Which water to drink?
By Suzanne S. BrownThe Denver Post
As published in the Denver Post 03/09/2008
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_8494963
By Suzanne S. BrownThe Denver Post
As published in the Denver Post 03/09/2008
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_8494963
We know we're supposed to drink water to stay healthy. But increasingly the message is that it's not enough to drink tap water when a bottle can give you an alphabet's worth of vitamins, berry extracts, herbal stimulants and sweeteners to boost flavor and health benefits.
These so-called "enhanced" waters can be fine for you, but read labels and don't be misled by language crafted to sell the beverages, says Mary Lee Chin, a registered dietitian. "Words like 'enlighten' and 'challenge' aren't health claims," she says. "You need to separate the marketing phrases from the nutrient content."
In 2006 alone, 140 new products were added to the $10.8 billion wholesale bottled-water market. The category continues to show double-digit growth, says Gary Hemphill, managing director of the Beverage Marketing Corp., a New York research and consulting company.
"Companies are using water as a platform for innovation, adding flavors, sweeteners and nutrients, minerals and vitamins," he says.
While beverage makers are promoting their waters as being superior to what flows from the tap, do these liquids do any more for workout buffs and office workers than drain their wallets and contribute to the mountains of plastic in landfills?
Adding a splash of flavor is good if it gets people to drink more water, says Jacqueline R. Berning, associate professor of nutrition at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and consultant for the Denver Broncos and Cleveland Indians. The athletes she works with — and Americans in general — don't drink enough water, but she says enhanced waters can be trouble, too.
"First they added a splash of flavor. Then they added a splash of vitamins. The problem became the typical American thing: If a little is good, more is better. What you don't want is to get 100 percent of your (recommended daily allowance) of a vitamin and then be drinking three bottles (of enhanced water) in a day," Berning says.
"I tell my high school athletes they should be drinking water from the fountain every time they walk by it and to use these other beverages to top off the tank to provide fuel and electrolytes when they need them during practice or games."
Find your flavor
For the rest of us, dietitians say flavored water is OK for those who don't like it plain, but they also caution consumers to read labels to avoid getting too much sugar, too many calories and unhealthy quantities of vitamins or other additives.
Chin, the registered dietitian, says she has three simple tests for each glass of water she drinks: Does she like the taste, is it safe and is it cheap?
All three factors are met by the water that comes out the faucets in her Denver home, but like Berning, she acknowledges people are bored with plain water. And if people don't like the taste of their water, they can filter it or add their own flavoring, she says.
The nutrition part is where Cynthia Sass sees some potential problems. "I don't like people to look at water as a source of energy boost or amino acids," says Sass, a registered dietitian and nutrition director at Prevention magazine who writes about enhanced waters in the April issue.
Sass prefers that people meet their nutrition needs from food or multivitamins. "People who tend to gravitate to these things are already taking a vitamin. And drinking too many stimulants, whether it's ginseng or green tea, can cause a spike in blood pressure."
She also says that drinks can be fairly empty calories. Eating an orange, apple or banana will give you more nutritional value.
Sass recommends saving money and controlling the content and flavor of your water by amending it yourself. That's what she does because she's among the many who don't love the taste of tap water.
"I'll just add a squeeze of lemon or lime, pure fruit juice or fruit-infused green tea," says Sass. Vary the flavors, alternating blueberry, cherry and other types of juice, she suggests. "It's a great opportunity to take in a wider spectrum of antioxidants. I think of them as little bodyguards, protecting us from the effects of aging and disease," she says, adding that a study of women who ate a variety of produce found that they had significantly greater levels of antioxidants in their blood than women who ate the same thing every day.
For Sass, the choice of water comes down to two things: flavor and temperature.
"I tend to like water at more of a room temperature, but some people want it really cold," she says.
"Whatever it takes to keep you drinking it through the day is what you should do." How much do you need?
There's been plenty of debate about how much water to drink, and not everyone believes in the old eight-glasses-a-day recommendation.
Let your thirst, activity level and diet guide you in how much to drink, says Chin. The dietitian cites a 2002 study published in the American Journal of Physiology that found healthy adults living in temperate climates and not engaged in rigorous activities didn't need large amounts of water.
Researcher Heinz Valtin recommended simply drinking when thirsty, and he wrote that caffeinated drinks can count toward satisfying fluid requirements. In February 2004, the Institute of Medicine issued new recommendations agreeing with Valtin.
The new guidelines remove the eight- glasses-a-day recommendation and suggest healthy adults allow thirst to determine their fluid needs.
But Chin says to be mindful of physical activity, heat and humidity, which boost a body's need to rehydrate. And those who are going to be physically active for long periods should consider sports drinks that hydrate and provide easily usable sugar and electrolytes.
Illnesses accompanied by increased body temperature, excessive perspiration, vomiting, frequent urination or diarrhea can also increase hydration needs.
While water is an important ingredient for staying healthy, people should never look at it as a substitute for a well-balanced diet, Chin says. "Don't fool yourself into thinking that if you didn't have five servings of vegetables today you can make up for it with water."
These so-called "enhanced" waters can be fine for you, but read labels and don't be misled by language crafted to sell the beverages, says Mary Lee Chin, a registered dietitian. "Words like 'enlighten' and 'challenge' aren't health claims," she says. "You need to separate the marketing phrases from the nutrient content."
In 2006 alone, 140 new products were added to the $10.8 billion wholesale bottled-water market. The category continues to show double-digit growth, says Gary Hemphill, managing director of the Beverage Marketing Corp., a New York research and consulting company.
"Companies are using water as a platform for innovation, adding flavors, sweeteners and nutrients, minerals and vitamins," he says.
While beverage makers are promoting their waters as being superior to what flows from the tap, do these liquids do any more for workout buffs and office workers than drain their wallets and contribute to the mountains of plastic in landfills?
Adding a splash of flavor is good if it gets people to drink more water, says Jacqueline R. Berning, associate professor of nutrition at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and consultant for the Denver Broncos and Cleveland Indians. The athletes she works with — and Americans in general — don't drink enough water, but she says enhanced waters can be trouble, too.
"First they added a splash of flavor. Then they added a splash of vitamins. The problem became the typical American thing: If a little is good, more is better. What you don't want is to get 100 percent of your (recommended daily allowance) of a vitamin and then be drinking three bottles (of enhanced water) in a day," Berning says.
"I tell my high school athletes they should be drinking water from the fountain every time they walk by it and to use these other beverages to top off the tank to provide fuel and electrolytes when they need them during practice or games."
Find your flavor
For the rest of us, dietitians say flavored water is OK for those who don't like it plain, but they also caution consumers to read labels to avoid getting too much sugar, too many calories and unhealthy quantities of vitamins or other additives.
Chin, the registered dietitian, says she has three simple tests for each glass of water she drinks: Does she like the taste, is it safe and is it cheap?
All three factors are met by the water that comes out the faucets in her Denver home, but like Berning, she acknowledges people are bored with plain water. And if people don't like the taste of their water, they can filter it or add their own flavoring, she says.
The nutrition part is where Cynthia Sass sees some potential problems. "I don't like people to look at water as a source of energy boost or amino acids," says Sass, a registered dietitian and nutrition director at Prevention magazine who writes about enhanced waters in the April issue.
Sass prefers that people meet their nutrition needs from food or multivitamins. "People who tend to gravitate to these things are already taking a vitamin. And drinking too many stimulants, whether it's ginseng or green tea, can cause a spike in blood pressure."
She also says that drinks can be fairly empty calories. Eating an orange, apple or banana will give you more nutritional value.
Sass recommends saving money and controlling the content and flavor of your water by amending it yourself. That's what she does because she's among the many who don't love the taste of tap water.
"I'll just add a squeeze of lemon or lime, pure fruit juice or fruit-infused green tea," says Sass. Vary the flavors, alternating blueberry, cherry and other types of juice, she suggests. "It's a great opportunity to take in a wider spectrum of antioxidants. I think of them as little bodyguards, protecting us from the effects of aging and disease," she says, adding that a study of women who ate a variety of produce found that they had significantly greater levels of antioxidants in their blood than women who ate the same thing every day.
For Sass, the choice of water comes down to two things: flavor and temperature.
"I tend to like water at more of a room temperature, but some people want it really cold," she says.
"Whatever it takes to keep you drinking it through the day is what you should do." How much do you need?
There's been plenty of debate about how much water to drink, and not everyone believes in the old eight-glasses-a-day recommendation.
Let your thirst, activity level and diet guide you in how much to drink, says Chin. The dietitian cites a 2002 study published in the American Journal of Physiology that found healthy adults living in temperate climates and not engaged in rigorous activities didn't need large amounts of water.
Researcher Heinz Valtin recommended simply drinking when thirsty, and he wrote that caffeinated drinks can count toward satisfying fluid requirements. In February 2004, the Institute of Medicine issued new recommendations agreeing with Valtin.
The new guidelines remove the eight- glasses-a-day recommendation and suggest healthy adults allow thirst to determine their fluid needs.
But Chin says to be mindful of physical activity, heat and humidity, which boost a body's need to rehydrate. And those who are going to be physically active for long periods should consider sports drinks that hydrate and provide easily usable sugar and electrolytes.
Illnesses accompanied by increased body temperature, excessive perspiration, vomiting, frequent urination or diarrhea can also increase hydration needs.
While water is an important ingredient for staying healthy, people should never look at it as a substitute for a well-balanced diet, Chin says. "Don't fool yourself into thinking that if you didn't have five servings of vegetables today you can make up for it with water."
