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VITAMINWATER®: Friend or foe?

It’s time to face the facts. Just because a product has the word “vitamin” in it, does not necessarily mean it’s healthy. I know this may be a sensitive topic for the devoted VITAMINWATER® drinkers out there, but it’s time to realize that in many cases it isn’t a healthy beverage choice.

 Here are the nutrition facts on most bottles of VITAMINWATER®:

Serving Size 8 fl oz; Servings per Container 2.5
Calories 50
Total Fat 0g
Sodium 0mg
Total Carbohydrate 13g
Total Sugar 13g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 60%; vitamin B3 10%; vitamin B6 10%; vitamin B12 10%; vitamin B5 10%, Zinc 10%

Ingredients:
vapor distilled/deionized water, crystalline fructose, citric acid, vegetable juice (color), natural flavor, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), natural flavor, vitamin E acetate, magnesium lactate (elecrolyte), calcium lactate (electrolyte), zinc picolinate, monopotassium phosphate (electrolyte), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine hydrochloride (B6), cyanocobalamine (B12)

Keep in mind the nutrition info needs to be adjust accordingly if you plan on swigging back the entire bottle, as it is 2.5 times the amount shown above. This would mean that every bottle of VITAMINWATER® contains 125 calories and 33 grams of sugar, yes that’s more than 12 oz of cola which contains 110 calories and 30 grams of sugar.

Have a look at the second ingredient on the list: “crystalline fructose”. What is that? It’s a lavish name for sugar, and of course, being the second ingredient, it is the second most significant ingredient after water.

What about the vitamins?  You may ask. They do add chemically contrived vitamins to the sugar water. According to MayoClinic.com, VITAMINWATER® shouldn’t be used instead of a multivitamin, or better yet, vitamins found in a healthy diet. In fact, if you are already taking a multivitamin or eating well, the vitamins from the VITAMINWATER® will give you no additional benefit at all. The added electrolytes in VITAMINWATER® may have some benefit for athletic recovery, but for the average man or women the supplementation isn’t necessary.

For most of us, there aren’t any benefits of drinking VITAMINWATER®. Of course it may be a better choice over soda, but with all the added calories and sugar, good old regular water is still the winner. If you are bored with your water, add some lemon, lime or orange slices to the mix. And always remember to do a little research on products before rushing out to buy them. Just because a product markets itself as being “healthy”, doesn’t necessarily mean it is.

 

Until next time,

Peace, love and vitamin C!

 

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