It seems like there’s a plethora of ways we can satisfy our thirst these days – what with tap water, bottled water and Gatorade.

Also, if you don’t like the taste of water, there are flavor enhancers like Crystal Light that give your water a flavor that makes getting your daily recommended amount of water a bit easier.

But there is a new kid on the refreshment block, and that is vitamin-enhanced water. It all started with Vitaminwater, and now there are several vitamin-enhanced water competitors including Snapple Antioxidant Water, Sobe Life Water and even Propel. Even Crystal Light and Jones Soda have gotten on board with the vitamin-enhanced water train.

All contain a variety of vitamins and minerals to support a healthy body and mind, and all of them have a snappy little blurb about what their water will do for you. Students at Sacramento State can be seen drinking them throughout campus.

“I think it’s good for gaining energy,” Johnathan Harris, freshman biology major, said of the reason why he drinks beverages like Vitaminwater and Sobe Life Water.

These vitamin-enhanced waters offer an array of flavors and benefits. Just Vitaminwater alone has 15 flavors, each offering a different function for whatever you feel your body may be lacking.

Feeling stressed? Try “b-relaxed.” Vision not what you hope it to be? Try “focus.”

But do these waters do all that they say they will on the label, or are you better off getting all of your vitamins and minerals through a balanced diet?

“If you are eating healthy, you don’t need to drink Vitaminwater,” Wendy Cunningham, nutrition professor, said.

Cunningham said that the reason behind this is that if you are already getting the vitamins, mineral and nutrients that are needed to function through a balanced diet, then the vitamins in these enhanced waters may not necessarily go to good use.

However, if your diet is lacking in crucial nutrients, vitamin-enhanced water may help.

“If you need vitamins, your body can increase the ability to absorb them,” Cunningham said.

There are also other reasons why it is better to eat healthy than rely on special water.

Cunningham said that we do not know all of the nutrients that are included in foods like fruits and vegetables, beyond the basic vitamins and minerals that have been identified.

Relying on Vitaminwater or other of the many similar products may leave you lacking in nutrients that can only be found in healthy foods.

“It’s more expensive,” Cunningham said about drinking these waters. She also said that drinking a lot of vitamin-enhanced water could allow your body to absorb too much of any one vitamin, which could be dangerous.

At Sac State water with added vitamins and antioxidants are available for purchase, but it is not necessarily imbibed for just the vitamins and minerals.

“Yeah, plenty of times,” Jamal Haaq, freshman business major, said when asked if he drinks this special type of water.

“It’s (kind of) more like just a taste,” Haaq said about why he drinks Vitaminwater.

There is also another factor of this type of water that needs to be considered, and that is the amount of sugar that can be found in them.

Some of the types contain regular sugar, and Sobe Life Water is one of them. Others contain processed sugar products, like crystalline fructose, which is added into Vitaminwater.

According to MyPyramid.gov, most people should only take in 100 to 300 calories a day found in added sugars and/or fats. One example is that Vitaminwater contains 125 calories per bottle, and 13 grams of sugar.

If someone were to follow this advice from MyPyramid.gov, drinking one bottle of vitamin-enhanced water would be OK as long as you abstain from any other excess added sugar.

Also, according to the Dietary Guidelines for American 2005, which was released by the USDA, “added sugars supply calories, but few or no nutrients.”

The Dietary Guidelines also said that “individuals who consume food or beverages high in added sugars tend to consume more calories than those who consume food or beverages low in added sugars; they also tend to consume lower amounts of micronutrients.”

This goes back to what Cunningham said about lacking certain nutrients if the source of our vitamins and minerals was supplied solely by vitamin-enhanced water.

The Dietary Guidelines also stated that “decreasing intake of such foods, especially beverages with caloric sweeteners, is recommended to reduce calorie intake and help achieve recommended nutrient intakes and weight control.”

Regular water seems to be the best choice out of all of the different flavored and/or vitamin-enhanced water choices out there. Regular water is needed in our bodies, and it won’t make you fat or add unnecessary nutrients or additives into your body.

But these vitamin-enhanced waters aren’t all bad as long as you drink them sparingly and don’t rely on them for necessary nutrients. If you are drinking them for necessary nutrients, maybe it is time to think about a healthy diet instead.

Stephanie Samsel can be reached at [email protected]