Is Vitamin Water Worth The Price?
Question: Is Vitamin Water good for you?
Answer: No, Vitamin Water is not good for you. In fact, it’s pretty bad for you.
So if Vitamin Water isn’t good for you, how do they get away with charging $1.79 a pop for what basically amounts to sugar water? Marketing. Vitamin Water is marketed as a healthy alternative sugary sodas. Their slogan, “Vitamins + Water = All you need” only serves to reinforce this message with an unsuspecting public. The reality is that Vitamin Water is no better for you than a can of Coke, and is considerably more expensive.
Vitamin Water Facts
The average bottle of Vitamin Water contains 32 grams of sugar. Not just any sugar, mind you, but a form of high fructose corn syrup, the very worst kind. Basically, high fructose corn syrup is the worst legal substance you could possibly put in your body. I guess being not quite as bad for you as crack counts as being a “health food” these days. By comparison, a 12 oz can of Coca-Cola contains approximately 32 grams of high fructose corn syrup.
“What?!?” you exclaim? “Vitamin Water has just as much sugar as an acknowledged junk food, soda?”
That’s correct.
Is Vitamin Water Good For Anything?
As it turns out, Vitamin Water isn’t quite as bad as soda. Soda is 100% empty calories and Vitamin Water at least contains some nutritional value in the form of vitamins, right? Well, sorta. As it turns out, Vitamin Water is nothing but empty calories for most Americans due to the simple fact that Americans, in general, don’t have a vitamin deficiency to begin with, according to a CDC study. In fact, the average American receives less than half of the Daily Recommended Allowance of only one vitamin: vitamin E.
Ah hah! So assuming you are vitamin E deficient like the average American, a tasty bottle of Vitamin Water will help you out, right? Well no. That’s because there are two types of vitamins: water-soluble and fat-soluble. Vitamin C and the B vitamins (B6, B12, folic acid, riboflavin, etc) are water-soluble, meaning they can easily be taken with water. If you pay attention to the nutrition info on the back of every Vitamin Water bottle, the vast majority of vitamins listed are C and B complex vitamins. Since they are water-soluble, they can easily be absorbed into your blood stream via water.
Vitamins A, D, and E (the one you’re most likely to be deficient in) on the other hand, are all fat-soluble. That means they can’t be dissolved into your blood stream via water, only via fat. Since a fatty beverage would be pretty disgusting, it’s a safe bet you’ll never get any vitamin A, D, or E from any water-based beverage. Since the presence of fat is required for your body to absorb these fat-soluble vitamins, they will simply be flushed out of your system unused if not taken with fatty foods (such as at dinner, what a novel concept!).
What’s The Verdict?
The verdict is that Vitamin Water has practically no nutritional value for most people. The miniscule amount of nutrition your body can get out of this drink is far, far outweighed by the vast amount of sugar you have to consume to get it. Probably 95% of all so-called “health foods” out there are either a waste of money or plain unhealthy for you, Vitamin Water being no exception. Ignore the hype and stick to plain tap water. You’ll save $1.79 per bottle and be far healthier both physically and financially if you do. If you really think you need extra vitamins, stick to a traditional multivitamin pill such as Centrum
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Great post!
I never believe in vitamin water because it is too expensive. I know I can get the same set of vitamins by having the right diet.
Rendell
I remember this whole craze started when 50 cent made that deal with Coca Cola. Everyone was all into the vitamin water for the longest time and then people eventually realized that it was a big scam. You’re better off take your multi vitamin pills (centrum or whatever) and drinking as glass a of water.
Great site Kyle!
Thanks again for the comment over at Dividend Growth Investor on my Taking Stock in Coca-Cola analysis.
I’m sorry but I’m not familiar with vitamin water. Is it the same like those of gatorade drinks?
Don’t disagree with most of this, but VitaminWater does have less sugar then soda since you’re comparing a 20oz bottle of VitaminWater to a 12oz can of soda.
Linda, that’s true but ask yourself this: do you ever share a bottle of Vitamin Water with 1 and a half of your closest friends? No, you drink the whole thing yourself. So the per ounce sugar content might be a bit less, but the total amount consumed is the same. And it’s the total amount that matters.
I guess Vitamin Water isn’t going to sponsor your blog!
Kyle -
I see more 20-oz bottles of soda these days than I do cans. If you assume that Consumer X would need to drink the same amount of sweet liquid to be satisfied, they’d still end up ingesting twice as much sugar.
And it never really works out that way, considering the high sugar content and carbonation in soda don’t serve well when quenching thirst.
I drink one bottle of Vitamin Water every morning at work in lieu of coffee. As with all foods – healthy or otherwise – the key is moderation.
If Coca-Cola actually loses this lawsuit, I want to see the same hammer fall on all the other so-called vitamin drinks (which make the same claims, use the same marketing techniques, and – unfortunately for them – taste infinitely worse), as well as every other cracker, soup, and spice jar that claims to be improving the quality of life for all takers.
This ight be a stupid question, but if vitamins A,D and E are fat soluble.. how are they in the water in the first place?
I actually love the stuff but will think twice about drinking it again.
It’s great for a hangover, though.
I actually take vitamins, anyways, so I don’t really need to drink it.
Didnt know there was a lawsuit out against them Eric but would be nice to see Coke pay for once, even their normal water (Mount Franklin) is becoming a rip off, who pays $2.50 for a small bottle of water come on, and vitamin water is just a scam.
Vitamin water is a great soft drink indeed, but….
What really irritates me is the fact they try to make it look healthy!
Their health claims – on bottles and on the website – are, at least, not responsible.
Any dietary supplements with such claims would be banned by FDA.
Be well,
Meir
wow. I was actually drinking vitamin water while reading this. However, I am now having second thought about this beverage. I might just start drinking good ol’ water.
there is not HFCS in vitamin water.
that is SO not true! You are such a liar! I can’t stand to hear your lies any longer!! How do you even know this for sure?? Are you saying that the nutritional facts are all lies??? I can believe you would do this just for money.
Uhh kiana, I don’t get paid for writing this blog. How do I know this for sure? I read the label.
Kyle Vitamin Water uses Crystalline fructose and not high fructose corn syrup.
In vitamin water, the sugar included is healthier than High Fructose Corn Syrup and regular sugar
I have seen no evidence crystalline fructose is healthier than other forms of sugar. It’s all very similar under the hood.
Crystalline fructose much more healthy for you than high fructose corn syrup and its a proven fact. Don’t believe it? Look it up. Besides, vitamin water tastes great and isn’t that bad for you at all, all that you are saying are lies. Kyle, I hate to break it to you but your just saying this to get some quick cash. If you don’t like vitamin water and think it’s rip off, don’t buy it instead of coming online and talking bad stuff about it.
James, it is not a proven fact. They are pretty much identical, chemically. Anytime somebody says “it’s a proven fact,” you know they are full of crap. It’s a law of nature.
Furthermore, I haven’t made a single solitary dime off this article, so I’m not sure why you think I wrote this to make quick cash. If I wanted to make quick cash, I would write about something marketable. You clearly aren’t a business owner.
Wait, so what if I eat a bunch of food, then drink some Vitamin Water.. would the vitamins be absorbed then?
I think that every one really needs to shut up. Like, I drink Vitamin Water. So? I honestly don’t undrstand why everyone is arguing about it. If you enjoy drinking Vitamin Water, drink it! If you don’t like it then don’t drink it! I personally enjoy it. If people don’t care about the nutrition facts on candy and soda etc. what makes you think they’re going to care about Vitamin Water? If people really honestly cared about the nutrition facts, they’d read the label themselves. They shouldn’t have to be told.
Just saying(: