There is a new trend that is changing the way people drink one of the necessities of life– water. Not only is there water that comes in all sorts of bottles and even all sorts of fruit flavors, but now there are companies claiming that their water is full of vitamins and other wholesome ingredients, which adds even more of a benefit to drinking water. These companies have capitalized on the benefits of drinking water, and have invented catchy, appealing advertisements to market their particular types of water. Yet, while people are quick to guzzle these mouth-watering drinks that they’ve been told are good for their health, they are unsure of what the water actually consists of, and whether or not it’s doing all of the things it claims to do. In some cases, the water may be doing more harm than help.
The most popular brand of these drinks is Vitamin Water, founded by the Glaceau Company, which was bought out by Coca-Cola in May 2007. The water comes in fifteen various flavors, all claiming to help in a certain area of life. Flavors like Defense, which is raspberry apple flavored, is supposed to boost immunity. Focus, which is kiwi strawberry flavored, is not only supposed to quench thirst, but provide more mental clarity. All of these drinks are vitamin-C infused, along with other nutrients such as lutein, glucosamine and zinc. Other flavors allege to speed up metabolism and recovery time, as well as offer immediate energy, strength, relaxation, vitality, and even more morning liveliness. All of these promises do sound attractive, especially if this stuff tastes good too, but as is the case with all things that sound good to be true, there is a catch.
According to howstuffworks.com, Vitamin Water serves 2.5 people. The label on vitamin water shows how many calories and sugar are in 8 fluid ounces of the drink, yet the bottle actually contains 20 fluid ounces. In order to ingest only the amount of calories located on the nutrients label of the bottle, a person would have to drink less than half of the beverage. In 8 fluid ounces of the drink , there are fifty calories, thirteen grams of carbohydrates, thirteen grams of sugar, 10% of vitamin A, B12, and 40% of vitamin C.
This means there are 32.5 grams of sugar in the entire bottle. The sugar contained in the drink is made through a refining process, and has no nutrients or vitamins. In the entire bottle, there are over 100 calories. This is only nine less grams of sugar than a 12 ounce can of Cherry Coke and only fifty calories shy of the 150 calories the soda contains. According to http://www.dietfacts.com, excess sugar is as unnecessary as extra calories-and sugar, if not burned off, turns into fat. If you’re not planning on hitting the gym after drinking the beverage, you are consuming pointless calories– this can potentially cause weight gain.
However, there is still hope for those of us who can’t bear to guzzle down pure, flavorless H20. There are other options out there that have fewer calories and do contain vitamins. The makers of Gatorade created Propel Fitness water. Propel comes in thirteen flavors, ranging from ordinary lemon to black cherry. Propel water contains ten calories for every eight ounces. In a 16.9 fluid oz bottle, there are twenty-five calories, four grams of sugar and 70mg of sodium. It also includes 25% vitamin C, 20% vitamin E, 50% niacin and 50% vitamin B6. These waters may not have a clever anecdote on the label, but they’ll be kinder to your waistline.
A new competitor on the market was unveiled during the 2008 Super Bowl last month. The SoBe Corporation has come up with SoBe Life enhanced water. According to SoBelifewater.com, this product is enhanced with water that has high levels of vitamins and antioxidants, and also has a twist. It is sweetened with natural herbs and pure sugar, not artificial sweeteners. The product comes in five different flavors and much like Vitamin Water, each is supposed to better a certain aspect of your life. There’s Passion-Fruit Citrus, which is meant to energize; Strawberry Kiwi, which promotes calmness; Blackberry Grape, which is believed to enlighten; Orange Tangerine, which is said to shield the body; and Pomegranate cherry, which is to challenge the drinker. All five of the drinks come in a 20 ounce bottle, and are 100 calories each.
Becoming aware of what each brand’s water is actually made of is crucial if you’d like to be able to enjoy a fruity drink and still maintain a healthy weight. Now you can choose which vitamin water best fits your lifestyle according to your daily calorie intake and physical activity.
