The warm weather has arrived, and while we know we should be drinking water, sometimes we want something a little more interesting. Being a pregnant diabetic who dislikes the flavour of artificial sweeteners, my beverage choices are pretty limited these days.
However, when I perused the refrigerated beverage aisle of my local grocery store, I was amazed at the variety of new products available (and their prices).
Stevia-sweetened beverages, like Zevia: Steviol glycosides were approved in 2012 by Health Canada to be added to certain beverage and food items. This sweetener, extracted from the leaves of the stevia plant, tastes 200-300 times sweeter than regular sugar, therefore little is needed and no calories are consumed.
Although derived from a natural plant, it still has those bitter undertones similar to many artificial sweeteners, so do not expect the product to taste like its sugar-sweetened counterpart.
I was amused by the “recommended doses” printed on the side of the can: Children four to 13 years drink up to two to three cans per day. Adolescents and adults: consume up to five cans per day. I am unsure what governing body has made those recommendations.
Fortified waters, like Vitamin Water: Despite its healthy title, drinking these waters is more like washing down your morning multivitamin with a can of pop. Why did Health Canada allow manufacturers to fortify sugar-sweetened beverages? Good question. Vitamin waters are considered a “natural health product” and therefore are subject to less stringent regulations. However, vitamin water still contains eight teaspoons of sugar per bottle. Being heavily supplemented, I would not drink more than one per day. The lower-calorie Vitamin Zero water is sweetened with a combination of stevia, fructose and erythritol. Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that provides fewer calories than sugar because it is not completely absorbed in your body. This means too much may cause abdominal discomfort, gas or diarrhea. There are also a number of other flavoured waters on the market sweetened with more traditional sugar, aspartame, acesulfame-K or sucralose (Splenda).
While there is nothing wrong with consuming “alternative beverages” on occasion, both your body and bank account will thank you if you make water your habit. Some cheaper alternatives include diluting fruit juice with carbonated water, adding lemon or lime juice concentrate to club soda, or making your own lightly sweetened iced tea.
Serena Caner is a registered dietician.