Why You May Want to Limit Seltzer (2023)

FAQs

Why You May Want to Limit Seltzer? ›

In the short term, seltzer water's carbonation and acidic pH could lead to gas, bloating and acid reflux. In the long term, drinking too much seltzer water may also cause dental erosion. That's because acidity wears down your tooth enamel, making you more susceptible to cavities.

This can exacerbate gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), because carbonation can cause belching, which can cause acid reflux and heartburn, Manning says. If you've been diagnosed with GERD or experience heartburn regularly, you may want to cut out seltzer (and other carbonated drinks) to see if that helps.

Since sparkling water contains CO2 gas, the bubbles in this fizzy drink can cause burping and bloating symptoms. Dr. Ghouri also points out that some sparkling water brands may contain artificial sweeteners like sucralose which may cause diarrhea and even alter your gut microbiome.

In some studies, carbonated water improved satiety, or the feeling of fullness. That could be a benefit for people who constantly feel hungry. Carbonated water improves digestion and helps constipation, so that empties the stomach and could possibly make someone feel hungry.

But can sparkling water actually replace regular water? Nathalie Sessions, wellness dietitian at Houston Methodist Wellness Services says, “Yes, sparkling water is just as healthy as regular water — most of the time.”

The carbonation in sparkling water causes some people to have gas and bloating. If you notice excessive gas while drinking sparkling water, your best bet is to switch to plain water.

Carbonated water is infused with carbon dioxide gas under pressure. This creates those drinks with bubbles you know and love such as club soda, seltzer water and sparkling water. When you drink carbonated water that gas can get stuck in your belly. This does cause bloat in some people.

Though seltzer water isn't technically deleterious to the stomach, Dr. Cederquist says that it can cause unpleasant digestive symptoms. "The carbonation may exacerbate symptoms in people managing digestive disorders such as acid reflux, irritable bowel disease (IBS), and Crohn's disease," she notes.

Sparkling water is used for its benefits which include improving digestion, helping with weight management, and assisting with swallowing ability. On the harmful side, sparkling water can cause gas and bloating and if taken in excess it may instigate tooth decay.

The short answer is no. Hard seltzer, like other alcohol, is not a good source of nutrients and has empty calories. Alcohol — even in small amounts — can increase your risk of certain cancers and other health problems.

Is seltzer water OK for kidneys? ›

A glass of occasional sparkling water isn't going to be detrimental to your health or kidneys, it's all about how much you have. Try and cut down on cola beverages for kidney and bone health. If you want information on dental health and sparkling waters, see your dentist for more advice.

Good news: Sparkling water (including the flavored kind), which often helps with the taste fatigue some people experience with plain water, is just as hydrating as non-carbonated water.

Seltzer vs Sparkling Water: What's the Difference? The main difference between seltzer and sparkling water is that sparkling water is naturally carbonated water whereas seltzer is water that is artificially carbonated with carbon dioxide.

“It doesn't dehydrate you. From a mouth-feel standpoint, it may not seem as hydrating. But from a nutrition standpoint, they are equal.” So if you're obsessed with seltzer, there's good news: it counts towards your daily water intake totals.

Though they're both a great way to stay hydrated or as a replacement for your average cup of tap water, the main difference between the two is the taste. In regards to health, neither of them have calories, and the mineral content doesn't make enough of a difference to drink one rather than the other.

Seltzer, aka soda water or sparkling water is carbonated water with no additives, carbonated by injecting carbon dioxide (CO2). It's the base for brands like La Croix, or what comes out of a SodaStream.

Seltzer, like carbonated water, gets its carbonation later on. However, unlike club soda, seltzer does not contain any minerals. Many people find that seltzer tastes much more like “natural spring water” than sparkling mineral water or club soda. You may also find that seltzers often come with natural flavors.

Natural flavors are considered safe for consumption but are derived through some level of processing. If you're keen to limit the amount of processed ingredients in your diet, choose plain sparkling water, mineral water, or one flavored with real fruit (like Spindrift).

Like regular water, seltzer water is free of calories, carbs, and sugar. Carbonated water is a great way to stay hydrated and support healthy blood sugar levels.

Since seltzer water has natural gas bubbles in it, she notes that it is common for people to experience bloating and intestinal gas after drinking it.

Can too much sparkling water cause gastritis? ›

Here is a list of foods and beverages that can increase stomach acid and trigger gastritis symptoms: Dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt) Carbonated drinks.

When you choose a sugary soda instead of alcohol every day, you may think you're doing your liver a favor. But that daily soft drink can be harmful, especially to your liver — as damaging as alcohol can be. Once it reaches the liver, the sugar in beverages can get converted into fat that's stored in liver cells.

Carbonated water may have beneficial effects on your cholesterol, inflammation, and blood sugar levels, potentially reducing your risk of heart disease.

While it won't cause IBS, carbonated water may cause bloating and gas, which can lead to IBS flare-ups if you are sensitive to carbonated beverages. The bottom line: if you have stomach issues and experience flare-ups after drinking carbonated water, you may be better off eliminating them.

Benefits of Choosing Hard Seltzer

It tends to have fewer calories and less sugar than mixed drinks, beer, or hard cider. Most hard seltzers have about 100 calories and 2 grams of carbohydrates in a 12-ounce can. In contrast, a beer of about the same size has about 150 calories and 15 to 30 grams of carbohydrates.

Drink water in place of fruit drinks and especially carbonated beverages. Fruit drinks are simple sugars that feed Candida and carbonation disrupts the friendly bacteria in the gut that are needed to combat Candida.

Fizzy water is made by adding carbon dioxide under pressure. The result is that water contains the weak acid, carbonic acid.

Spiked seltzers have fewer calories and carbs than some beers and most cocktails. Even without looking at the nutrition label, every sip of spiked seltzer just feels healthier than a beer.

So a "hard" seltzer is one that has been spiked with alcohol, and usually flavoured with fruit. Some are made with spirits such as vodka, gin or tequila. However, the leading brands in America are brewed from fermented grains or cane sugar, and therefore fall within the beer category as a "flavoured malt beverage".

Despite being marketed as a “healthy” product, hard seltzers are not notably healthier than other alcoholic beverages. The typical hard seltzer contains 4–7% alcohol and about 100 calories, which is comparable to a light beer.

What is the healthiest water for kidneys? ›

1. Mineral water. Without a doubt, the best drink you should be consuming in order to maintain good kidney health is mineral water. It is, after all, completely natural and packed full of vitamins and minerals vital to all organs in your body.

While plain water is the best drink for your kidneys, other fluids are perfectly acceptable, including coffee, green tea, low-potassium juices, and infused water. Avoid sweetened, carbonated beverages and coconut water.

Water: Water is simply the best drink you can have! Water is a zero-calorie, perfectly hydrating, cheap drink. If you are in the earlier stages of kidney disease, choosing water most of the time to quench your thirst will keep your body and kidneys functioning well.

“While soda and other carbonated drinks have been associated with negative health effects, carbonation is not harmful in and of itself,” says Saima Lodhi, MD, an internal medicine doctor at Scripps Coastal Medical Center Hillcrest.

The carbonation in sparkling water has very little effect on the body when it comes to digestion. However, it was found that it might take the body a bit longer to empty the liquid from the small intestine to the stomach after drinking carbonated water, which can affect how the water is absorbed by the body.

The short answer: Yes. “Like plain water, it's calorie-free (or very low calorie when flavors are added), it's equally hydrating (or rehydrating) on a volume basis to plain water, and it tends to be more filling (due to its accompanying gas),” explains M.

The rise of La Croix has heralded a new popular love for seltzer water—but if you look closely at the writing on a can of La Croix, you'll see that it's technically sparkling water, not seltzer.

Seltzer is similar to regular water in taste. The name seltzer comes from the German town of Selters which was famous for its naturally effervescent mineral springs.

Despite the lighter-than-air connotations of “seltzer,” the product is in fact malt liquor. Like Colt 45 or Smirnoff Ice, it's derived from fermented malted grains, then carbonated, sweetened and flavored with artificial additives. For those counting calories, the original White Claw isn't actually all that impressive.

Yes, You Can Replace Water with Seltzer (with One Exception)

“Seltzer is water with carbonation, or carbon dioxide, added to it,” says Amy Gorin, MS, RDN, owner of Amy Gorin Nutrition in the New York City area. “Both water and seltzer are equally hydrating.”

Does seltzer water have electrolytes? ›

The nice thing about sparkling water is that it contains minerals like potassium, magnesium, calcium, and sodium. All the electrolytes! However, as for any water sparkling or natural, to get minerals in the water depends on what rocks the water is situated.

You Lose Weight At A Faster Rate

When you replace the intake of these sugary and fizzy drinks with water, you are helping boost your metabolism, which, in turn, ensures that you lose weight at a faster rate.

That said, there's definitely such a thing as too much seltzer. “A large intake of seltzer in a short period of time may cause gastric distress or bloating and can weaken a valve that typically keeps stomach contents down,” Manning says.

Sparkling water provides true hydration, and it's a much better option than drinking regular soda or even diet soda, which doesn't provide adequate hydration. If a person's not hydrated, they may always feel hungry because the body can't tell the difference between hunger and thirst.

The average for all cold, carbonated water's pH is 4.5.

Seltzer is just plain ol' water, carbonated with added carbon dioxide. This is the bubbly stuff that's most likely to come flavored, since it's such a neutral canvas; it's the base for your LaCroix and those less-delicious Poland Spring flavored guys you get at the bodega.

You May Also Like. Despite a year-over-year decline in sales, hard seltzer still makes up the majority of the ready-to-drink alcohol market, according to NielsenIQ.

“Science shows seltzer water is just as hydrating as regular tap water,” says Jessica Crandall Snyder, RDN, registered dietitian nutritionist at Vital RD in Denver. “It doesn't dehydrate you. From a mouth-feel standpoint, it may not seem as hydrating. But from a nutrition standpoint, they are equal.”

Increased stomach acid production: A carbonated beverage can serve as an acid load, which can raise your gastric acid volume. This wreaks havoc on your stomach lining and often results in heartburn and further acid reflux symptoms.

Avoid carbonated beverages

The carbonation in soft drinks, seltzer water, and beer causes the acid from your stomach to bubble up into your throat, creating the uncomfortable burning sensation. Cutting carbonated drinks from your diet may help control your symptoms.

What is the future of seltzers? ›

The hard seltzer market is segmented based on ABV content, with 5.0% to 6.9% ABV hard seltzers generating the most revenue, accounting for over 52% of the market share in 2022. However, the sales of 1.0% to 4.9% ABV hard seltzers are projected to increase at a CAGR of around 24% between 2023 and 2032.

Regarding demographics, US millennials are by far the biggest consumers of the product. Hard seltzer's popularity amongst millennials is evidence of the beverage's ability to carve out its own identity.

A greater percentage of hard cider, beer seltzers, and spirits seltzers were consumed by those between the age of 21 and 34 than the other age groups.

Drinking carbonated beverages like LaCroix can lead to you swallowing air. That air usually comes out as a fart or belch, says Maggie Moon, MS, RDN, and author of The MIND Diet. “Carbonated drinks release carbon dioxide gas, adding to the air in your esophagus that finds its way back out through belching.

Well, that depends on how much you're drinking. Sip a sparkling glass or two and you're completely fine - the drink is all-natural, zero-calorie, and ultimately hydrating. But if you're guzzling can after can at your desk, it could be time to slow down. For one, carbonation can cause some serious bloating and gas.

A glass of occasional sparkling water isn't going to be detrimental to your health or kidneys, it's all about how much you have. Try and cut down on cola beverages for kidney and bone health. If you want information on dental health and sparkling waters, see your dentist for more advice.

Sodas. According to the American Kidney Fund, a recent study suggests that drinking two or more carbonated sodas, diet or regular, each day may increase your risk for chronic kidney disease. Carbonated and energy drinks have both been linked to the formation of kidney stones.