Vitamin Water Comes up Lacking

It won’t come as as a surprise to some that the Vitamin Water fad is not delivering any real value. The Washington Post asked the question “How nutritious is Vitaminwater?” and came up empty. This stuff has been around since 1996 but it is only recently I have seen it permeating everywhere with kids asking for Vitamin Water vs plain old water.

The additives in this case are limited especially in the case of the “fruit punch” variety:

Vitaminwater tastes okay, if you like fruity flavor without the fruit. There is almost no actual fruit, even in the “Fruit Punch” variety, and what little there is mostly provides color

What’s in this masterful package – well for one a big hit in calories providing 125 calories in one bottle (just shy of a can of Coca-Cola! But with more focus on calories and excessive sugar intake sales have declined so the marketing machine has jumped into high gear and is now offering additional low calorie options. Seems like water fulfills that requirement and if you desire is to be healthy then take note of the Dietary guidelines:

The truth is that the research on supplementing with vitamins does not prove or show that people who take them are healthier than anyone else,” she explains. Indeed, the proposed Dietary Guidelines for Americans for 2010 explicitly say most people don’t need vitamin supplements

Better to eat healthy and consume fruits and vegetables to get the real things vs some artificial version that is likely inferior. Add to that the additive effect of fiber and phytonutrients that work together with the vitamins in real vegetables and fruits and you have a much better package all round