FitSugar

Does Anyone Drink VitaminWater For the Vitamins, Anyway?

FitSugar — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:00:00 -0800

With colorful bottles and a variety of appealing flavors, VitaminWater products took convenience store refrigerators by storm. Water is ideal for thirst quenching, but I'm not shy to admit I've sampled a few VitaminWater flavors here and there. My gripe with the beverage is that a bottle of these beverages (equal to more than one serving) contains a ton of sugar, and The Center for Science in the Public Interest has a much bigger problem with the drink line and is taking it to court. To learn what has the advocacy group all riled up, read more.

There's now a class-action lawsuit against Coca-Cola over the company's "deceptive claims" about VitaminWater's health benefits. Stephen Gardner, director of litigation for the advocacy group commented, "It truly shocks the conscience that a company like Coke would try to keep customers by selling them a soft drink and telling them it's a vitamin."

Do you think VitaminWater pulled one over on consumers looking for a beverage that would benefit their health, or do thirsty people buy the drinks because they enjoy them, regardless of a health component?

Source

Ribose in My Vitamin Water?

FitSugar — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:30:00 -0700

The other day I was at a deli and picked up a bottle of Endurance Vitaminwater. I was excited when I saw that it contained ribose, thinking it must be a form of riboflavin (I wasn't thinking clearly since it was 1:30 and I was starving for lunch). After taking a few bites of my sandwich and reading the bottle, I discovered that it's not actually a B vitamin, or any vitamin for that matter.

Ribose is a simple sugar derived from glucose and produced by the human body. It is an essential component of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the compound that stores and delivers energy in all cells and powers all the body's processes. When you work out intensely, ATP is used up quickly by your muscles, so that's why ribose is being added to energy drinks. It's supposed to give you sustained energy and help speed up the recovery of your muscle tissues.

To find out if ribose is safe, read more.

There aren't a ton of extensive studies on ribose, but it has been shown to help people with conjunctive heart failure and fibromyalgia. The maximum recommended dose is 5g, three times a day, and it should be taken with food. Ribose is being added to other energy drinks besides Vitaminwater, and you may be getting more ribose than you think, since one bottle can contain more than one serving. Since there isn't a whole lot known about what could happen if your body overdoses on ribose consistently, this is just one more thing to keep in mind when label reading.

Source

Healthy Dose Link Time

FitSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:00:28 -0700

Afraid of candy? Check out this Halloween survival guide - Fit Bottomed Girls
Burn up serious calories with vigorous leaf raking - Fresh Fitness Tips
Five unorthodox ways to beat a cold - Vitamin G
Get your workout on with this spooky Halloween playlist - DailySpark
Competitive yoga lands in the Big Apple - Social Workout
Keep your world viral free with the Pocket Purifier - Vital Juice
VitaminWater teams up with New Moon - FitCeleb

Healthy Dose Link Time

FitSugar — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:00:00 -0800

The truth about trans fats - Shape
11 quick tips for slimming down fast food - Daily Spark
Don't forget your vitamin D - Eat Like Me
50 Cent on his lucrative relationship with VitaminWater - FitCeleb
Magarita gives you permission to do these 13 things - Margarita Shapes Up
If you were paid to exercise, would you exercise more? - Elastic Waist
Bitten by a fox, runner goes another mile - That's Fit

Source

Not-So-Healthy Health Foods

FitSugar — Thu, 03 May 2007 10:15:00 -0700

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:

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

Whole grain bread: The brown wrappers of multi-grain, whole wheat, 7 grain, oat or rye breads all look so wholesome and healthy. Think again. Flip it over and read the ingredient list. If you see “wheat flour” or “enriched flour” as the first or second ingredient, you have mostly refined white bread with some whole grains added.
Salads: Salads are often the answer to everything from waistlines to health. However, many fatty concoctions are guzzled under the guise of “salad fixings.” The fact that salad dressing is the number one source of fat in women's diets attests to the confusion over what is really a healthful salad and what is a fat-laden disaster.
Skip anything mixed with oil, mayonnaise, cheese or whipped cream. This includes potato or pasta salads, Mexican meat or cheese sauces, tuna mixed with mayonnaise, egg salad, macaroni and cheese, tartar sauce and Waldorf salad. A one-ladle serving of these foods could contribute up to three tablespoons of fat to the meal. Remember that one small ladle drizzles two tablespoons of dressing onto your plate, or up to four teaspoons of fat and 170 calories. In essence, too much of the wrong dressing can transform four cups of low-fat vegetables into a 70% fat calorie lunch! Place some low-fat dressing in a small dish and dunk your fork lightly into the dressing before each bite.

What's the Deal With Function Water?

FitSugar — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0700

It amazes me how many different variations there are on the water theme. There's tap water, filtered water, bottled water, sparkling water, Vitaminwater, Fruitwater, Fruit2O, and now Function Water. The bottle says it's "vapor distilled water + electrolytes." Vapor distilling removes all impurities, so supposedly it makes this water taste better than ordinary water (my mouth couldn't tell the difference). Then they add electrolytes to keep your cells operating well. Where have I heard this before? Oh, right. This is the exact same thing a bottle of Smartwater says. This Function Water even attempts a similar quirky sense of humor: They compare the impulses in your body's cells to impulse-buying that "sale-rack polyester jumpsuit you'll never wear but had to have." It makes it difficult for me to take this water seriously.

Fit's Tips: You should know that your body doesn't need to replenish lost electrolytes after a normal 30-minute workout, but it does need to hydrate. Regular water will do the trick after a half hour of exercise. If you're training for a race or sport and are exercising a ton, then this electrolyte-infused water may be worth the extra dough. At least it isn't infused with sugar.

Smart to Drink smartwater?

FitSugar — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 10:49:40 -0800

Water to make you smarter? Could it be that Jennifer Aniston is auditioning for a new brainy role? Not quite.

Glacéau's (the folks who bring us VitaminWater and FruitWater) smartwater is vapor distilled electrolyte enhanced water or quite simply: Water with electrolytes. This means it feels like you are drinking regular bottled water but you're actually getting the added benefit of electrolytes (helps prevent dehydration), without getting the added intense flavors and calories of other sports drinks like Gatorade.

The only time I would not recommend this water is while running (unless you pour it into a different bottle) because the clean, smooth bottles are hard to get a good grip on (especially if your hands sweat excessively). However, it's great for the gym or during any other activity where you won't be clutching your water the entire time. I'd even recommend it if you had a big night out, and you're feeling a bit hung over. Buy it from Dr. Soda Company online for $1.29-$2.19 (depending on size).

Fit's Tip: Just so you know, it's really not necessary to replace lost electrolytes during normal exercise (say 30 mins of cardio) since it is unlikely that you may experience a significant depletion in those that your body normally stores, but it definitely won't hurt to ensure hydration. If you're training for a race of some sort (or just exercising a lot) then it's a great idea to consider drinks, like smartwater, with electrolytes.

Source