The Dark Side of Vitaminwater

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The Dark Side of Vitaminwater

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-robb ... 69716.html


John Robbins

Author of The New Good Life, Diet For A New America, and many other bestsellers
Posted: August 5, 2010 07:00 AM



The Dark Side of Vitaminwater

Now here's something you wouldn't expect. Coca-Cola is being sued by a non-profit public interest group, on the grounds that the company's vitaminwater products make unwarranted health claims. No surprise there. But how do you think the company is defending itself?

In a staggering feat of twisted logic, lawyers for Coca-Cola are defending the lawsuit by asserting that "no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking vitaminwater was a healthy beverage."

Does this mean that you'd have to be an unreasonable person to think that a product named "vitaminwater," a product that has been heavily and aggressively marketed as a healthy beverage, actually had health benefits?

Or does it mean that it's okay for a corporation to lie about its products, as long as they can then turn around and claim that no one actually believes their lies?

In fact, the product is basically sugar-water, to which about a penny's worth of synthetic vitamins have been added. And the amount of sugar is not trivial. A bottle of vitaminwater contains 33 grams of sugar, making it more akin to a soft drink than to a healthy beverage.

Is any harm being done by this marketing ploy? After all, some might say consumers are at least getting some vitamins, and there isn't as much sugar in vitaminwater as there is in regular Coke.

True. But about 35 percent of Americans are now considered medically obese. Two-thirds of Americans are overweight. Health experts tend to disagree about almost everything, but they all concur that added sugars play a key role in the obesity epidemic, a problem that now leads to more medical costs than smoking.

How many people with weight problems have consumed products like vitaminwater in the mistaken belief that the product was nutritionally positive and carried no caloric consequences? How many have thought that consuming vitaminwater was a smart choice from a weight-loss perspective? The very name "vitaminwater" suggests that the product is simply water with added nutrients, disguising the fact that it's actually full of added sugar.

The truth is that when it comes to weight loss, what you drink may be even more important than what you eat. Americans now get nearly 25 percent of their calories from liquids. In 2009, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health published a report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, finding that the quickest and most reliable way to lose weight is to cut down on liquid calorie consumption. And the best way to do that is to reduce or eliminate beverages that contain added sugar.

Meanwhile, Coca-Cola has invested billions of dollars in its vitaminwater line, paying basketball stars, including Kobe Bryant and Lebron James, to appear in ads that emphatically state that these products are a healthy way for consumers to hydrate. When Lebron James held his much ballyhooed TV special to announce his decision to join the Miami Heat, many corporations paid millions in an attempt to capitalize on the event. But it was vitaminwater that had the most prominent role throughout the show.

The lawsuit, brought by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, alleges that vitaminwater labels and advertising are filled with "deceptive and unsubstantiated claims." In his recent 55-page ruling, Federal Judge John Gleeson (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York), wrote, "At oral arguments, defendants (Coca-Cola) suggested that no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking vitamin water was a healthy beverage." Noting that the soft drink giant wasn't claiming the lawsuit was wrong on factual grounds, the judge wrote that, "Accordingly, I must accept the factual allegations in the complaint as true."

I still can't get over the bizarre audacity of Coke's legal case. Forced to defend themselves in court, they are acknowledging that vitaminwater isn't a healthy product. But they are arguing that advertising it as such isn't false advertising, because no could possibly believe such a ridiculous claim.

I guess that's why they spend hundreds of millions of dollars advertising the product, saying it will keep you "healthy as a horse," and will bring about a "healthy state of physical and mental well-being."

Why do we allow companies like Coca-Cola to tell us that drinking a bottle of sugar water with a few added water-soluble vitamins is a legitimate way to meet our nutritional needs?

Here's what I suggest: If you're looking for a healthy and far less expensive way to hydrate, try drinking water. If you want to flavor the water you drink, try adding the juice of a lemon and a small amount of honey or maple syrup to a quart of water. Another alternative is to mix one part lemonade or fruit juice to three or four parts water. Or drink green tea, hot or chilled, adding lemon and a small amount of sweetener if you like. If you want to jazz it up, try one-half fruit juice, one-half carbonated water.

If your tap water tastes bad or you suspect it might contain lead or other contaminants, get a water filter that fits under the sink or attaches to the tap.

And it's probably not the best idea to rely on a soft drink company for your vitamins and other essential nutrients. A plant-strong diet with lots of vegetables and fruits will provide you with what you need far more reliably, far more consistently -- and far more honestly.


To learn about inexpensive and healthy foods and beverages, and practical steps you can take toward greater quality of life and economic freedom, read John Robbins' critically acclaimed new book The New Good Life: Living Better Than Ever in an Age of Less. For more information about his work, or to sign up for his email list, visit johnrobbins.info
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raum
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Re: The Dark Side of Vitaminwater

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I shouted out against vitaminwater here before. good to see its gotten in a courtroom now.

but here is the thing - they are right. I swaer to damn hell that everyone loses their damn minds. Every friggin 2nd grader has been taught what is healthy to drink: lots of water, a bit of juice, some milk... and chocolate on occassion makes the milk a little sweeter. (I make it a point to try and drink some chocolate milk every week, it is organic local and made with no artificial sweeteners. Best damn drug I know!)

what people put in their bodies is their own DAMN choice. start making responsible ones. like drinking right, eating right, water fasting occasionally to detox, pulp juice and leafy green fasting to boost the immunity, and getting some damn exercise. drink some hot tea or coffee and some cold tea or coffee is fine, but not a stupid fatty crap in a cup. just good PLAIN drinks. As for "coca cola" or any other private company, their job is not to educate people... and if you trust them with your health, you are a fool. Candy, sodas, and such are TOYS, not nutrition. They are consumable entertainment, and it you treat it like that, you will be more inclined to moderate it.

The problem is people are suddenly thinking all the rules of nutrition are flexible cause "why else would they have root beer 24-7 if it wasn't ok for me to drink it 24-7. I use rootbeer, cause that is my vice. See, I love root beer; I could drink a six pack a day. BUT I DON'T. The reason is simple: I am a GROWN ASS MAN. I know it ain't the only drink I need, but I know it is a special kind for me. I am usually pretty good about it, but with the hottest summer I ever seen and 7-11 having Barq's flavored Icees, I have an Icee a day, and I admit it. It also has ALOT less calories in it that a regular soft drink. 8 ounces of Icee has 65 calories in it, 8 ounces of soda has 97. That doesn't make it healthy... but it does cut an impressive 80 calories out of a 20oz Big Gulp or a Icee. I drink alot of water, and a good bit of black coffee and black and green tea. I also love grape soda,.. but there is no substitute for that, so I just avoid it. Again, because I am a grown ass man. I don't accept substitute flavors either, if the Icee machine is out, I get black coffee, come home and ice it. So, my SUPER treat is if I decide to enjoy a piece of candy, I make it grape. Cause "purple" is the best damn taste known to man.

1262.5 calories a day is about what I need for diet so I give myself about 240 calories "wiggle room". All "standard" dietary information is based on a 2,000 calorie diet. If you are not totally straining yourself everyday, you do not need that, so if you figure out your caloric burn for the day, and eat down from that - what you don't replace by taking in food or junk is what you effectively "lose." I will fight weight gain for some time yet, I quit smoking and my body doesn't want to lose it. I wonder how many people have that ex-smoker weight. I am fit, but got some belly weight I just took on and can't get rid of yet.

People talk about how much more obese people are, look how much less smoking (a dieuretic) there is everywhere.

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Re: The Dark Side of Vitaminwater

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I've pretty much given up on relying on these companies to tell me what's healthy, like raum said, a bit of common sense rocks the fuck out...I like Vitamin Water, and when I drink it I'm usually working out, and relying on the sugar...I've started reading labels to most of the foods I eat, and have dropped quite a bit of weight (about 40 lbs) simply eating in moderation and working out...

Too much of anything can be harmful, I hope there aren't any people out sucking down VW thinking its Flinstones in water...The bigger point in all of this is that they (companies) should be forced to be more honest in what they're advertising...I hope this topic gets plenty of informative bumps, I certainly will be watching it...

Water most of the time, 100% juice products the rest of the time...

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Re: The Dark Side of Vitaminwater

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don't neglect your caffeine. It has been singularly linked in black coffe or unsweetend tea consuption to lowierig risk of diabetes SIGNIFICANTLY.\

Consider this: At least six studies indicate that people who drink coffee on a regular basis are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson's, with three showing the more they drink, the lower the risk. Other research shows that compared to not drinking coffee, at least two cups daily can translate to a 25% reduced risk of colon cancer, an 80% drop in liver cirrhosis risk, and nearly half the risk of gallstones.

Coffee even offsets some of the damage caused by other vices, some research indicates. "People who smoke and are heavy drinkers have less heart disease and liver damage when they regularly consume large amounts of coffee compared to those who don't," says DePaulis.

BOO-YAH! black coffee, the vice that makes vices ok!

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Re: The Dark Side of Vitaminwater

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Oh yeah, I do pour a cup or two of Java into my body regularly, but I don't drink it black, some creamer and I'm good..!

BTW, raumie, PM me..?

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