Deceptive food labeling and advertising hype for “health foods and beverages” is so prevalent and misleading I must set the record straight. So here’s the nutritinal scoop on Vitaminwater.

To begin the product lists one 20-once bottle of Vitaminwater as 2.5 servings. That means you would have to drink less than half a bottle to ingest what is listed on the nutritional label. If you drink the entire bottle, which most people do, you have to multiply each number by 2.5. Right away the packaging appears to be misleading.

Next there are 13 grams of sugar in the form of fructose (remember that is less than ½ the bottle), which equates to 33 grams of sugar and 125 calories for every 20-ounce bottle.  According to nutritionists, Vitaminwater’s sugar content more than offsets any advertised health benefits provided by the nutrients in the drink.

For comparison, a can of Coca-Cola Classic contains about 39 grams of sugar and 140 calories. Both spike blood sugar. Now, if you exercise regularly you can easily burn off the calories from either product. If you are a non-exerciser you are just dumping empty, high sugar calories into the body.

Coca-Cola saw mega dollar signs in the sugary non-carbonated sports drink arena (hey it’s suppose to be healthy, right?) purchasing the product from Glaceau for $4.2 billion and positioning Vitaminwater as a major competitor to Gatorade and other non-carbonated sports drinks.

So, how can you get the right kinds of nutrients and fluids? Drink water (tap water works just fine) and eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. If you absolutely have the need for B vitamins – take a nutritional supplement – without the fructose!

What’s in Vitaminwater?

2 ½ servings per 20-once bottle

Nutrition Facts:

•                Calories: 50

•                Total fat: 0g

•                Sodium: 0mg

•                Potassium: 60mg

•                Total carbohydrates: 13g

•                Sugar: 13g

•                Protein: 0g

•                Vitamin C: 40%, Vitamin B3: 20%, Vitamin B6: 20%, Vitamin B12: 20%, Vitamin B5: 20%

•                Potassium: 150mg per bottle

Ingredients: vapor distilled/deionized water, crystalline fructose, citric acid, vegetable juice (color), natural flavor, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamin E acetate, magnesium lactate (electrolyte), calcium lactate (electrolyte), zinc picolinate, monopotassium phosphate (electrolyte), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine hydrochloride (B6), cyanocobalamine (B12)