FAQS

Frequently Asked Questions

Aqua?ai is a natural mineral water with a balanced mineral and electrolyte profile that is excellent for your hydration and health. Not very salty and with no industrial or agricultural contaminants such as nitrates.(See Analysis Report)

Aquaçai is bottled at a state-of-the-art plant deep in the rainforest of the Republic of Panama, about 100 kms from the capital city, Panama.

Aquaçai is natural water that comes from an ancient artesian aquifer, deep under the rainforest in the Rio Caimito water basin on the south side of the Panamanian mountain divide. This aquifer is protected by a cover of over 400 hectares of rainforest that surrounds the bottling plant. It goes through food-grade stainless steel pipes into an advanced filtration system and is bottled on a fully automated production line that produces the bottles and final pallets of boxed water

AQUAÇAI is a combination of the words "AQUA" and "AÇAI". The "açai" was added to "aqua" because of the many A?ai Palms in the rainforest on the company's property of 315 hectares that protects the underground aquifer source.

The word "açai" has its origin in the Tupi-Guarani indigenous language and means "fruit that cries". This may be linked to an amazonian legend where the daughter of a starving native tribe died at the foot an A?ai Palm. Her father, the chief of the tribe discovered that the fruit of the tree where she died was very nutritious and saved the tribe. He believed his daughter died holding the palm tree to indicate that the Açai berries were a good source of food. In honor of his daughter's 'discovery' the chief named the palm tree "AÇAI" which was the inverse of his daughter's name, "IAÇA".

Aquaçai is pronounced as if the "ç" is an "s". It is not spelled as Aquacai and pronounced as if the ?c? or ??? is a ?k?.

Mineral water has mineral elements and electrolytes that accelerate your hydration and facilitate the metabolism of body organs and cells. Natural mineral water from springs and aquifer include natural minerals and electrolytes absorbed from the rock structures and soil through which the water passes.

Tap water or municipal water has been treated to eliminate pathogens and some harmful chemicals, but usually this involves chlorine that stays in the water and affects the flavor and its natural qualities. Not all tap water is properly treated or even purified.

Purified bottle waters are usually municipal water but can be river or lake water. This water goes through additional filtration and purification processes to which some chemicals usually must be added to enhance flavor.

Dehydration has several negative aspects not only on athletic performance, but also on your general health. Athletes with as little as 2% dehydration can have a decrease in performance, but day-to-day activities without hydration can result in fatigue, decreased mental acuity and even cramps. Proper hydration is just as critical as any nutritional strategy in maintaining good health and performance.

Electrolytes are the key to good hydration and any sports drink will help with this requirement, but sports drinks are usually loaded with sugar that is a poor energy source and has other negative consequences, particularly in cell metabolism.

For optimal hydration choose a beverage that has a well-balanced electrolyte profile, preferably a fine mineral water such as Aqua?ai.

Key electrolytes are sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium that replenish your minerals, help retain fluids and ensure proper cell metabolism.

SODIUM (Na): Maintains fluid balance, nerve function, muscle contraction and acid-base balance. Sodium losses in sweat are greater than any other electrolyte.

POTASSIUM (K): Potassium losses are not as high with sodium, it is unlikely that potassium losses affect performance, but it is crucial in the hydration of cells in conjunction with sodium and helps to avoid muscle cramps.

CALCIUM (Ca): Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body and key to normal bodily functions and athletic performance. It is essential for the metabolism of nutrients, proper physiological function and for bone and muscle health. It regulates muscle contractions and heart rhythm, as well as the synthesis and breakdown of muscle and liver glycogen.

MAGNESIUM (Mg): Aids in muscle relaxation, glucose metabolism and many enzymatic reactions. The combination of magnesium and calcium is therefore critical for proper muscle function.

BICARBONATES (HCO3-): Sodium bicarbonate buffers lactic acid in the blood. Lactic acid buildup disrupts the anaerobic glycolysis system which leads to fatigue and inhibited muscle contractions.

Daily hydration and mineral requirements vary from person to person and depend on age, gender, fitness and level of activity. The only sure way to measure how much water to drink is to take a sweat test, but below are some simple guidelines that will help. Obviously, the first dehydration indicator is thirst, but fatigue and the color of your urine are also good indicators. Probably more important than how much water to drink is when to drink. Use the charts below to analyze your specific situation.