Vitamin Water &....Crystalline Fructose? What the heck is that?!!

When we hear the word "vitamin" we often just assume it means "good for me". After all, vitamins are made to supplement your diet and be healthy, water is good for you and you're always being told to hydrate. If you think "logically" the term "vitamin water" (or in this case the PRODUCT called Vitamin Water) sounds like it would be healthy for you. As someone who takes and sells nutritional supplements (only the best, of course ;-)), I know a thing or two about supplements and suspected this "Vitamin Water" product is not all it's cracked up to be. Turns out I was even more surprised than I thought I would be when I started researching the ingredients in this beverage. Surprised, and then a little pissed off.

First - not all vitamins are created equally, and not all of them are good for you, even the ones claiming to be - even some of the ones you might be taking. Some of them are in a form that your body does not even absorb. Popular and well known products like Centrum, Kirkland, and Jamieson, and even some brands from health food stores have been proven ineffective in the body as far as your body absorbing it goes. Other companies, like USANA, True Star, and Douglas Labs make outstanding, high quality products. They're more expensive, but...you get what you pay for. If you're interested in seeing if the vitamins you're taking are worth the money you're spending, check out the book "The Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements", by Lyle MacWilliam. You might be absolutely shocked at how effective your supplement really is...or isn't. Here's a link you can check out if you're interested in the book: http://www.comparativeguide.com/

But, I digress...my point was Vitamin Water. If a company that makes actual "vitamins "(i.e. Centrum) doesn't create a product that has quality ingredients that your body would actually absorb, I would suggest that it is highly unlikely that the $2 drink I might pick up at the gas station is made with vitamins, nutrients, or minerals that is being marketed to me as healthy will contain any good quality vitamins either. I'm saying, I think if there actually ARE any vitamins in this product, they will either not be in a form your body will absorb and are likely very poor quality.

I read the ingredients on the label (of course!) and found the following - Please keep in mind the RDI (recommended daily intake) are rather old and were developed many years ago, and there is a lot of controversy surrounding whether these amounts are actually high enough for us today:

Medicinal Ingredients (per 591 ml bottle)
Vitamin B3 (niacinamide) 5 mg (RDI is 15 mg for adults)
Vitamin B5 (calcium d-pantothenate) 2.5 mg (RDI - varies between 6 & 10 mg per day)
Vitamin B6 (pridoxine HCI) 0.5 mg (RDI for adults - 2.5 mg)
Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) 1.5 mcg (RDI 4-6 mcg)
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) 90 mg (RDI - 75 mg)
Zinc (zinc gluconate) 3.75 mg (RDI 15 mg)

Even if we assume that the RDIs of of any of these vitamins are not subject to controversy, drinking one of these per day will not meet the current requirements for a human body. You would need to consume more than one of these drinks PER DAY, and the average 591 ml bottle has 120 - 130 calories (empty ones, in my opinion, and anything that has that color that can't be found in nature should be avoided anyway). So beyond their "nutrient packed" beverage (or lack of nutrients, thereof), here are the rest of the ingredients:

Non Medicinal Ingredients:
Reverse osmosis water (fancy!!)
Crystalline Fructose
Cane sugar
Fruit and vegetable juices for color (I've never seen these shades of orange, pink or purple you see in these drinks in the forest, or anywhere else in nature!)
Citric acid
Natural flavor

When I emailed Coca Cola to ask what exactly "natural flavor" meant, they suggested I contact Glaceau, the people who make it because they didn't know for sure. Glaceau hasn't responded yet, but in their defense, it has only been about a week. And seriously Coke - you don't know exactly what is in the products you're selling & can't comment on it? Shame on you!!

My BIGGEST shock was the ingredient called "Crystalline Fructose". Instantly, I know something is up...especially since the word "fructose" is there, it's the second ingredient, and that is followed by cane sugar in addition to the ingredient of the "fructose" persuasion.

Crystalline fructose is a processed sweetener derived from corn (ohmygod!! seriously?!) that is almost ENTIRELY FRUCTOSE. It is estimated to be about 20% sweeter than table sugar and 5% sweeter than...you guessed it...high fructose corn syrup (HFCS, glucose-fructose). It is processed/metabolized in the body the same way that HFCS is, which is predominantly via the liver, and is linked to causing all those same diseases that HFCS is. Fatty liver disease, obesity, coronary disease, etc. AAAH!! These food industries will stop at NOTHING!!

First of all - have you ever had table sugar and thought to yourself "You know...this just isn't quite sweet enough. If it were only 20% sweeter, THEN it would be awesome!" Really? Since when is table sugar not sweet enough?

Secondly - and this is probably the most important point - WTF is wrong with these businesses?! How can the people who own these companies sleep at night knowing they are making money off killing people, and LYING to them about it and implying that it's a healthy beverage?

Third - so you've gone and put this poisonous, toxic, people-killing sweetener in your drink, and in case that's not enough sweetness, you add sugar? Really? I thought sugar wasn't sweet enough...what did I miss here?

If there really is such a place as hell, I am sure these people have VIP passes to get in. They'll be there with Hitler, insurance companies, car dealers, and of course, TELUS.

This product is sold by one of the biggest corporate giants in the world, Coca Cola. We all know how much Coca Cola LOVES to CARE about the health and wellness of Canadians. That's not fair of me...they don't just "care" about Canadians...they sell their unhealthy products to all the citizens of the world. Coca Cola has the right to run their business, and make money off their customers. Personally, I don't believe they should be permitted to do so at the expense of the health of Canadians, but I don't think anyone in the food industry should be allowed to do that. They should be required to be completely honest about their ingredients, and not "fluff" things up with lies and half truths. Market honestly and ethically, and let people decide on their own - with TRUTHFUL information. It is our right as consumers to know this information, and unless and until there are regulations in place to require that these industries behave ethically, we as consumers can choose to not buy their products and make smart, informed decisions about what we're putting in our bodies. I'm going with a big fat "no" on anything these jerks make - water included!

Want to toss some B vitamins into your diet? Try having some tuna, eggs (yolk) turkey, oats, whole grains, avocados, spinach, broccoli, beet root, brussel sprouts, cabbage, asparagus, legumes or potatoes. Bring a banana, almonds, Brazil nuts, oranges or peaches along with you if you're in a hurry. All of these foods are real, whole and nutritious and I tell you what - you won't hear of them causing you diseases.