How healthy is Vitamin Water?
 

It's almost as popular as soda now in my area and it tastes really good... much lighter in syrup than something like a snapple.

but i wondered how vitamin water really stacked up health-wise compared to diet soda, snapple/sobe, and all the other drinks out there.

i'm on a diet now so don't want to much sugar, and i know plain water trumps all... but i like some variety. can someone who knows about this stuff chime in and compare?

One of the ingredients in vitamin water is crystalline fructose and it's a little tough to find what exactly it is.. and what it's harmful effects are.
What is Crystalline Fructose?
HFCS is something that really should be avoided... and I'm not sure that crystalline fructose is really any better...

http://www.bevnet.com/reviews/glaceauvitamin/facts.asp

It's like drinking jell-o with vitamins in it. As I understand it, they're definitely better than soda, but so is drinking a vat of acid.

... OR SHOOTING A FLARE GUN INTO YOUR NAVEL!

Anybody remember that issue of MAD magazine?

Anyways... side track:

A major issue with artificial sweeteners is something in the chemical world known as an excitotoxin. It kills your braincells by injecting them with too much calcium.

Nobody studies the stuff... so nobody really knows whats up with stuff like Propel and Diet Soda, etc.

Who knows? Maybe I've purposefully killed 20 IQ points since I was 16!

"Diet soda" is one of the biggest oxymorons ever. Being sugar-free, but full of sodium and all that other junk doesn't make sense to me.
Try either the flavored waters or use Crystal Light and get your vitamins elsewhere. Drinking something that has vitamins in it but is also loaded with sugars is a wash.

See?

God wants us to drink beer!

Vitamin Water is just as healthy as say, Diet Coke Plus. It's not low-calorie (for the most part- something like 50-75 calories I believe?) and you'd be better off drinking plain water.

Drink a glass of water, then eat an apple.

Source? So far as I know, current research demonstrates that the hematoencephalic barrier is effective at impeding transportation of aspartate to extracelluar areas, despite increased levels in the blood.

I hate artificial sweeteners because I'm a PTC taster (phenylthiocarbamide), so aspartame is extremely bitter to me; but I don't think there is yet any convincing research demonstrating a correlation between an increased blood plasma presence of aspartate and a prevalence of the same in extracellular areas within the brain.

huh???

It also effects the health of your wallet.

research shows that artificial sweeteners dont explode your brain cells with calcium

I drink Vitamin Water. It's a lot less sugary than most drinks. I also drink diet soda, coffee, and tea because, well, I don't much care for the taste of plain water. Never have. I do have a Nalgene that I carry around for when I work out and need to drink plain water.

That said, I drink the stuff and still manage to lose weight and body fat. But I only drink 1 a day or so--so that's 150 calories versus 250 calories that's in the same amount of regular soda, and it doesn't have that artificial taste like Propel has. All things are fine in moderation.

This much:

Holds thumb and index finger one inch apart, and brings hand close to monitor so everyone can see.

I'm alway skeptical of new beverages that claim to be a healthy alternatives to anything. Most new products are mainly marketing (i.e. they don't pay off when it comes to your health).


As far as the Glacéau brand of vitamin water is concerned:

While marketed as an enhanced, health-promoting water, nutrition experts question whether vitaminwater beverages are indeed healthful. Depending on the variety, each 20 fl. oz. bottle contains 100 to 125 calories and from 20 to 32.5 grams of sugar, nearly the equivalent of a 12 fl oz. can of Coca-Cola. Instead of "1 serving" on the nutrition label, Vitamin Water's 20 oz bottles say "2.5 servings", which enables the label to state the sugar content as "13 grams" when it is really 32.5 grams.

A derivative of corn syrup isn't likely healthier than corn syrup itself. And corn syrup itself should be consumed in moderation (i.e. as a treat). How much vitamin water do you drink? Do you consume the whole 2.5 servings in the container at a time?

And just because it has vitamins, it doesn't mean it's healthful. Fruit Loops and Pop Tarts have vitamins too. I wouldn't call this a health drink; I would call it an "energy drink" as it is marketed. Calories are energy. I would probably drink it if I were an athlete.

If you are on a diet and you want a health drink, the choices are pretty obvious. Try plain water and green tea for starters. Another thing to try is cutting your 100% pure fruit juice 50/50 with sparkling water such as Perrier or San Pellegrino.

Heck, even skim milk would be better. A single 8 oz. serving would have nearly the same amount of sugar as 2.5 servings of vitamin water, but at least it has the protein, calcium, and other vitamins and minerals. Much better balance for your diet.

Heh, I just learned something new. I've never been able to stand the taste of any fake sugars like aspertame. They've always tasted horrible to me even though other people seemed to gulp them down.

On topic, I drink Vitamin Water at work. Not because I believe it actually has any real health benefits but because I like the taste. I try to avoid caffeine as much as possible and I'm lactose intolerant so my choices are limited other than fruit juice and water. I drink lots of water but it gets a little old after a while so that's when I switch up with an orange vitamin water. I like that they're not as sugary as a fruit juice.

See if you can find lactose-free milk. I've just discovered it and it is the absoloute RoXXoRz!111!

I studied PTC tasting in chemistry a while back, very interesting stuff, i feel sorry for you all.

Lame attempt at a joke. But I'll throw in the science babble before my punchline:

Excitotoxins are real (and fun to say). Braincells exploding is not real (but still fun to say).

God, nobody finds over-the-top stuff funny anymore.

I like how finite sciences contradict themselves for decades.

(thinks of the '50s when cigarettes were recommended by doctors to cure things)

Ya know... (sigh)

(hangs up his chemistry comedy jock)

I'll go back to telling, "A set of jumper cables walks into a bar..."

That's interesting, I can't taste PTC and I still find aspartame extremely bitter (although rum and diet coke tastes pretty good.)

How do you know you can't taste PTC?

Vitamin Water XXX is soooo yummy. Triple antioxidants! Love the Acai berry +)

Triple the antioxidants of what? :confused: Regular water, which has none? Regular VitaminWater, which doesn't have enough to counteract the sugar?

I really hate that it is called water at all. It's water with sweetener and some shit thrown in that is supposed to be good for you . Why don't they just call it a sports drink like Gatorade? That's what it really is.

Vitamin Water: Vapor distilled, deionized water and/or reverse osmosis water, crystalline fructose, citric acid, monopotassium phosphate (electrolyte), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), natural flavor, dipotassium phosphate (electrolyte), magnesium lactate (electrolyte), gum acacia, calcium lactate (electrolyte), niacin (B3), ester gum, pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine hydrochloride (B6), b-carotene (color) cyanocobalamin (B12)

Gatorade: Water, sucrose syrup, high fructose corn syrup (glucose-fructose syrup), citric acid, natural orange flavors and other natural flavors, salt, sodium citrate, monopotassium phosphate, yellow 6, glycerol ester of wood rosin, brominated vegetable oil

If you are worried so much about calories, drink Gatorade. It has only 50 calories. Neither are truly 'healthy' but both are probably less unhealthy than a soda or snapple, but not by much.