Super-water...Hype or Health?

These days, bottled water is not necessarily simple H2O. Store shelves and vending machines are filled with plain and so-called "fitness waters," chock full of vitamins, minerals, and herbal potions.

Some super waters not only come with nutrient additions but contain soluble fiber, fruit essence, caffeine, and believe it or not, oxygen. Savvy marketers have picked up on the need for low-calorie beverages and have developed fitness waters to help us meet our fluid requirements.

The real question is...are fitness waters any better than plain water? And the simple answer is, only if they help you drink up. Otherwise, plain water is just fine. Most of the fitness waters are low in calories and pose little threat to the daily caloric intake or eating plan. If you enjoy drinking them and they help you meet your fluid needs, enjoy one or two per day. For the best selection, read the label or check out the following chart of the most popular fitness waters on the market.

You can satisfy approximately half of your fluid requirements with beverages other than water, such as low-fat milk, coffee, caffeine-free tea, 100% juice, sports drinks, or sparkling water. Not only can drinking these beverages satisfy your fluid needs, so can water-rich foods and fluids such as soup, fruits, and vegetables. The additional benefit of eating water-rich foods is all the fiber, vitamins, and minerals they provide, which will not only quench thirst but also keep you feeling full.

Consider these dieters' dream foods:

• Foods that melt at room temperature, such as gelatin, frozen yogurt, or low-calorie frozen novelty bars, contain plenty of fluids.
• Broth-based vegetable soup is a winning combination, low in calories, chock full of nutrients, and very filling.
• Fruits and vegetables can contribute up to 3-4 cups of fluid to your diet. Choose to produce with high fluid content such as grapes, watermelon, grapefruit, orange, squash, broccoli, or eggplant.

While super-waters may have positive effects on your health, they may have a negative effect on your wallet due to their higher cost. But if you want to be kind to your wallet and get your fluids the good old-fashioned way, drinking plain drinking water is a great place to start.

You can always consider these options to help you jazz up plain water and meet your fluid needs:

• Create your own flavored water with the addition of fruit slices such as lemon, lime, or orange. They will all add great flavor with virtually no added calories.
• Freeze chunks of fruit or citrus zest in ice cubes that you then use to flavor plain water.
• A splash of cranberry or fruit juice and a wedge of lime to turn plain sparkling water into a delicious treat.
• Make iced tea from a combination of flavorful teas such as mint, mango, or cherry.
• Herbal teas are soothing and come in a variety of flavors without extra calories.
• Flavored seltzer waters without added sugars are wonderfully refreshing water alternatives.
• Try some homemade lemonade -- low-sugar, of course! Remember to limit your intake of caffeinated, artificially sweetened, and alcoholic beverages to fulfill your requirements as these beverages can rob your body of fluids and contribute to dehydration.