We’ve all seen the advertisements and the shelves at the supermarket promoting new types of “healthier” waters that can do everything from boosting your immunity to revitalizing your entire body. Many of these products are also advertised as having zero calories. But what’s really in these new beverages that make them so good for you? Are they really even good for you at all?
What are Enhanced Waters?
Enhanced waters are bottled waters sold with the promise that they have added ingredients to improve your health. Some include Vitamin B, Vitamin C, electrolytes or positive ions. Some are naturally sugar-free while others contain added artificial sweeteners and coloring.
Some examples of enhanced waters are:
- Vitaminwater
- Propel Zero
- Activate
- Sobe water
Recent studies are showing that the added vitamins and minerals like Vitamin C, zinc or Vitamin B in these drinks can be consumed in a well-balanced healthy meal.
Are Enhanced Waters Really Zero Calories?
A majority of the brands selling enhanced waters market them as zero calories. However, if you look carefully at the nutrition label, some still contain carbohydrates. Carbohydrates produce calories, so something isn’t quite right. The reason for this is that these particular products contain natural sweeteners like stevia and erythritol that are plant based and can be converted into sugar alcohol. Sugar alcohol is consumed by the body differently than regular sugars, and therefore the FDA allows companies to make the “zero calorie” claim as long as their product has an amount of net calories totals at 0.9 grams or less.
Brands like Vitaminwater began promoting zero calorie versions of their beverages when consumers took notice of their products containing up to 33 grams of sugar. That’s about the same amount as a Little Debby snack cake.
Don’t Ditch H2O
Enhanced and flavored waters may be a nice change every now and again, but nothing beats pure water. During medical weight loss your body needs to be hydrated, and nothing does that better than water. Don’t worry about the extra vitamins and minerals; you can get those through a healthy meal replacement program such as Optifast weight loss program. Enhanced waters may seem appealing, but they may include hidden calories and artificial sweeteners that could be detrimental to your weight loss goals.
