Safe Swap: Water Enhancers
We’ve always been a family who LOVES water
Growing up, our refrigerator never had fruit juice, cows milk, carbonated beverages, sports drinks, or water mix in’s of any kind. Since water was what we had available, its what we knew and loved…and I’m so grateful for that! (Fun fact: I had my first “soda” when I was 14 at a wedding.)
Since not loving water was always a foreign concept to me… It wasn’t until pretty recently that I even investigated the ingredients in some water-enhancers for a friend. Holy YIKES! What a chemical s-storm guys. Zero-calorie, zero-carb, zero-fat does NOT mean healthy, my friends… in fact, it often means the exact opposite.
I did some digging to find “Mediocre, better, best” swaps for you, but incase you need a little background on why you need to DITCH your water-enhancers… lets look at two popular brands and their ingredients.
👉🏼 Mio ingredients:
Water, Citric Acid, Propylene Glycol, Malic Acid, Contains Less than 2% of Natural Flavor, Sucralose and Acesulfame Potassium (Sweeteners), Potassium Citrate, Red 40, Blue 1, Potassium Sorbate
🚫 Propylene Glycol – this is Crunchi blacklisted for topical application… and bam, you’re straight up drinking it here. It’s a bitter liquid used to prevent food discoloration during storage, but this dangerous substance is used in the production of polyester and is the main component in ANTIFREEZE. It is also used to produce fake smog and smoke. Animal studies indicate that propylene glycol may cause serious health conditions when consumed over time.
🚫 Acesulfame Potassium – this artificial sweetener is 200 times sweeter than sugar and contains methylene chloride, a KNOWN carcinogen. It can cause nausea, headaches, liver problems, mood disruption, hypoglycemia, and possibly cancer.
🚫 “Natural Flavor” – both artificial and natural flavorings are concocted in a laboratory using what many people would consider less than natural. Keep in mind that regardless of the origin of natural flavors, food manufacturers are not required to provide information about the chemicals used to create flavor. This flavor could actually be the result of hundreds of mixed chemicals.
🚫 Sucralose – This highly dangerous artificial sweetener is sold under the popular name of Splenda. A study conducted at Duke University found that sucralose, a synthetic compound, negatively alters gut microflora and absorption of nutrients. This means that anything good that water has to offer is lost when you use the Mio water flavoring. Additionally, there is concern that sucralose can cause bowel and kidney disturbance and an increased risk of tumor growth.
👉🏼 Crystal light (pink lemonade) ingredients:
Citric Acid, Potassium Citrate, Maltodextrin, Aspartame, Magnesium Oxide, Contains Less Than 2% Of Natural Flavor, Acesulfame Potassium, Soy Lecithin, Artificial Color, Red 40. Phenylketonurics: Contains Phenylalanine Contains: Soy
🚫 Aspartame. Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that is responsible for more than 75% of the adverse reactions to food additives that are reported to the FDA, and would be number ONE on my additives to avoid list. Many of these adverse reactions are very serious, including seizures and death.
🚫 Artificial Color. There is nothing good to say about artificial colors. They can cause behavioral problems in people who are sensitive to them.
🚫Red 40. This is the artificial food color that is most commonly associated with reactions.
Are we on the same page now? Ditch em! Your body will THANK YOU!
Time to swap!
🍒 Mediocre = “Sweetleaf Water Drops” or “Stur”
– I wanted to add these options because even though I personally would not choose to use (due to the ever-elusive “natural flavor”), for those of you working your way OFF the chemical storm above can celebrate progress by choosing one of these options instead and avoid the majority of the hazardous ingredients.
🍎 Better = True Lime, True Lemon, True Orange = Non-GMO Crystalized Fruit
🍓 BEST = Water bottles with a space for REAL fruit infusions. Drop in some fruits, berries, and fresh herbs, let them sit overnight and then enjoyyyy! Pinterest is full of fun water infusion recipes to help you hydrate safely!
