I track how much water I drink a day. I have ibs issues so Dr said I need to drink at least 80oz of water a day. I was just wondering if sparkling water counts as drinking water or not.
I drink carbonated water almost exclusively, it’s the same water, just with some carbon dioxide to make it sparkle.
It has no downsides afaik, it’s a bit more acidy but not as much as sodas, and it might make you burp, but that’s it.
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I only drink carbonated water. Tbh when I’m home alone it is soooo satifying to burp after drinking it.
Regarding flat water - if I drink a lot of it quickly my stomach feels reaaaaly stange.
Oh and one more fun fact: The biggest water resources on the earth, the oceans, lakes, rivers, even the rain are not carbonated.
So technically the world is flat.
Why when you’re home alone?
It is more acidic than regular water, as the dissolved carbon dioxide creates carbonic acid.
Chemically-speaking, can you just wait for it to go flat? Or does that still leave something in the water?
Why would you do that though, I guess. Flat sparkling water tastes bad.
Fun experiment time!
Take a glass of still water and a glass of sparkling water, and let it sit overnight. The sparkling water should have gone flat by then. Now taste them. Do they taste the same?
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Nope! The dissolved carbon dioxide takes a very long time to actually dissipate, and so there might still be some left over. But even still, there should be some carbonic acid left over from the CO2 molecules reacting with the H2O to make H2CO3, making the water very slightly acidic.
Edit: I don’t think Liftoff’s spoiler tags work
Dude just pulled a Bill Nye on us
I’m a neurology professor but I used to volunteer as a science camp counselor in college. Sometimes I feel like I want to go back and do it again.
I am probably wrong but I remember reading something about how the carbon dioxide in sparkling water can slowly sap calcium from your bones.
Edit: found it:
“Warnings about the harmful effects of carbonated beverages on bone emerge from time to time. The theory is that the phosphoric acid (phosphate) used to enhance flavor in some carbonated beverages can interfere with calcium absorption and result in the loss of calcium from bone. Fortunately, there’s no good evidence that a high phosphate intake affects bone metabolism or bone density.”
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/does-carbonated-water-harm-bones
They talk about phosphoric acid and not specifically co2.
That’s a warning against drinking Cola, etc., not sparkling water.
Phosphoric is in soda not seltzer.
I heard the fizz is bad for your teeth also. Probably better than sugary drinks, though.
My dentist has started specifically asking people if they drink sparkling water, because people assume it’s equivalent to water but according to my hygienist, it can be about as damaging as soda.
IANAD but I assumed the “soda is bad for teeth” thing is mostly from sugar in soda. I guess sparkling water is slightly more acidic, so maybe?
I’m certainly not educated on the matter, just something I heard and never thought to question :)
Isn’t there more sodium in it as well? May me a concern for some people
It depends, for mineral water there might be.
It depends on what context your doctor gave you the advice. If the context was that you need to be hydrated then it’s fine but if the context was that you are drinking a lot of soda then the carbonation might be part of the problem. I know that my dad was recommended to not drink fizzy water when he had bowel problems.
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Sugar free soda can have artificial sweeteners that can make ibs way worse. As someone with chronic gut issues, I avoid sugar free soda big time. Your triggers may be different, but I’d suggest going without it for a week or two and seeing how you feel.
Instead I drink carbonated water (and a lot of it). I get the plain water, squeeze a lime in it and add a splash of pure (unsweetened) cranberry juice. It’s better than soda, imo.
I’ll second the advice to avoid “zero sugar,” but not all flavored waters are sweetened.
Stuff like LaCroix and its many and varied competitors work well for my gut. No artificial sweeteners, just flavor.
If you’re going to drink that much sparkling water (as I do), invest in a Drinkmate or similar. It’s about as cheap as the very cheapest sparkling water but you end up with much, much less plastic to pretend to recycle.
Your sparking water come in bottles? Mine comes in cans labeled “white claw”
Soda stream here in France (for example).
Lovely.
For those who boycott, Sodastream are an Israeli company. I believe Drinkmate has its origins in wanting an alternative to that. Just so everyone can choose their side.
Yes, but I’m sure your gastroenterologist told you that carbonated drinks can exacerbate IBS issues, so probably not a good choice.
No idea about any official definitions for this, but one of my coworkers exclusively drinks sparkling water as she hates the taste of “plain” water, and since she hasn’t dropped dead yet, I’d wager that it hydrates you enough to count ;)
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Ask about her Sodium blood levels. Many lower cost brands have high sodium.
Yes it’s the same as drinking water - you’re getting hydrated
Why wouldn’t it? Unless they said to avoid sparkling water for some reason or another.
I you have IBS, didn’t your doctor advise you against carbonated drinks ? They will make your bowl even more irritated.
WTF is 80oz…
Anyway yes. In fact, I personally much prefer it, as it’s easier on my stomach and the bubbly nature can masks sometimes weird taste of water (if e.g. you use something like SodaStream with tap water).
WTF is 80oz…
Not OP, but 80oz = eigthy ounces = roughly 2.4 liter
Thanks, I can handle galons and yards but damn oz…
You shouldn’t measure sparking water in yards. It gets messy.
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The lower density of sparkling water could make you sink, plus the CO2 released from the water might make you lose consciousness. So maybeeee not.
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This reminds me of the one time I bought a 16 pack of 16oz light beer. The bag boy said to the cashier, damn this is 16 pounds of beer. I looked it up after. Fluid oz is not the same as an oz of mass.
WTF is 80oz…
5 pints
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Yeah you’re good, I think it’s the sugar and corn syrup in soda that makes them not hydrating while seltzer still is
The idea that soda and similar sugary beverages aren’t hydrating is just plain wrong. They are, it’s just that it’s not healthy to drink them in anywhere near the quantities you would need to maintain hydration using them.
And caffeine.
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OP’s doctor was concerned about them being properly hydrated so I would think that the diuretic effects of caffeine are an issue. Maybe under normal circumstances it isn’t a huge problem but if you are experiencing medical issues that require a lot of hydration then that isn’t doing you any favors. You’ll have to drink more to get the same hydration that you would from water with no diuretic effect. When you aren’t drinking 80 oz and your doctor says you need to do that right now, that’s gonna be a lot of drinking and it’s probably going to be a hard adjustment. So have a pop if you want but that really shouldn’t be the main source of hydration.
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Nobody is recommending OP solely drink soda for hydration. The point was just that caffeine is not a real issue for hydration.
If we’re going to give safety warnings for caffeinated drinks–as though OP were unaware that caffeine over consumption is not magically avoided if you’re trying to hydrate–let’s also advise them to take reasonably sized sips so they don’t choke and to drink from clean containers so they don’t get sick.
If you’re reading this OP, virtually everything you drink is hydrating. Milk. Coffee. Soda. Juice. Tea. If you’re chugging oil-based liquids, those aren’t hydrating. But I’m guessing they aren’t a major part of your diet.
Many sparkling waters contain sodium bicarbonate and other salts and minerals in small quantities. None of them are bad for you.
Club soda is probably alkaline. I doubt any of them are acidic enough to harm your teeth.
But find some pH testing strips and just test. Easy enough. Hot tub/swimming pools, aquariums, use em.
Slightly off neutral pH (what is that. 7.5 or so? RTFM) is nothing. It has to be pretty acidy to harm yr teeth I’d think.
Teh innernets prob knows
They are definitely bad for your teeth. My dentist/wife does not like how much I drink them, but since she works on me for free I don’t see a downside
Why should it not. Even drinking soda, should count as water… It’s just water with other unhealthy stuff it in. But it still hydrates you equally.
Yep! But it can make ya gassy!
Easiest thing is just buy a big metal water bottle and carry that around with you so you drink filtered water throughout the day and then grab a sparking water if you like when you eat lunch etc. I started doing this and now I just drink filtered water until dinner and some coffee in the morning so I can cutout the sparkling stuff
This is just a hypothesis, since I never dug on the subject, but considering sparkling beverages overall, at least in my side of the globe (Brazil), use carbon dioxide, which, when mixed with water, becomes carbonic acid, which, when mixed with basic compounds, becomes salt, I’d imagine sparkling water would be a good way to increase salt levels in the body, which could perhaps be bad in your case, since you need water for medical reasons.
I haven’t studied this either, but I think it’ll give you superpowers when the carbonic acid mixes with sunlight to create blue kryptonite.
