Does Vitamin Water Deliver On Its Promises?

In the quest to get fit and healthy, exercise buffs have plenty of new products to choose from.

Protein shakes and energy bars tout their ability to make us stronger and last longer during workouts.  One of the biggest products coming out of the craze is sports drinks.

They started out as neon coloured and sugar-laden juices. But with more consumers watching their waistlines, the beverages have been overhauled.

Now some of them are clear in colour – more like water – and are “lightly flavoured,” some boasting a mere 10-20 calories per serving.  And the latest? Some are now laced with vitamins.

With titles like “fitness water,” “vitamin water,” and “vital lifestyle water” it’s easy to think they’re the cornerstone of healthy living.

“It quenches my thirst, it’s almost like a snack as well – I used to buy a chocolate bar and stuff like that, now I just buy a vitamin water,” says Jonathan Popalis, one fan of the fortified drinks.

But is it really beneficial to switch to these supposed super-drinks from regular old aqua?

The creation of sports drinks is backed up by studies that suggest that we lose more than just water when we sweat.  We’re also told we lose something called electrolytes, as well as other fluids. Sports drinks are designed to replace more of that stuff to make us feel more energetic and stay replenished. 

When it comes to vitamins, though, some research has suggested that fortification in random foods and drinks doesn’t really absorb as well as when you get your needs from just eating properly. One experiment cited on webMD backed up this theory, when it compared the Endurox brand of protein-fortified drink with chocolate milk, and found the former utterly lacking. Plain food, apparently, can give you what you need to perform athletically.

“Strictly speaking, if you’re eating an excellent diet, eating all your fruits and vegetables and whole grains, you probably don’t need a vitamin, for a healthy adult,” explains registered dietitian Fran Berkoff.

But some nutritionists argue that for a person whose diet is poor, the supplement-laden liquid can help fill in the gaps.

The bottom line is that being wary of the promises on any packaged food is wise, but if drinking flavoured water gets you drinking more fluids, beneficial when exercising, there are some advantages to the idea.

Just be sure you’re not getting too much added sugar or chemicals (like artificial sweeteners) into your diet via these hydrators, and that you read the labels carefully to assess the value-added. Some drinks may be glorified soft drinks.

It’s especially prudent to consider the old fashioned version of water because that form can be put in refillable containers, thus costing less for the wallet and the environment.

For more information on how to get all the vitamins you need in your diet, click here.