flavored water

Although bottled water isn't great for the environment, it seems like there's a new kind out each week. We've had holy water, vitamin water, mint water, flavored water and even fiber water. While it seems like you couldn't add another kind to the mix, Los Angeles based Activate is doing just that.

The new marketing gimmick trick is that the vitamins and herbs in their vitamin and herb-infused water are stored in a chamber inside the cap. When you twist the cap clockwise, the chamber is cut and the powder drops into the water below. The founders of the company came up with the idea because they had a hard time remembering to take their daily vitamins. Storing the ingredients in the cap will keep them fresh until they're released.

If you're interested to see how Activate tastes, the purified water is currently available in four flavors — Fruit Punch (Vitamin), Orange (Immunity), Berry (Antioxidant), and Lemon-Lime (Energy) — and claims to have no syrupy taste. There's no sugar — although it is lightly sweetened with Splenda — and it does contain caffeine.

So tell me, are you going to try Activate?

TeamSugar member aistea311 recently posted one of my favorite tips. I live by this one every day and definitely think it's worth mentioning.

To spruce up an ordinary bottle of water, add fresh squeezed lime juice. For extra kick, do like aistea311 and add a few packets of Splenda and a splash of club soda.

While it is a super simple tip, it's definitely one worth keeping in your repertoire. If you don't have fresh lemons or limes on hand, you should consider keeping a bottle of 100% lime or lemon juice on hand. I personally have both, and find that it's a nice treat to be able to spruce up my water. Plus, guests are usually wowed when they ask for water and you say, "plain, with lemon, or with lime?"

I've got good news for those of you who think water is too plain. Pur water filter systems have come up with a new way to add flavor to your water. With the new Pur Flavor Options, you can now add a splash of strawberry, peach or raspberry to each glass. The flavor cartridge fits into the Pur filters like a regular cartridge and if you're not sure which flavor to try, there's a helpful quiz to determine what your flavor is.

Each flavor cartridge is good for 75 servings of flavor with no added sugar, calories or dyes. Sounds pretty interesting, but I have to ask, what is wrong with plain water?

Source: Cooking Gadgets

A lot of times we have the impression that something is healthy just by its name but that is not always the case. I came across this great article from MSNBC.com that details five foods that are typically labeled as healthy, but aren't:

1. Yogurt: Most people know that calcium is important to build bones and prevent osteoporosis. And milk products, such as yogurt, are one of your best sources of calcium. Recent research also shows that some healthy bacteria in yogurts, called probiotics, can help keep you regular, curb symptoms of travelers' diarrhea, diarrhea associated with taking antibiotics and inflammatory bowel disease, and might even boost immunity and lower colon cancer risk. The most powerful bacteria are ones like L. acidophilus.

   Don't pay extra for the brands on the market that say their specific form of bacteria — with silly names like “regularis” — are any more effective at keeping you regular. And just because a yogurt has the word “immunity” in the title doesn't mean it's better at boosting your immune system either. Choose a brand with a mix of bacteria. Also, skip most fruited varieties, which have up to eight teaspoons of added sugar, more sugar than you'll find in most candy bars. With Americans consuming more sugar than has ever been consumed by any living creature in the history of the planet, or about 40 teaspoons a day, we need to cut way back on sugar, not keep piling it on! Oh, and those yogurt coatings on pretzels and raisins? It's more candy than yogurt, which explains why an ounce of yogurt-coated raisins has more than 40% more calories than plain raisins.

What about low-carb desserts? read more

A lot of times we have the impression that something is healthy just by its name but that is not always the case. I came across this great article from MSNBC.com that exposes foods that are typically labeled as healthy, but aren't:

1. Enhanced waters: Why drink ordinary water when you can drink “nutrient-enhanced water”? Well, maybe because these “enhanced” waters are just sugar water with a touch of nutrients and a lot of hype. There is no evidence that the ingredients prevent colds, boost health and energy, or reduce disease risk. They also come at a high price, some cost up to $1.50, two to three times the price of plain bottled water.

   Watch out for the serving sizes, too. A Glaceau VitaminWater says it supplies half of your daily need for some of the nutrients. But you have to drink the entire bottle, which according to the label would be 2.5 servings and 125 calories, almost the same amount of sugar calories as you'd get in a cola. In reality, you're getting only 7 out of the 40+ nutrients you need. Even then, the amount is miniscule. For example, the vitamin C you'll get from drinking an entire bottle of Glaceau VitaminWater could easily be gotten from eating two strawberries, for a fraction of the calories. You are much better off taking a moderate-dose multiple vitamin and mineral supplement and leaving these enhanced waters on the grocery store shelf.

What about whole grain bread or salads, read more

When it comes to hydration do flavored waters do the job?

Just about every water company has some new fangled version of water on the market, but are they as healthy as plain water?

Glaceau makes some vitamin waters that contain a lot less sugar than fruit juices making them an alternative. Plus each flavor contains a different set of vitamins and nutrients. They also make fruit waters which add a little bit of flavor to plain water, but they also add sugar and 50 calories.

Some fruit flavored waters, like Fruit2O, use artificial sweeteners like Splenda to sweeten up the drink without adding calories.

Fit's Tips: I wouldn't exactly put these flavored waters in the category of good old natural healthy hydrating water. It's a great alternative to soda, but don't replace it for water. When traveling, choose plain old water instead.