Vitamin Water

jamesrreed

I'm three days into my latest diet and doing really well.

I'm a huge soda addict (Mountain Dew in particular) and am trying to cut that out entirely if possible. I have tried in the past with limited success to replace soda with water but ultimately fail because I don't particularly like the taste of water. This time around I am trying Vitamin Water instead.

Before I get too far down the road, is there any reason I shouldn't drink Vitamin Water almost exclusively? I'll drink the occasional glass of water, milk or juice but so far over the last three days I have drank between 3-4 20 ounce bottles of Vitamin Water. Usually one bottle of regular (120 calories) and the rest are Vitamin Water Zeros.

I have to assume they have some caffeine in them because I haven't had the horrendous headaches that come with giving up soda cold turkey.

Any thoughts or advice are greatly appreciated.

BenjaminMFP88

As long as you are accounting for the calories then it doesn't really matter. Just ensure you are getting a healthy amount of water a day and you're fine. I don't know if I would want to spend my carbs on a drink though, but that's just my preference :laugh:

jamesrreed

I agree. I'm trying to stick to one regular VW which is 120 calories per day and the rest be VM Zeros.

Followingsea

I don't know anything about Vitamin Water so I just pulled up the nutritional info. It looks like only the energy one has any caffeine.

is there any reason I shouldn't drink Vitamin Water almost exclusively? I'll drink the occasional glass of water, milk or juice but so far over the last three days I have drank between 3-4 20 ounce bottles of Vitamin Water.

As long as you're cool with fitting it into your caloric/macro allotment, no reason at all.

I also drank a lot of soda until my parents quit drinking it a few years ago and I quit in solidarity. I swapped in soda water, which I find more satisfying than still water.

cyclist_44060

I have given up soda, and know drink 2-3 Vitamin water zero a day. So far so go for me. I do drink the occasional regular water.

n_unocero

vitamin waters have a ton of sugar...and taste like crap (IMO)

How about green tea?

There is also this stuff I found at the store once called "sparkling ice" or something like that. It was sparkling flavored water....and it's pretty fantastic.

moment_to_arise

try drinking tea! or another great trick is to put frozen berries or cucumber slices in your water, they will flavor the water without adding too many calories, plus it is real flavor from real food, instead of any artificial flavorings that might be in vitamin water. you'd be surprised how delicious cucumber water is! adding a few mint leaves makes it refreshing and delicious. one of my favorites

Followingsea

vitamin waters have a ton of sugar...and taste like crap (IMO)

How about green tea?

There is also this stuff I found at the store once called "sparkling ice" or something like that. It was sparkling flavored water....and it's pretty fantastic.

I tried that stuff (Ice), but artificial sweeteners and I don't get along well. There's another brand, Hint - they do both sparkling and still - and they have unsweetened flavored waters. Thanks for the reminder!

SailorKnightWing

Just be aware that unless you're drinking the Vitamin Water with some kind of food that has fat, you're not actually absorbing all of the vitamins. Specifically vitamins A and E, which are fat-soluble.

sld4063

I don't like drinking things with artificial sweeteners- too many odd chemicals to put in my body. I drink La Croix sparkling water which comes in many flavors and is carbonated- no caffeine and 100% natural. no calories- no stevia, no aspartame, no splenda etc.

violetense

Vitamin Water can be a good substitute for soda and other less-healthy drinks and an incentive to hydrate better, but it's still important to drink enough water.

Especially I would be wary of the sugar content--13 grams per serving, and there are 2.5 servings per bottle, totaling almost equal to the sugar content (and caloric value) of a can of Coke. Sucrose is a good source of energy, but it also spikes your insulin levels and can lead to a crash later, and, being refined, retains no micronutrients. Which, of course, is supposedly offset by added vitamins, but that's still a significant amount of empty calories, and the vitamins could be easily obtained (and, in many cases, better absorbed by your body) through consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Also, one of the touted benefits of VW is its levels of vitamins B and C, which are actually water-soluble, meaning that excess of what your body requires is not stored but flushed out; in addition, some of the low-cal sweeteners (that is, sugar alcohols) contained in Zero have been found to cause gas and have a possible laxative effect in some people, especially consumed at a higher rate.

Bottom line: VW should be fine in moderation, and can be a good on-the-go drink, but you're better off upping your intake of other fluids and getting more nutrients from your diet.

sunnshhiine

I like to drink those carbonated "waters" when I'm craving a pop. Fruit Water and Sparkling Ice are two of my favorites.

Silverstar46

My mom drank a bunch of vitamin water and it started to make her sick from vitamin overload. I do NOT recommend you drink it exclusively - drink regular water too!

cyclist_44060

I think Vitamin water zero has less than 1g of sugar and 4g of carbs per serving (serving size 1 20oz bottle).

Vitamin Water can be a good substitute for soda and other less-healthy drinks and an incentive to hydrate better, but it's still important to drink enough water.

Especially I would be wary of the sugar content--13 grams per serving, and there are 2.5 servings per bottle, totaling almost equal to the sugar content (and caloric value) of a can of Coke. Sucrose is a good source of energy, but it also spikes your insulin levels and can lead to a crash later, and, being refined, retains no micronutrients. Which, of course, is supposedly offset by added vitamins, but that's still a significant amount of empty calories, and the vitamins could be easily obtained (and, in many cases, better absorbed by your body) through consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Also, one of the touted benefits of VW is its levels of vitamins B and C, which are actually water-soluble, meaning that excess of what your body requires is not stored but flushed out; in addition, some of the low-cal sweeteners (that is, sugar alcohols) contained in Zero have been found to cause gas and have a possible laxative effect in some people, especially consumed at a higher rate.

Bottom line: VW should be fine in moderation, and can be a good on-the-go drink, but you're better off upping your intake of other fluids and getting more nutrients from your diet.

just_Jennie1

Bleah.

Tastes fake.

Why not take regular water and add lemon, oranges, or cucumber to it? Tastes much better, far more refreshing and minimal calories.

BenjaminMFP88

Here's my 3rd cent to add on to what I said previously. Ensure you are getting your macro/micro nutrients. Doesn't matter what you put down the hatchet after that. If you like the way it tastes, drink it, log it and enjoy your chosen beverage!

I prefer mixing diet and real soda. Tasts much better at a fraction of the calories and I love me some aspertame

jamesrreed

You guys are awesome. I greatly appreciate all of the feedback. Didn't realize until just now that there had been so many replies.

So far today I have had one VM and filled the bottle back up when I was done with regular water while running on the treadmill.

I forgot how awesome MFP is. I lost 35 lbs in 2010 thanks in very large part to MFP. Put that and 10 more lbs back on since thanks in large part to Mountain Dew. Excited to be back on here.

Thanks again.