WATER
HEALTH
by Rikki Kite
Wet your whistle with a variety of flavored waters
WITH A TWIST
"Drink eight glasses of water a day" is a resolution that rolls over onto my new list at the beginning of each year. Other resolutions, such as giving up cigarettes and daily soft drinks, were more successful and bumped off my list after a few attempts. I've also had resolutions that were obviously bad ideas and quickly disregarded, like the year I vowed to say "bitchin" more often. I'm not sure whether I'll do the splits this year after my failed effort in 2005, but I may actually end up fully hydrated with the help of a variety of new flavored water products on the market.
PHOTO LLUSTRATION/JARED GAB
It's no secret that soft drinks aren't necessarily healthy, and in the past few years they are sharing the blame — along with sedentary lifestyles and fast food — for the growing obesity problem in America. In the summer of 2005, the American Beverage Association took action and unveiled its new school vending policy that would decrease the amount of soft drinks in elementary, middle and high schools while increasing juice and lower-calorie product options. Coincidentally, last year sales volumes of carbonated soft drinks fell for the first time since 1985, according to Beverage Digest, but non-carbonated beverage sales increased.
Dasani, a Coca-Cola product, introduced a line of flavored waters about a year ago, but they were completely unrelated to the new ABA policy, spokesperson Ray Crockett says.
But, if you read the labels on bottles of flavored water, it's hard to tell how they differ from diet soft drinks. Sprite Zero, a "lemon-lime soda," for example, contains zero calories or carbs and lists its first two ingredients as carbonated water and citric acid. Dasani's Natural Strawberry Flavored Water Beverage is also calorie and carb-free, and the first two ingredients are purified water and citric acid.
So, what is the difference between these new flavored
waters and diet soft drinks? "Diet soft drinks are carbonated," Crockett says. I point out to him that some types of flavored waters, such as 7UP's "Breeze," are also carbonated."Flavored waters are lightly flavored and lightly sweetened. They're for someone who wants to drink water but wants something different," he says.
Carolyn Moore, Wichita freshman, says she doesn't drink diet soft drinks but will occasionally have a bottle of flavored water. "I think it's healthier than a diet soft drink," she says.
exacerbate digestive problems. Boo says. "I don't think it hydrates you nearly as well as water," he says.
Non-carbonated flavored waters are a healthier choice than diet soft drinks, agrees Aaron Boos, owner of Lawrence Nutrition Center, 4931 W. Sixth St. Carbonated beverages can
However, bottled waters in general may be a better choice
IF YOU READ THE LABELS ON BOTTLES OF FLAVORED WATER, IT'S HARD TO TELL HOW THEY DIFFER FROM DIET SOFT DRINKS.
than tap water, unless you know what kind of plumbing you're dealing with. "I'm not drinking the water from the faucet in a 100-year-old house." Boo says.
"Plain water is the best,
without any additives in it," says Gina Fisch, owner and operator of Perfect Balance Weight Management Center, 935 Iowa St. Water with additives and soft drinks both include extra chemicals for your body to process, Fisch says, and she also recommends that you choose either diet sodas or flavored water in moderation, but not both." Two 12-ounce containers per day is moderation and fine," she says. Regular soft drinks contain about 12 teaspoons of sugar per can, which Fisch suggests is extra sugar you should avoid. She also recommends that the average, non-athletic student consume 64-80 ounces of water per day.
Recommended daily intake of water actually varles quite a bit between women and men,
age groups and depending on how much you exercise. The National Academy of Sciences recommends that women between the ages of 19-30 consume about 91 ounces per day, and men in that age bracket should chug closer to 125 ounces.
There's also a handy-dandy "Hydration Calculator" on the International Bottled Water Association Web Site (www.bottledwater.org) that calculates water needs based on weight, time spent exercising and intensity of exercise. According to the calculator, I should be drinking 83.5 ounces a day. That's a lot of water. With more bottled water varieties available, this could be the year I meet that goal and work in some new resolutions.
e
08.31.2004 JAYDAN 51
ANDR ID 96 ANNIVIAL
---
08.31.2006 JAYRALAX N
600S, 1C.30 YAITYALFI
-