"Designer Waters": Worth It?

They Pack Punch In Vitamins, Other Nutrients, But Also In Calories, And Cost

(CBS)  Americans don't drink as much soda as they used to. Many are turning instead to so-called designer waters with vitamins and energy boosters.

But they can cost up to $3 a bottle.

Early Show consumer correspondent Susan Koeppen visited a New York gym, where she found people who tried them generally favorably inclined to the so-called designer waters.

"Enhanced" beverages, says Koeppen, are enhancing the bottom line of beverage companies, with recent sales growth of 30 percent -- to more than a billion bucks a year.

Beverage Digest Publisher John Sicher told Koeppen, "Beverage consumers today are looking for new and different kinds of products to try and drink."

But, while stressing the importance of drinking at least 64 ounces of water a day, registered dietician Keri Glassman cautioned Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith Friday that, "You see all these waters out there loaded with vitamins and minerals. The problem is, they're also loaded with lots of sugar. A lot of these bottles of water have about 150 calories. We're over-consuming calories as a nation. We don't need to add calories to those 64 ounces of water we need."

As for the vitamins in the designer waters, many aren't water-soluble, Glassman points out, meaning the body won't retain them, anyhow. And it's not worth the added calories just to get the ones the body does retain. You're better off taking a multi-vitamin with a glass of plain old H20, she says.

To get Glassman's take on numerous specific designer waters, click here.

[grammawhamma]

No Thanks...I''d rather buy a good bottle of imported beer. Eat, drink and be merry!!

[marialaura-2009]

This nutritionist is extremely anoying. I think it is great to be concerned about being healthy and all, but she exagerates, and the way she says it...!
I remember one show back in Xmas, she started to go off about how unhealthy most of the typical dishes were... I have a word: Balance! That''s key! Please don''t spoil it for everyone else!

[slim1h2o]

People sure like to use my name alot lately.. I''ll just stick to my tap water..

[amymul]

We were so glad to see owater included as an example of a healthier enhanced water choice in this segment. We started owater because we were looking for a healthier alternative to the many high-sugar/high-calorie sports and vitamin drinks out there. Just to clarify: our unsweetened water is called "unsweetened owater". It is pure water with real fruit flavor and electrolytes. No sugar, no fake sweeteners, no artificial coloring -- and no calories. For more information about us please visit our website at www.owater.com.