Everything and anything that sparkles is a good thing as far as I’m concerned, but as I sit here sipping my VOSS Sparkling water, I wondered to myself: is this as good for me as still water?
I make an effort to drink a lot of water each day. We all know the benefits. I once read an article that said each day you should drink more water than feels humanly possible. I aim for that feeling each day, but I’m not gonna say I particularly enjoy it! I do, however, enjoy sparkling water. Obviously I can’t down a litre of it on the fly, but for those moments when I want to savour my drink – it’s sparkling all the way. So, like I said, I was drinking my beautiful bottle (and let’s face it, VOSS water is kind of beautiful) of sparkling water, and it dawned on me that I wasn’t sure on the benefits and if those sparkly little bubbles somehow cancelled them out.
So I went online! I “Googled” a lot while I was pregnant too and I’m telling you now, if you’re pregnant, don’t Google! Nothing good comes from online diagnosing. Ever. But I digress… I felt pretty confident in this scenario that I’d find my answer online and it turns out I wasn’t as crazy as I first thought. A lot of people had asked the same question and there are plenty of articles on this topic! To that end, I thought I’d share what I found.
There are claims that carbonation increases calcium loss in bones, causes tooth decay, causes irritable bowl syndrome (IBS) and can make you gain weight! An article by Cara J. Stevens on Healthline looked deeply into these claims and as I read, poised, bottle to lips, the outcome looked good. I gulp some sparkles, gratefully. Here’s the low down:
Calcium loss…
Turns out – long story short – it’s only Cola drinks that are decreasing bone density. Other carbonated drinks don’t have the same effect. There’s science behind this. Check out the article here if you want to know more!
Tooth decay…
This one got me; I do love a set of pearly whites. Alas, all is well…as long as it’s plain carbonated water, with no added sugar or nasties. Phew.
Weight gain…
It’s important to check all your labels. Some waters – even the ones that look like plain sparkling water – have added bits and pieces. These bits and pieces are often things like sugars, sweeteners etc… added extras that can all have hidden calories, so easy solution is to check your labels so you know exactly what you’re putting in your body.
IBS…
Unfortunately, this one is possible, because as much as we all love bubbles, they can make us gassy, which in turn can cause IBS. Still, one out of four aint bad!
Stay sparkly, beauties!
Bx