Why Does Water Taste Sweet?

Water is an important part of a healthy diet. Hydration is critical to ensure that our bodies remain healthy and that our internal organs operate as they should.

To keep your body hydrated, it is recommended that the average woman drink around 11.5 cups of water a day and that the average man drink around 15.5 cups.

Hydration is even more important if you are exercising, working a manual job, or you live in a hot climate. If you become dehydrated, you may experience unpleasant side effects like dry mouth, sunken eyes, irritability, dizziness, and more.

Sometimes, when you drink a glass of water after feeling thirsty, you might notice that the water has a strangely sweet taste. So what causes this? And why does water sometimes taste sweet when you drink it? Find out in this guide!

Does Water Have A Flavor?

The flavor of water is difficult to pinpoint. There are lots of reasons for this. They include where the water comes from, if the water has been processed before you drink it, and how your taste buds are behaving on that particular day. 

No two types of water will taste the same. Regular tap water tastes different from distilled water which tastes different from sparkling flavored water. When water is processed, its flavor will be altered. However, this isn’t the only thing that affects the flavor of the water. 

Ultimately, the flavor of water is subjective. As well as being impacted by the water source, your own biology will impact the flavor of the water that you drink.

Water doesn’t have a strong flavor, and because of this, it can be easily impacted by other flavors in your mouth. 

So, if you’ve recently eaten a packet of spicy chips, then you might find that your water has a spicy tang. Likewise, if you’ve just eaten some salty fries, you might find that your water has a salty taste. 

However, as we have said, it isn’t just your biology, taste buds, and saliva that can alter the flavor of your water. So, let’s take a look at why water might have a sweet taste.

Why Does Water Taste Sweet?

Two main things might cause your water to taste sweet. They are the water’s source, and you. 

It is possible for water to naturally have a sweet taste to it. Regular water (that has not been distilled) is filled with minerals and chemicals, and these can alter the flavor of the water.

That is why you will find that distilled water has a standard flavor, whereas regular tap water can vary greatly in taste, depending on when you drink it.

Two minerals can cause water to taste sweet – iron and calcium. Sometimes, natural water will contain an increased amount of iron and calcium at once, when this happens, these minerals will combine, and they can cause your water to taste sweeter.

This will only occur when these two minerals exist in larger amounts together. Increased iron alone will make your water taste bitter.

When water is distilled, all the minerals that naturally occur in water are removed. That is why it is rare for distilled water to have a sweet flavor unless you are drinking it while eating a donut. In contrast, the flavor of regular water can vary greatly.

Is It Bad If Water Tastes Sweet?

Water tends to taste sweeter when there is an increased amount of iron and calcium in it. Due to the popularity of distilled water, it is easy to assume that water with minerals is bad for you, but is this really the case?

Yes, it could potentially be bad for your water to taste sweet. While increased levels of iron and calcium aren’t necessarily bad for you in small amounts, these aren’t the only reason why your water tastes sweet.

Your water might also taste sweet when coming from your taps because of an issue with your pipes. 

Sweet tasting water is one of the first signs that there is something wrong with your home’s plumbing. While one glass of sweet-tasting water isn’t necessarily a cause for concern, if you notice that all of your water ends up tasting sweet, then it is best to get in touch with a plumber. They can flush your pipes, and this will usually resolve the problem.

Why Does Water Taste Sweet When Thirsty?

However, you might notice that water tastes particularly sweet when you drink a glass after feeling thirsty. When you are dehydrated, there is nothing quite as nice as a fresh glass of water. But why does that first glass of water always taste sweet?

Often you become dehydrated because of illness. If you are sick, you might find it difficult to stomach water, which might lead to dehydration.

When you finally manage to drink water, you will often notice that it tastes sweeter than usual. However, this isn’t due to the water, this is due to you. 

When your body experiences an infection, your saliva has increased levels of glucose. Glucose is a type of sugar, which means that when you drink water, the glucose in your saliva will alter the taste of it.

So water usually tastes sweet when you are thirsty because your saliva has increased glucose levels.

Summary

There are two main reasons why your water might taste sweet. Often it is due to residual flavor after eating something sweet. So, if you’ve just eaten a packet of cookies, your water will likely taste sweet. 

Alternatively, your water might taste sweet due to increased levels of iron and calcium in the water’s source. 

Thank you for reading!

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Mandy Anderson

Hi, my name is Mandy Anderson and I think that more people should be informed about their water quality!

There is so much to consider about the water that you’re consuming, such as how it’s treated, what chemicals are used within it, and what these are doing to the environment.

We need to protect our local environments and wildlife, so I urge you to take a look through my website and learn about how your water quality is affecting you and your surroundings.

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