First, a quick science flashback (don’t worry, no pop quiz). pH simply measures how acidic or alkaline a substance is, on a scale from 0 to 14. A pH of 7 is neutral—think pure distilled water. Below 7 is acidic (like lemon juice), and above 7 is alkaline (like baking soda).
Your stomach? It’s a raging acid bath at a pH around 1.5 to 3.5. That’s great for digesting pizza, but terrifying for a sippy cup. So when you drink water with a pH of 8.8, it hits that stomach acid and gets neutralized instantly. Poof. The body is a master regulator.
The "Ideal" Myth: Is it 7.0?
Most people assume the ideal pH of drinking water is a perfect 7.0. Wrong. Pure water is neutral, but it also tastes flat and boring because it’s stripped of minerals. Tap water typically ranges from 6.5 to 8.5, and it’s perfectly fine.
Your body doesn’t care what number your water is. Seriously. Your blood pH is locked in a very tight range of 7.35 to 7.45. If you drink something super alkaline, your kidneys and lungs work overtime to kick the excess out into your urine. Congratulations, you just made very expensive pee.
