Is Flavored Water Good For You? Here Is What To Know

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Health experts often encourage us to drink ample amounts of water because of its amazing health benefits. However, some people are ambivalent to drink plain water because of its bland taste. Therefore, for these individuals, flavored water seems like a more appealing alternative. Flavored water is any bottled mineral, spring, or purified water containing fruit, spice, or herbal flavors. Is flavored water good for you? We wanted to find out, so we conducted our own research and here is what we know.

The Importance Of Water

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Water helps us to regulate the body’s temperature, and it is vital for proper circulation of nutrients within the body. When dehydration occurs, fatigue, low energy, and sleepiness set in.

Is Flavored Water Good For You?

The standard bottle of flavored water contains water, 13 grams of sugar, natural or artificial sweeteners, and flavorings. This means consumers are drinking water saturated with lots of sugar. Individuals suffering from kidney disease may find these types of water to be harmful to their health.

Functional water is also a form of flavored water with ingredients such as botanicals, vitamins, minerals, and oxygen added to it. If flavored water is sodium-free and sweetened with artificial sweeteners, it will have fewer calories. It may be a better beverage option for children regarding weight management. Although soda has mostly water content, it contains far more sugar than flavored water.

An important negative aspect of flavored water is the fact that it causes tooth erosion and dissolves tooth enamel. To avoid dental issues, dentists recommend consuming beverages quickly, avoiding direct contact with teeth. Or, brushing teeth right after having flavored drinks to deter loss of enamel. Drinking flavored water chilled and with a straw eases the possibility of damage to teeth.

Most water manufacturers sweeten flavored waters with some form of sugar. Whether it is high fructose, corn syrup, cane sugar, agave syrup, or artificial sweeteners, the sugar content renders flavored water without nutritional value. It is still better to drink than soda which causes morbid obesity. Even waters with zero calories have artificial sweeteners such as sucralose and aspartame.

The best type of flavored water to look for are those with zero calories, zero sugar, zero sweeteners, zero preservatives, no artificial flavors, colors, or dyes. Is flavored water good for you when it has zero calories, zero sugar, and zero sweeteners? Absolutely, these are the flavored waters you do not mind exchanging for regular water.

The Truth About Flavored Water

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There has been so much conflicting information concerning flavored water that we seriously pondered and researched the question, “Is flavored water good for you?” According to the Food and Drug Administration, they consider flavored water to be soft drinks. The sugar alternatives in these beverages such as saccharin, manitol, sorbitol, lacticol, and xylitol make these waters dangerous. The sugar substitutes cause health issues like gastric distress and yeast overgrowth in the body.

Clinical research has determined that flavored water has the potential to create serious side effects in individuals suffering from mood disorders, depression, and bipolar disorder. Some other side effects caused from drinking flavored waters regularly are vision problems, chronic fatigue, insomnia, stomach cramps, hives, convulsions and seizures.

What Are The Benefits Of Flavored Water For The Body?

How is flavored water good for anyone when there is sufficient research confirming the dangers of drinking them frequently? Flavored water promotes weight loss because it has fewer calories. It is a good way to get children and adults interested in consuming more water. It tastes better than regular water, decreases food cravings, flushes toxins from the body, enhances the appearance of the skin and complexion, fights infection, and prevents heart disease and arthritis. Flavored water is diabetes-friendly.

Ingredients In Flavored Water

Flavored water contains potassium, phosphorous, sodium, caffeine, fructose, electrolytes and small traces of vitamins.

What’s The Difference Between Flavored Water And Sparkling Water?

Compared to flavored water, sparkling waters are made with carbonated water or seltzer. They have greater quantities of sodium, which in the long run may not be good for health.

Is Sugar-Free Flavored Water And Flavored Water The Same?

Sugar-free water contains aspartame and the preservative sodium benzoate. Aspartame is also sweeter than sugar but has fewer calories. There are some flavored waters which have sugar alternatives but there are a few that have none, nor do they have preservatives.

Plain Water vs. Flavored Water

It is safe to consume water daily since plain water has no calories or artificial sweeteners. Most flavored waters have artificial sweeteners and sugar, making them a health hazard for everyday consumption. Plain water makes the body feel full and hydrated which is beneficial for losing weight. Flavored water makes the body crave sugar which leads to unhealthy food choices. Plain water quenches the thirst while flavored water does not satiate the body, nor does it ease thirstiness. Flavored water with sugar is only an occasional beverage alternative.

Where flavored water has negative side effects, plain water does not. Is flavored water good for you and is it a good substitute for plain water? The answer is yes as long as you consume it in moderation.

Infused Water vs. Flavored Water

Infused water is a beverage which has no sugar and is free from chemicals and preservatives. It is made by adding water to fruits, vegetables, herbs, or spices. It is then put in the refrigerator to chill for several hours or overnight before consuming.

How Is Weight Loss Achieved By Drinking Flavored Water?

How is flavored water good for you regarding weight loss? The flavored water makes it possible to lose weight when dieters switch out their 150-calorie bottles or cans of soda for flavored bottles of 5-calorie or no-calorie water.

Healthy Brands Of Flavored Water

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Here are some of the flavored water brands we highly recommend:

  • Cascade Ice Organic Sparkling Flavored Water – it has zero calories, zero grams of sugar, no sweeteners, zero carbs, is sodium-free, and gluten-free
  • Viva Fruit Flavored Sparkling Water – it has zero sugar and zero calories, and includes vitamins and antioxidants
  • Core Water – it has 5 calories per serving, less than 1 gram of sugar, is gluten-free, kosher, vegan and loaded with antioxidants
  • Verday Chlorophyll Water – it includes wheatgrass, arugula, and spinach; it has zero calories, is non-GMO, has no artificial sweeteners and no artificial colors
  • Hint Flavored Water – it also has zero calories, zero sugar, zero sweeteners, zero preservatives, and no artificial flavors

Is flavored water good for you when the brand is organic? Yes, because it usually means there are no harsh chemicals, sugar substitutes, or preservatives.

What Are The Harmful Effects Of Sugar Substitutes In Flavored Water?

Is flavored water good for you even though it contains sugar substitutes? Sugar substitutes in flavored water cause migraines, memory loss, dizziness, cancer, hypothyroidism, breathing problems, lung problems, toxic liver, toxic kidneys, diarrhea, eczema, bloating, nerve damage, nausea, phobias, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, birth defects, depression, irritability, and decreased vision. Because of these pressing health ailments, one should only consume sugar substitutes once in a blue moon.

How To Make Your Own Flavored Water

It is by far healthier and more economical to make your own flavored water. Adding herbs, vegetables, and fruits such as cherries, raspberries, mango, lemon, lime, mint, sliced cucumbers, jalapenos, ginger, vanilla extract, and pineapple is a perfect way to make flavored waters more nutritious. There are certain herbs, that when added to water, give it healing properties. For instance, cinnamon bark lowers LDL (bad cholesterol levels), and improves motor functions within the body.

Basil water is beneficial to people with diabetes, arthritis, and asthma. It lowers blood sugar and relieves sinus congestion. Vanilla extract in water soothes nausea and calms anxiety and stress. Lemon water detoxifies, sage water creates feelings of calm and serenity, and cucumber water reduces cancer risk and heart disease and is very hydrating. Orange water is immune-boosting while mint is soothing. Is flavored water good for you when used with natural fruits, herbs, and spices? Yes, because it has natural sugars instead of artificial sweeteners. Is flavored water good for you when it is homemade? Yes, because the ingredients are more natural.

Summary

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In conclusion, flavored waters are part of the beverage marketing trends to make water more palatable to generate more revenue. Therefore, creating and planning these waters to appeal to beauty afficionados, the fitness-conscious, and the health-obsessed makes monetary sense. These waters are expensive since they have become fashion statements or confirmation of healthy living and affluent lifestyles.

The fact of the matter is, compared to pure water, their weight loss benefits are marginal and they are seldom beneficial towards health goals. Those who are health-conscious should continue to drink their daily allowance of water remembering they are also fulfilling their hydration quota by considering other beverages such as water from food, teas, coffee, and fruit juices to suffice their water intake.

For years they told us 8 glasses of water per day would keep us healthy, alert, and bright. Yet, there are so many drawbacks to drinking too much water. For instance, too much water consumption can lead to low sodium levels, a condition called hyponatremia which is fatal. An over-hydrated body may experience confusion, water intoxication, brain fog, stomach cramps, nausea, bloating, and organ failure.

For satisfying thirst, allow your body to be your guide. The new recommended daily allowance for water consumption is 15 cups and this includes the water we consume from fruits, vegetables, and other drinks besides water.

Whether one consumes plain water, flavored water, sugar-free water or sparkling water, the goal should always be to drink more of which is better for our health. According to our findings nothing is better than pure water. Although health concerns may be our focus, occasionally it makes meal times more interesting when we change our water intake to include other drinks such as flavored waters and seltzers. Have we solved the question “Is Flavored water good for you?” It is good to not be too concerned about caloric intake and stay mindful not to overindulge.

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