Ah, lemon water – a centuries-old refreshment and, though it may come as a surprise, tonic used by many to treat their ailments and promote healthy living. In fact, records of people using lemons for medicinal purposes go as far back as the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans!

Now, how come? Like other citrus fruits, lemons are good sources of vitamins and plant compounds like vitamin C, potassium, and folate. Today, we know that these compounds boost our immune system and boast anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that keep us resistant and resilient against disease. They even help in weight loss and keeping our skin young!

Lemons and lemon water are also acidic – around a 2 or 3 on the pH scale depending on the lemon-to-water ratio (your tap water hovers around 7 pH, for reference). Despite its low pH, some say that lemon water is "actually" alkaline... and they're not exactly wrong.

See, whether food has an acidic or alkaline effect on the body actually has little to do with the food's pH before it is metabolized. Your kidneys help regulate your blood pH by removing excess acidic or alkaline substances through your urine – but they don't filter completely.

There's a metric called the Potential Renal Acid Load (PRAL) score that measures the amount of acid (or alkali) that food is expected to produce in your body. Foods with a positive PRAL score are acid-forming, while foods with a negative PRAL score are alkali-forming.

And that, finally, brings us to our answer. Lemon water is acidic but has a negative PRAL score; it is alkali-forming once metabolized. It is "actually" alkaline.

In fact, most fruits and vegetables are alkali-forming, and a great way to supplement that healthy, alkaline diet is with alkaline water. Though, the ideal pH of drinking water is 9 to 9.5, something that lemon water alone can't achieve... but a water ionizer can!

A water ionizer is an electronic water filter that not only produces water with your desired pH, but also filters out all the harmful contaminants from your water source at the same time! Simply connect the ionizer to your kitchen's water supply, select a mode, then run your water source. It'll automatically perform controlled, low-voltage electrolysis on your tap water, which you can then drink or use for cooking or cleaning.

If you want a little more detail: a special attachment redirects tap water out of the faucet, through a plastic hose, and into the water ionizer. Inside the unit, the water is first filtered for the common contaminants found in tap water. In fact, our new, independently-tested UltraWater filter reduces 249 of these contaminants by 99.9%! Then, this filtered water passes into a chamber equipped with platinum-coated titanium electrodes. Here is where the electrolysis takes place.

Opposites attract. Cations (positively-charged ions) gather at the negatively-charged electrodes, creating cathodic/reduced water, commonly known as alkaline water. Anions (negatively-charged ions) gather at the positive electrodes to make anodic/oxidized water, commonly known as acidic water.

The alkaline water comes out of the water ionizer faucet, and the acidic water comes out of a separate hose leading into the sink – both have their uses. You can use alkaline water for drinking or cooking food and acidic water for washing your hands, cleaning food and kitchen utensils, and even treating minor wounds and eczema! This is because the oxidation potential of acidic water makes it a good sterilizing agent.

As for alkaline water, our water ionizers not only ionize the water, but also infuse hydrogen into it for even greater benefits[hyperlink to hydrogen benefits page]. This process makes your drinking water more bioavailable, and you'll notice how it's lighter, better tasting, and more easily absorbed. No more of that "lead balloon" feeling in your stomach after having a glass.