Vitamin Water

[Bu B3ar]

So I decided to stop drinking soda as much as possible, and lately have picked up quite a habit of Vitamin Water (1 or 2 bottles a day). I mix the flavors so i get a 'ballanced' mix of the vitamins they have to offer, and I also drink regular water, 100% fruit juices, and milk.

I figured that adding a healthy dose of VW during the day couldn't hurt...but the more i think about it, how much of the vitamins are actually absorbed? I know that water gets processed very rapidly in your GI tract; do the vitamins actually get absorbed or am i mostly drinking lightly-sugared flavored water?

 

[crt1530]

Vitamin Water has about half as much sugar per ounce as Coca Cola, but the bottles are 20 ounces instead of 12. You get 32.5g of sugar per bottle instead of 39 in a Coke. I wouldn't call that "lightly sugared."

 

[Titan]

It's sugar water. And last I saw, they were lowering the calories by adding more crap like aspartame and sucralose.

I wouldn't drink it but I used to. I found that I used to be a compulsive soda drinker. Every time I would go into the local gas station (that has no pay at the pump to induce impulse buying), I would feel compelled to purchase a drink. So if you're in that kind of impulse-buy mode, then yes, vitamin water is a better alternative than soda. Even better is buying seltzer if they have it or just a bottle of water.

I wouldn't rely on the vitamins in VW. Eat your fruits, nuts, and veggies and things will probably be the most bioavailable and effective. One reason vitamins don't work is they are missing the cofactors that your body needs to process them, and I doubt the cofactors are in VW.

 

[KingGheedora]

It's bullshit. If you eat a decent diet you don't need vitamin supplements. Plus, a can of coke only has 25% more sugar than a bottle of vitamin water. I guess it's the lesser of the two evils, but it's not really that great for you.

 

[SP33Demon]

If it's sugar free, sure. If not, don't drink it and don't drink fruit juices either.

 

[Bu B3ar]

Originally posted by: SP33Demon
If it's sugar free, sure. If not, don't drink it and don't drink fruit juices either.

Why not fruit juice?

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Originally posted by: Bu B3ar

Originally posted by: SP33Demon
If it's sugar free, sure. If not, don't drink it and don't drink fruit juices either.

Why not fruit juice?

The answer lies within.
It's the sugar.

I guess we are kind of deviating from your question. The things you list are decent sources of vitamins. BUT they probably don't offset the negatives from the sugar levels assuming you are also getting vitamins from other sources.

 

[Bu B3ar]

Originally posted by: Gonad the Barbarian

Originally posted by: Bu B3ar

Originally posted by: SP33Demon
If it's sugar free, sure. If not, don't drink it and don't drink fruit juices either.

Why not fruit juice?

The answer lies within.
It's the sugar.

I guess we are kind of deviating from your question. The things you list are decent sources of vitamins. BUT they probably don't offset the negatives from the sugar levels assuming you are also getting vitamins from other sources.

People get so wound up over sugar these days, but i don't eat like the typical american fatass, so it really just goes in one ear and right out the other. You're body needs sugar, regardless of what anyone says, because when you break down your food...you make sugar! I don't eat sweats, i don't drink soda (as i mentioned), i don't eat a lot of carbs. My body is fine with the 32.5g of sugar it gets from my vitamin water (and that is for 20oz). While yes, i agree, too much sugar is bad, too much of anything is bad; you can OD on water for god sakes.

So, how bout my question: am I getting vitamins out of my Vitamin Water, or am I just enjoying a tasty beverage?

 

[mchammer187]

I like it after a night of heavy drinking but that is about the only time I'll ever drink it.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

I recommend you watch the vid in the post I linked to.

 

[KingGheedora]

You will probably not notice any kind of health benefit from drinking vitamin water over plain water.

 

[Bu B3ar]

Originally posted by: Gonad the Barbarian
I recommend you watch the vid in the post I linked to.

I would, but A) no sound at work computer B) don't have 90mins to spare right now. Cliffs?

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Originally posted by: Bu B3ar

Originally posted by: Gonad the Barbarian
I recommend you watch the vid in the post I linked to.

I would, but A) no sound at work computer B) don't have 90mins to spare right now. Cliffs?

I don't think a summary can do it justice. It goes into a lot of specifics on fructose, that our food is saturated with it, and how specifically it harms us. It's much more profound than just "sugar is bad" for 90 minutes and is worth making the time for. You stopped drinking soda for a reason right?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: Bu B3ar

Originally posted by: Gonad the Barbarian

Originally posted by: Bu B3ar

Originally posted by: SP33Demon
If it's sugar free, sure. If not, don't drink it and don't drink fruit juices either.

Why not fruit juice?

The answer lies within.
It's the sugar.

I guess we are kind of deviating from your question. The things you list are decent sources of vitamins. BUT they probably don't offset the negatives from the sugar levels assuming you are also getting vitamins from other sources.

People get so wound up over sugar these days, but i don't eat like the typical american fatass, so it really just goes in one ear and right out the other. You're body needs sugar, regardless of what anyone says, because when you break down your food...you make sugar! I don't eat sweats, i don't drink soda (as i mentioned), i don't eat a lot of carbs. My body is fine with the 32.5g of sugar it gets from my vitamin water (and that is for 20oz). While yes, i agree, too much sugar is bad, too much of anything is bad; you can OD on water for god sakes.

So, how bout my question: am I getting vitamins out of my Vitamin Water, or am I just enjoying a tasty beverage?

People do get wound up over sugar. You know why? Because it has been shown to do a lot of bad things. The explanation in the lecture specifically blames fructose - a monosaccharide that composes half of the disaccharide sucrose (table sugar). Fructose has no regulatory mechanism like the insulin that glucose has. Because of that, it really has no say in satiety. Without affecting satiety, the body feels like it hasn't gotten those calories even though it has. Therefore, if you're eating up for those calories that you don't feel like you're getting, you will gain weight. On top of that, fructose screws with hunger hormones, insulin sensitivity (by leaving glucose in the blood stream with a fully energize liver), and also instigates a cascade of events that leads to heart disease and atherosclerosis.

All of these things have been shown in research. You say that your body needs sugar. Would you like to take that back now? Your body doesn't need sugar whatsoever - not one bit. Fruit and stuff is fine. It has a fair amount of fiber in it to slow the digestion of the sugar to a rate that the liver can handle and the body can semi-regulate. However, fruit juice doesn't have this fiber and therefore blows out your liver, destroys your insulin sensitivity, increases adiposity, etc just like soda or any other soft drink. It's not worth it. Drink water.

Vitamin water is crap anyhow. It's like a bad multivitamin and you know what? In healthy, young individuals, multivitamins show no benefits. So if you think you're doing your body a favor - you're really not. You're pumping it full of sugar, doing damage, in the name of getting your vitamins, which are actually not helping you. Watch the lecture when you get the chance. It should help you understand.

 

[SP33Demon]

That was a good post by SC. A good example of what he was saying is soda and other sweet liquid calories like your vitamin water. Your body can ingest a good amount in a small amount of time and before you know it, you've consumed half of your daily calories but your body is no more sated than from the same amount of water volume. Obviously OP this doesn't refer to you so much.

All in all, 32 grams isn't going to hurt you... that's only 32X4= 128 calories which is well under the 10% RDA. As long as you're still getting protein, good fats, and fibrous fruits/veggies then it's ok. On the weekends I'll eat roughly the same amount in candy just to quell any urges during the week and I don't feel guilty because I'm counting cal's and working out. But by not eating fruit you're going to miss out on even energy levels (B vitamins and fiber) and having a Vitamin Water every single day may make you want more sugar... it's analogous to someone smoking just 1 cig a day, many become hooked but if you have the willpower to limit it then more power to ya.