It seems as though providing drinking water has now become an art form. One just has to look on the shelves at any supermarket or the menu of any restaurant or coffee shop to see a long list of enhanced water.
These enhanced waters claim that they contain zero calories, which is of course a magnet for all those on a diet, but is enhance water good for you?
It seems as though water companies and even large soft drink companies have taken the bottled water fad to an entirely new level. Originally, bottled water contained nothing other than spring water tapped at source, but no more.
What Is Enhanced Water?
Enhanced water is basically filtered water that has added minerals, vitamins, colourings, flavours and sometimes artificial sweeteners. Many of them have added sugar, and others claim to contain zero calories. Some also claim to contain 10% of the daily fibre requirement.
Enhanced drinking water usually contains minerals such as potassium, which is vital to the body as the body needs a healthy balance of electrolytes to function optimally. Enhanced drinking water also often contains vitamins such as Vitamins B6 and B12, favoured for their immune support and metabolic functions.
Vitamin C is also a favourite addition to enhanced water because it is also vital to the body’s health and energy. Some waters claim to have approximately 40% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of Vitamin C per bottle.
Enhance waters primarily appeal to those on diet and those who do not necessarily want something sweet, but definitely do not want gassy soft drinks.
Is Enhance Water Good For You?
Many water companies use taglines such as “Stimulates Metabolism,†“Immune Booster†or “Packed with Antioxidants†on their labels. If the hype is to be believed, one need not do anything other than drink water to be healthy and hale, but do not be fooled by all the advertisingschtick!
Reading all of the above, it sounds as though there is no doubt that enhanced drinking water is the best thing since sliced bread, but IS it?
- Sweeteners: Enhanced waters typically contain either high amounts of artificial sweetening agents like acesulfame potassium, which has not undergone stringent testing, crystalline fructose, or high fructose corn syrup.
- Exotic Fruit Flavours:There is not one iota of fruit in the majority of the enhanced waters. The flavours are merely created via handfuls of sugar or sweetener
- Fibre:The claims that this drinking water contains 10% of your fibre RDA are ludicrous. What you are actually getting is a digestion-resistant maltodextrin, a soluble fibre that cannot be digested by the human body
- Caffeine:Although many of the water companies do list caffeine as an ingredient on the label, just as many do not reveal that their enhanced water may contain as much caffeine as about 2-3 cups of coffee.
- Vitamins:Some water companies campaign that their enhanced waters contain the same amount of vitamins as a healthy breakfast. Unfortunately this does not include protein, fibre or phytochemicals
SO, to answer the question as to whether enhanced waters are good for you or not, most professionals, including the Mayo clinic say NO!
The body needs to drink sufficient water to function optimally, but the best type of water you can drink is natural, fresh, cooled and filtered tap water, or spring water from a reliable source. Living-Water supplies a range of bottled water coolers that contain spring water from the Wenlock range and mains or POU water coolers that are plumbed-in and can be fitted with a filter.
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