Vitamin Water Contents

It's important to keep in mind that Glacéau has listed one bottle of Vitaminwater as 2.5 servings. That means you would have to drink less than half a bottle to get what the numbers on the back say. If you drink the whole bottle, though -- which will probably be the case, since the bottles are fairly small -- you have to multiply each number by 2.5. Right away the packaging appears to be misleading.

Here are the nutrition facts and ingredients from a bottle of "charge" Vitaminwater:

 

What's in Vitaminwater? Nutrition Facts: Calories: 50 Total fat: 0g Sodium: 0mg Potassium: 60mg Total carbohydrates: 13g Sugar: 13g Protein: 0g Vitamin C: 40%, Vitamin B3: 20%, Vitamin B6: 20%, Vitamin B12: 20%, Vitamin B5: 20% Potassium: 150 mg per bottle Ingredients: vapor distilled/deionized water, crystalline fructose, citric acid, vegetable juice (color), natural flavor, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamin E acetate, magnesium lactate (elecrolyte), calcium lactate (electrolyte), zinc picolinate, monopotassium phosphate (electrolyte), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine hydrochloride (B6), cyanocobalamine (B12)

 

The big red flag here is the amount of sugar. There are 13 grams of sugar in one serving, so an entire bottle contains about 32.5 grams of sugar. For the sake of comparison, a can of Coca-Cola Classic contains about 39 grams of sugar. Because the sugar found in Vitaminwater or Coke is made from a refining (or purifying) process, it contains no nutrients or vitamins beneficial to our health. It instead acts only as a source of energy -- once anything with sugar is ingested, the sugar skips digestion by passing through the stomach wall and raising blood sugar levels. Since your body is programmed to keep its blood sugar at a certain level, the pancreas secretes insulin to balance everything out.

But, you ask, what about all the vitamins!?? Here is a comparison with a typical vitamin tablet. The tablet contains approximately what you would need every day in nutrients.

  If you are seeing a bunch of empty spaces here, then you are seeing it correctly!  Not only does it have less than handful of vitamins in it, the amounts are ridiculously small!

© Stringer/Getty Images for CineVegas Despite sleek advertising and a lineup of drinks including Smartwater, Glaceau's products designed for "responsible hydration" may not offer the best health benefits.

  On top of this, Vitaminwater also contains between 100 to 125 calories. Again, a can of Coke has 140 calories. If you're an athlete or exercise regularly, you can burn off those calories easily. If you don't get any exercise and continue to drink Vitaminwater, however, you're not being quite as healthy as Glacéau advertises -- you're only adding unnecessary substances to your body and potentially gaining more weight.

There are a handful of vitamins in any flavor of Vitaminwater, but it seems the vitamins' benefits are offset by the effects of sugar and the enormous cost. So, how can you get the right kinds of nutrients? The best thing to do is to drink regular water and get vitamins from a good source of fruits and vegetables. If you can't change your diet because of medical reasons, convenience or availability, a wide range of vitamin supplements are available in pill or liquid form.

If you want flavored water, add some strawberry extract and a little Splenda and you have a MUCH cheaper solution!