Zoolander one-liners aside, city tap (and essentially all filtered and bottled water that isn’t straight from a fresh mountain stream) is chaotic. Meaning, that deliciously fresh mountain spring water has a natural structure that’s extra hydrating. If you haven’t read our piece on what structured water is, this still won’t make sense, so make sure to pop over and skim that.
Ok, fine. I’ll give you a quick refresher.
Structured water is molecularly different. Regular filtered water from the tap contains water molecules that look like crumpled up pieces of paper. Structured water molecules look like gorgeous, pristine little snowflakes. And allegedly, their taste and hydration matches their looks.
So if hydrating wasn’t enough, our microscopic molecules have to be perfectly stunning as well?
Well, not necessarily. But it is nice.
I have always been curious about what makes structured water so special. There are many claims about its benefits out there on the World Wide Web, including better digestion, boosted immunity, stronger detoxification, increased energy, decreased inflammation, regulated blood sugar, improved hydration, weight loss, deeper sleep, and more.
I had to know …
Is structured water really superpowered compared to the water that’s accessible to everyone? Is it actually … wetter?
While we definitely do not discourage drinking any fresh water you can get your hands on (it’s still going to hydrate you in a majorly vital way), there is something to be said about the hydrating effects of structured water.
Although most studies have only been conducted on animals, they have shown that one month on structured water resulted in noticeable factors such as “increased rate of growth, reduced markers of oxidative stress, improved glycemic and insulinemic responses in diabetics, improved blood lipid profile, improved semen and spermatozoa quality, and increased tissue conductivity.” Which is kind of saying a lot.
It’s been said that vortexing water can help replicate nature’s process of structuring water. So when I got my hands on the Mayu swirl pitcher I wanted to know—are the benefits for real?
Their site claims that vortexing water to structure it can help balance pH levels, as well as elevate the dissolved oxygen levels. Sadly, I don’t have a microscope to look at the molecules, but I really wish I did. So I just have to go by taste and feeling alone.
Here’s what I noticed:
First of all, my drinking water comes from the tap, filtered through my Berkey carbon filter. Now this part is going to sound weird, but the water tasted softer. Maybe even … more wet? I don’t know how else to describe it. It almost had a sweetness to it, a little more mountain-spring-esque, if you will.
As for the other factors, I can’t say that I’ve noticed an improvement in my skin or sleep yet, since I’ve only been drinking it for a week or two. However, placebo or not (my mind is suggestible, and I think that’s a superpower), I do feel a bit more energetic during the day.
I also tend to suffer from chronically chapped lips, no matter how much emollient balm I smother them with every 20 minutes on the dot (a true Satanic curse in the dry winter air). In the last few days, they have seemed more supple, less flaky, and less uncomfortable and tight. Could it be the structured water? I don’t know, but what I do know is that now I’m afraid to stop. So swirl all through the winter I will. Either way, I could definitely use a bit more structure in my life.