What is Seltzer Water? Is it Bad for you or Healthy? Benefits, Calories, Flavored & Best Brands

What is seltzer water and what is it used for. Is seltzer water bad for you? How many calories does it have? What are health and nutritional benefits of this drink? What are the ingredients that make up this water? What are the best brands of plain and flavored seltzer water? Read on to learn more.

What is Seltzer Water and its uses?

Seltzer water is basically plain water which is artificially carbonated, but does not contain any sodium salts. It’s named after the German town of Selters, which is famed across the world for its natural springs. Since inception, it’ used as an affordable alternative to sparkling mineral water and soda water and juices with excessive sugar content. Seltzer is sometimes used to fix an upset stomach. It’s also used for household works like stain removal.

Seltzer Water Calories + Ingredients & Nutrition Facts

seltzer water health benefits-calories & nutrition — Seltzer water

Does seltzer contain calories? According to the reports furnished by U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the drink has hardly any calorie content and hence it does not cause health hazards like obesity, which sugary drinks are likely to do. Thus, it is more like a soft drink, in which manufacturers sometimes add flavors and additives. But, it changes the nutritional properties of the drink. Typically, the best alternative is to have seltzer , which is only carbonated with no additives. It’s recommended to check the nutrition level of the drink just to ensure that there is no additive in it. Otherwise, you will unknowingly consume too many calories with your everyday diet.

Seltzer water Ingredients

What is seltzer water made up of? As mentioned earlier it is no different from the plain water, except the part that it is artificially carbonated. Unless flavored, the main ingredient is carbonated water and traces of minerals. That way, it’s sold as a beverage or mixer, which does not contain any added minerals. In the recent times, it has been widely popular as an alternative to sugary soda. The commercially-produced seltzers are usually made in beverage factories, but you can also prepare it at home with the help of countertop gas pumps and pressure systems.

Is Seltzer Water Bad for you? Side Effects & Safety

It is often flavored and mixed with additives in order to use it with beverages. Flavors add unwanted sugar in it, which further accentuates the side effects. Among the major side effects, irritation of the stomach and intestine happens most frequently. These may finally develop into ulcers.

Belching and Bloating

Flavored brands of this water create bubbles in the stomach, which further cause a build-up of air leading to loud belching. At times the belching goes uncontrollable and abdominal distension happens, which cause severe bloating. Consuming it more than the specified amount of seltzer water can cause painful, chronic bloating and serious illness, which calls for immediate medical help.

Ulcers

The additives in this water can cause excess production of stomach acid, which in turn can lead to severe irritation across the stomach & intestinal lining. Finally, it develops into peptic ulcer. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, peptic ulcers are often formed as open sores in the outer lining of the stomach, the esophagus and the duodenum. Such kind of peptic ulcers can cause significant pain leading to excessive bleeding in the stomach. During this phase many people feel nauseated and puke blood. Additionally, they also have black stools, which are essentially caused by the bleeding in the stomach. It needs medical intervention.

Flatulence

Excessive consumption of this drink can cause build-up of air that accumulates in the digestive tract and the colon, which leads to flatulence.

Seltzer Water Benefits &Nutrition- is Seltzer Water Healthy?

Studies, however, reveal that this drink has multifarious health benefits and thus, it can help maintaining a fit, fine and healthy body. Here’s a detailed look into the major health benefits provided by thewater.

Improving your cardiovascular health- The mineral content in the water protects your heart from potential diseases, such as arteriosclerosis and hardening of the arteries. Further research is being performed about this.

Lowers Cholesterol levels- Regular consumption of the bevarage induces a rapid reduction of the cholesterol levels in the body. Thus, it also reduces high blood pressure which is definitely great for people suffering from hypertension. This can also have a good impact on weight loss.

Maintains the sodium requirement of the body

In order to restrict the sodium intake to your body, there’s no better drink than the seltzer water. They contain less sodium, unlike the processed food and drinks. Quite obviously, there are some significant benefits that you can experience after the regular consumption of the seltzer water.

Facilitating the digestion process

Keep in mind that this water aids in easy digestion and thus facilitates easy digestion. It is a wonderful palliative method to deal with common digestive disorders, such as acid reflux, constipation and irregular bowl syndrome, as well as nausea. Regular intake of the water can also reduce the risk of developing any further terminal illness.

Flavored Seltzer Water

Seltzer water is often packaged and sold as a flavored item, in order to increase the taste of the beverage. The most popular brand of flavored seltzer water is Polar. Manufacturers often use several additives and artificial flavor is order to accentuate the taste of the drink.

Best Seltzer Water Brands-New York & Polar

Best brands of seltzer water flavored polar — polar Seltzer

Here’s a brief overview of the different types of Seltzer water

New York Seltzer water- It’s an original carbonated plain water without any flavors or additives. It belongs to the non-caffeinated group of sodas that is treated with natural flavors.

Polar seltzer water- It’s often termed as the premium/high-quality sparkling or plain water, which is free from any chemical and is mixed with natural flavor for taste.

Which is the best?

However, each of them has got their own set of advantages and disadvantages. Flavored seltzer water is always bad for you as the sugar content takes a toll on your healthy life. Without additives, it’s considered the best as a health drink. To find the ideal one, it’s better to look at the nutritional value of the drink before buying a bottle.

Finally, keep in mind that seltzer water is extremely healthy, if it is consumed within the specified limit. Moreover, they are affordable alternative too, but consuming it beyond the specified limit may cause severe damage to your internal organs. Such bad effects may further lead to serious ailments, if not treated in time. In many cases, severity turns out to be fatal.

Carbonated Water-Tonic, Club Soda & Sparkling Mineral Water

Club Soda Water

Tonic Water

Sparkling Mineral Water

Regular Drinking Water

Sources

http://time.com/3689687/seltzer-water-carbonated-water/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/seltzer-vs-club-soda_n_1434891.html?section=india

http://www.shape.com/blogs/weight-loss-coach/are-flavored-waters-diet-soda-disguise