Hi Readers! Soooo, I’ve been a little busy with school and haven’t had a chance to write in a while. BUT…I have been doing considerable research and how to promote health and fitness in our community. I found this *great* article by Weight Watchers demystifying what should be the basis of ALL our diets….water consumption.  The author does a great job of identifying the most popular ways of consumption as well as the pros and cons of each. Check it out!

Who knew water could be so complicated? Nowadays the choices include vitamin-enhanced water, flavored water, mineral water, spring water — and the list goes on. Here we try to make the world of water, well, crystal clear.

Vitamin-enhanced water
These claim to do everything from clear up your skin to make you skinny. Can we believe the hype? Be wary, says Linda Yerardi, MS, RD, LDN, CDE, a dietitian at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. “I have mixed feelings about fortified waters,” she says. “They’re OK to do in small amounts. But for most of the American population, they’re either giving not enough vitamins to make a difference or too much.”

The lure of these waters is that they’re a quick health fix for busy people. Problem is, there’s no such thing as health in a bottle. “If you’re deficient in a vitamin, you need to build it up over the long term,” Yerardi says. “It’s not like you can drink the water and assume you have everything you need.”

The most important thing you can do is read the labels. Make sure it’s not loaded with calories. And none of the vitamin amounts should exceed 100 percent of the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI). While Weight Watchers recommends taking a multivitamin-mineral supplement daily, steer clear of supplements that contain excessive amounts of vitamins and minerals.

And what about waters touting energy boosts? They’re usually laden with herbal additives or caffeine, which can disrupt sleep. Fatigue is one sign of dehydration, so regular water might just perk you up on its own.

Bottom line: Drinking fortified waters in moderation because you like the taste is one thing, but don’t think about it as a move for health. Your best bet is to eat a balanced diet to get your vitamins from your food.

Flavored water
Some flavored waters contain added sugar — and added calories — while others have calorie-free artificial sweeteners or just the essence of a natural herb like mint. “When you’re watching your weight, you need to read the labels to be sure you’re not getting extra calories,” says Ruth Frechman, registered dietician and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Look at the number of servings per container (often more than one) and the calories per serving; multiply the two numbers to figure out how many calories are in the bottle. The label will also tell you exactly what it is you’re drinking.

“If you drink a flavored water, you’re still getting the hydrating benefits of fluid,” Frechman says. “Many people tell me they don’t like water, so if this is a way to make people drink more water, it’s a good idea.” (Bear in mind that on the Weight Watchers plan, caffeine-free and sugar-free beverages like sugar-free lemonade and flavored and fortified waters that contain sugar — which provide extra calories or citric acid and affect bone health, respectively — can only count for up to three of the six servings of water you need per day.)

Simple and inexpensive
Another downside to these bottled waters is the expense. You can get the same great flavors for a much lower price by making your own. “One of my favorites is to add slices of lemon and lime to water; both together is very delicious,” says Frechman. She also recommends slices of cucumber, which she lets steep. The same goes for mint (she even likes to mix the mint and cucumber).

Mashed strawberries add a nice flavor too, even if they are “a little bit messy,” according to Frechman. “It’s more effort to go natural,” she adds, “but it’s healthier.” The best part is that these can count fully toward the six glasses we’re supposed to drink every day.

Water 101

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