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| Specifically, none of the drinks I purchased had vitamins D, B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin) and B7 (biotin). Why would Glaceau "skip" these vitamins, and not include them in its vitaminwater? Why would they forego an opportunity to provide a "complete vitamin water"?.. The clue to the answer can be found in the characteristics of these missing vitamins. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble, rather than water-soluble vitamin. It is not a simple task to put in water a substance that does not dissolve there, and to make this water look like an attractive drink. There are two other fat-soluble vitamins - A and E, which are included in some of vitamin water drinks.You can identify those drinks without even looking on the label. They are opaque rather than clear liquids. My guess was that the manufacturer just could not add another non water-soluble vitamin (vitamin D) to these drinks without incurring some negative effects. This was my educated guess regarding the absence of vitamin D in vitaminwater, a question I included in my email to customer service. |
I assumed that because of their bitter taste and strong smell they were not included in vitamin water. Do you know that "vitamin" odor of multivitamin tablets? It comes from B vitamins.
Were my guesses correct?
Here is a quote from the email I received from customer service (all lower case, just as the messages on the bottle labels): "for the most part the vitamins we use must provide the benefits that the beverage intends. also, most of the vitamins need to be water soluble."
What I conclude from this is that I was right in my guesses.
"The benefits that the beverage intends" are pleasant taste and smell - not a vitamin balance.
because it was not designed for that.
It is just another soft drink.
So, do not stop taking your multivitamins...
- Amounts of vitamins included in Glaceau vitamin water vary from 25% DV (most vitamins in most drinks) to 250% DV (vitamin C in "essential" drink).
Let's imagine you do not care about vitamins B1, B2, B7 and D, and decide to fill yourself with several bottles of vitamin water to get the rest of your vitamins.
Are there any vitamin water side effects you should be aware of? Oh, yeah!Look at the number of calories: 50 calories per serving times 2.5 servings in a bottle means 125 calories per bottle. Compare that with a can of regular Coca Cola (or Sprite) that has 140 calories.
So, if you are watching your calories, you would be better off not relying on vitamin water to supply your daily vitamins. One bottle with lunch instead of the usual soda might be not a bad idea. But as a replacement for plain water? I don't think so. Too much sugar.
Speaking of sugar...
- All vitamin water drinks which I purchased included crystalline fructose. Would you like to know what this is?..
If you go to the Glaceau website, you can learn that crystalline fructose is "a high quality, natural sweetener that is the same as found in fruits and vegetables".Did you notice the "same as" part?
It turns out that crystalline fructose is not derived from fruits or vegetables, as it may sound. In fact, it is derived from a high fructose corn syrup.
How do I know that?
From the definition provided on the Sugar Association website: "Crystalline fructose is produced by allowing the fructose to crystallize from a fructose-enriched corn syrup. The term 'crystalline fructose' is listed in the ingredient statements of foods and beverages using this corn sweetener. It is important to understand that the 'crystalline fructose' listed as an ingredient comes from cornstarch, not fruit."The source of crystalline fructose - high fructose corn syrup, or HFCS - is by itself a topic for another research. Opinions regarding HFCS cover a whole spectrum - from moderate excitement (versatile, natural sweetener) by the Corn Refiners Association, up to horror stories with a taste of conspiracy (Pretty murky!) by some activist organizations.
There is a recent article which may become the beginning of a larger campaign.
The article entitled HFCS is not 'natural', says FDA was published on April 2, 2008 by FoodNavigator-USA.com, a "daily online news service", which "seeks out news stories and data of value to decision-makers in food and beverage development in Europe."
What was the purpose of this publication, and who paid for it is not so important for the purposes of this review. I just wanted to show that the topic of high fructose corn syrup is controversial.By the way, on bottle labels of vitamin water you can find the slogan: "the inside is natural. the outside is plastic." The intention of the slogan is to encourage recycling - but the claim has been made: the vitamin water is natural.
Well, what I can say...
If the FDA will indeed determine that HFCS (and its derivatives) cannot be called natural, then Glaceau (and many other firms) will need to change their labels. Some folks already think this statement is not accurate.Naturally, or not, each bottle of vitamin water contains 32.5 grams of sugar. This is almost 7 teaspoons of sugar! A can of Coke has 39 grams, Sprite - 38 grams.
Bear this in mind next time you think about a second (or even a third) bottle of any of these good tasting drinks.
Well, finally, it is time to turn to the least pleasant part...
(click here to keep reading)
