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For many people, cutting soda from their diet is the first step to leading a healthier lifestyle.
But unless you’re swapping soda with water, you might not be saving yourself as many calories as you think.
Plenty of these “healthy” sports drinks and infused waters are actually just as bad for your body as a can of soda.
The biggest culprit of all: Vitamin water.
What Is Vitamin Water?
Marketed as a healthy alternative to sugary soda and juice, vitamin water is supposedly infused with essential vitamins and minerals, like vitamins A, B, C, and E, potassium, and magnesium.
Why Should You Avoid It?
Surprise! Vitamin water isn’t so healthy after all. Not only do many different types of vitamin water contain as much sugar as soda, the low-calorie and sugar-free options can actually make you sick.
Weight Gain
If you’ve been struggling to lose those last few pounds, it’s definitely time to take a look at what you’re drinking. Like most sports drinks, vitamin water is packed with sugar, and most people simply don’t factor beverages in when counting calories.
No-Sugar Lies
A drink that claims to contain little to no sugar, even though it tastes sweet, is essentially lying to you. Most sugar-free vitamin water is actually sweetened with a combination of erythritol and stevia—basically sugar alcohol. While sugar alcohol technically isn’t sugar, it poses its own slew of side effects, which include: bloating, gas, diarrhea, headache, nausea, and upset stomach.
Which Brands Should You Look Out For?
Honestly, any drink that claims to be infused with vitamins and minerals should make you suspicious, but here are the most popular vitamin water brands:
- Vitaminwater (made by Coca-Cola!)
- Activate
- Sky Water
- Hint Water
How Can You Add These Vitamins & Minerals To Your Diet?
Besides taking a multivitamin, there are plenty of foods naturally rich in all of these essential vitamins and minerals that you should be getting in your diet.
- Vitamin C: Oranges, Papaya, Pineapple
- Vitamin B3: Brown Rice, Tuna, Chicken
- Vitamin B5: Mushrooms, Avocado, Sweet Potatoes
- Vitamin B6: Spinach, Bananas, Salmon
- Magnesium: Quinoa, Black Beans, Pumpkin Seeds
