Is rain water alkaline?

Is rain alkaline? Rain is one of the many natural occurrences that bring water to the Earth.

It is a major source of where we get our running water, and many people wonder how safe pure rainwater is for drinking.  

Many would argue that getting your alkaline through a natural source like rainwater, or from another natural source such as spring water that runs over rocks naturally gaining alkaline properties, is actually healthier for you than the alternative forms of alkaline water or clean drinking water production.  Drinking rain water benefits are for real.

There are some considerations though.  A lot of rainwater is scientifically pure enough for drinking, especially if there are no other types of clean water or water available.

However, with scientific and advances and new understandings about nutrition, rainwater may not always be the best option for our people.

Read on to find out more

What Is Rain Water?

 

Rainwater seems like a pretty simple concept. We step out of our houses, and we see clouds. We can assume that there may be rain in the forecast for the day.

However, rain is much more complex than that. It is a natural process and clean water source that requires the synthesis of nature in order for it to happen.

Although you probably learned about how rainwater is formed in your elementary science class, you may have forgotten about the basic concepts.

However, understanding how rainwater is formed is essential for understanding how safe clean rainwater is for human consumption or use as drinking water.

Rain is dropped from clouds in the sky when the water within them becomes too heavily condensed. But how does the water get into the sky in the first place?

Water evaporates from the surface of the Earth for various reasons.

Plants, for example, let off both oxygen and water during the process known as photosynthesis. As this water is released on the surface of the Earth, it evaporates.

For the water to evaporate, it quite literally rises into the atmosphere.

Think for a second of a pot of boiling water, the steam that can be seen evaporating from that pot of boiling water is in the same gas form as the water that evaporates from the earth.

In the atmosphere, this vapor collects together and that congregation of water vapor becomes what we know as clouds. It does this through a process of cooling and sticking to particles of dust and pollen that float around the atmosphere.

As a cloud gathers more and more water vapor, the gas cools and collects into droplets of water.

These droplets become far heavier over time, and they will eventually be too weighty to remain in the cloud.

This is how rain happens  Of course, if the temperature is low enough, the rain droplets will freeze on their way down which is what causes the phenomenon of snow to happen as well.  It is known as alkaline rain. 

Now that we have reviewed the basics of weather for those who are well out of elementary science, we can discuss more science as it pertains to drinking water.

We need to understand how drinking rainwater could affect our bodies.

There are a lot of people who have bought into the notion that Alkaline water is in many ways even more healthy than water because of its mineral content.

No one would argue that water is not good for you.

Water is a necessity for our survival.

But alkaline water is a relatively new concept and one that many health coaches are skeptical about.

Before we begin to talk about alkaline as it pertains to water, we should have another quick lesson in science.

Water can be measured for its pH, a term referring to how acidic or basic a sample of water is considered. The pH scale is measured from 0-14 with 0 being considered the most acidic and 14 is considered the most basic.

A pH scale of 7 (directly in the middle) is referred to as neutral.

Many people are confused by the term “alkaline” because it is often used synonymously with a form of water described as “basic.”

However, this is simply not accurate. Compounds (alkaline compounds) that are Alkaline bottled water are substances that are added to water that change the pH of the water.

These substances are often salt or metal compounds. So, when someone mentions “Alkaline Water” they are really describing water with added salt and metal compounds.

All water consistently contains deposits of small solids (such as calcium, sodium, or magnesium) that will affect the pH of that water sample.

Experts say that larger numbers of these solid deposits dissolved in the water result in a more “alkaline” water.

For example, most tap waters will measure close to 7 when tested for pH. Water that has been infused with alkaline compounds, on the other hand, will usually measure closer to 8 or 9 on the pH scale.

There are a lot of varying opinions on how many health benefits alkaline water really holds.

Many skeptics argue that the whole concept is a marketing ploy to sell more water to unsuspecting consumers.

While the advocates for alkaline water maintain that there are actual health benefits that can be gleaned from drinking alkaline water.

One of the main arguments against alkaline water’s health benefits is not that it is not good for you, but rather that many doctors and scientists argue with the health claims made by proponents of alkaline bottled water.

The adversaries argue that the research simply does not exist to support the claims made by different stakeholders that alkaline water has any health benefits and health risks for the average person.

However, stakeholders of alkaline bottled water and many of the people who use it claim that it has had major benefits in regard to their health.

Some users claim that the increased pH in alkaline water has helped reduce the symptoms of acid reflux.

There was also a study that suggests alkaline water (clean water source) may be beneficial for certain blood disorders like diabetes and cholesterol.

However, none of these studies have been recognized publicly for any sort of merit.

People on both sides of the alkaline water argument agree that there is a definite need for more research into the health benefits of alkaline water. The lack of research does not stop advocates from making claims about what alkaline water has done for them personally.

Still, many people argue these positive benefits are available for those that choose to add alkaline water to their diet.

The answer to can you drink rain water or not is:

Rainwater is overwhelmingly safe to drink in more cases than not.

It is almost always the purest form of clean drinking water that requires very little to no filtering before being drinkable.

Most tap water that comes from a public reserve contains high content of added minerals.

On the contrary, rain water has no added material and can be considered extremely pure.

Whether we consider this or not, our drinking water largely consists of rainwater anyway. Public supplies of water are extracted from two basic places: groundwater and surface water.

Groundwater consists of wells that tap into underground springs and water sources. Surface water sources are lakes, streams, or rivers.

Both types of water sources actually gather much of their own water content from rainwater that continuously adds to the water supply.

Benefits of drinking rain water

Rainwater is generally less polluted than the public water supply, although it definitely should be filtered when possible because health risks may occur.

This is because rainwater can come into contact with bacteria of Blood Pressure as it falls.

Further, it can pick up dust, and pollen, and often comes into contact with various insects before landing in your rainwater tub.

Filtering rainwater is highly recommended before considering it as a source of drinking water.

Is rainwater alkaline? Yes, rainwater is an excellent source of drinking water for the person who is interested in natural sources of alkaline water to drink.