keep hydration in check. And, more and more often, consumers are turning to sparkling and seltzer waters to meet their hydration goals.
Sparkling water has seen tremendous growth in the U.S. in recent years, pulling in more than $4 billion in annual sales. The rise in sparkling-water consumption has coincided with soda’s decline. People want the bubbles but not the calories. They want the hydration but not the sugar.
This boom in sparkling and seltzer waters begs the question: Is sparkling water as hydrating as still water?
Is sparkling water as healthy as regular water?
The short answer: yes.
But first, let’s talk about what exactly sparkling water is. Also known as seltzer water or soda water, sparkling water is any water to which bubbly carbonation has been added. In most cases, these bubbles are added after the water is sourced.
The carbonation process is simple and relatively easy: carbon dioxide gas is forced into still water under pressure. To keep the bubbles intact, that pressure needs to remain, which is why sparkling waters are tightly bottled. When the pressure is released, with the satisfying twist of a cap, all those tiny, nose-tickling sparkles spring to life.
Sparkling water is easily made, but how does it compare to regular water?
Quite favorably.
“Nutritionists agree that carbonated water … is just as hydrating as regular water,” The New York Times reported in September 2021.
And sparkling water has an added bonus: Many drinkers find it more palatable than still water. As the Times noted, “carbonated water offers a sensory experience that flat water cannot.”
More health benefits of sparkling water
According to researchers with the University of Chicago Medical Center, sparkling waters with no added sugars can help people lose weight and live a more healthy lifestyle in a variety of ways:
- Drinking sparkling water helps to curb people’s addictions to sugary colas and sodas.
- Sparkling water quenches thirst, which the body often confuses for hunger. By drinking zero-calorie sparkling water instead of needlessly snacking, people are better able to shed excess weight.
- Sparkling water has been shown to reduce indigestion and constipation, aiding with the body’s digestive process.
- The bubbles in sparkling water can have a filling effect, triggering one’s stomach to feel fuller faster.
Is sparkling water bad for your teeth or dental enamel?
While the carbonation process adds a slight acidity to sparkling and seltzer waters, experts agree it’s unlikely to damage one’s teeth or enamel.
Research on the effects of carbonated water on teeth is sparse, but as Dr. Brittany Seymour, an associate professor at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and a spokeswoman for the American Dental Association, told The New York Times, “it would take quite a lot of consumption throughout the day to have damaging effects similar to what we’d see with fruit juice or soda.”
Seymour said those concerned about their dental enamel can drink sparkling waters with meals. The saliva produced by the mouth while eating helps to counteract the slight acidity found in seltzer and soda waters.
Does sparkling water negatively impact bone health?
As experts at the University of Chicago noted, “Sparkling water has no negative effect on bone health.”
While dark colas can contain calcium-leaching phosphoric acid, sparkling waters do not. In fact, sparkling mineral waters such as Mountain Valley Sparkling Spring Water are naturally infused with bone-building calcium. Sparkling mineral waters like Mountain Valley also contain magnesium, another element crucial to bone health.
How to choose a healthy sparkling water?
To choose the healthiest sparkling water, look for the zeros: zero calories, zero sweeteners, zero sodium.
Avoid sparkling waters that contain high-fructose corn syrup and natural sweeteners such as agave and cane sugar. The healthiest sparkling waters will be free of calories, sugar and even artificial sweeteners such as Splenda or aspartame.
It’s also important to choose sparkling waters that are free of sodium. Even a small amount of sodium can add up if a person is drinking multiple sparkling waters throughout a day. If sodium is a concern, be sure to avoid sparkling waters labeled as “club soda.” These beverages neutralize the acidity of carbonation by adding sodium and potassium salts.
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There’s a reason Mountain Valley Sparkling Spring Water has been named among the best carbonated waters in the world year after year: It sparkles in all the most delicious ways. Taste for yourself. Get started with home or office delivery by clicking here.
