Moms' Nutrition Hotline: Vitamin Water as Soda Alternative?

Phil, Is Vitamin Water a good alternative for myself and kids? My kids just use it during sports activities. Thanks, Darlene

Darlene,Vitamin Water is all the rage isn't it? I remember being at a nutrition industry show several years ago and thinking to myself, "vitamins in water will never sell". Boy, was I off! But the big success with Vitamin Water isn't so much the trivial amounts of vitamins and minerals in it--the stuff tastes darn good! We use it quite a bit in our household. The caveat is that although it contains no artificial anything, it is sweetened with fructose, which is a type of sugar. Although fructose is absorbed much slower in the body than other sugars (so it does not cause a more immediate "high", like other sugars), the number of grams add up in one 20 ounce bottle. Take notice of the total sugars per serving. For all flavors, it usually hovers around 16 grams. Keep in mind that I stated "per serving". Look closely at the bottles Nutrition Facts and you will discover that it states "Servings Per Container: 2.5". That's bogus because nobody drinks a bottle of Vitamin Water over more than one sitting (this irresponsible labeling is common with most sports drinks greater than an 8 ounce serving)! So when you or a child drinks a full bottle, they are actually taking in 40 grams or 8 teaspoons of sugar (5 grams sugar equals one teaspoon)! For athletes during or after moderate to heavy exercise, this is no big deal because they need to rehydrate and replace energy. As a casual beverage or for kids during their activities, it is best to dilute it in half or more. It still tastes good and you are getting half the sugar. I might also recommend Fruit Water, which has a nice flavor with only a few grams of sugar and still no artificial anything. I also take the little plastic lemon or lime-shaped concentrate bottles (in the produce section) and squirt small amounts into my water bottle for a cheap, homemade version of Fruit Water. Phil