There are various juices, flavored waters, sodas and even teas that are fortified with nutrients available on the shelves of superstores. But the question which arises is can these nutritionally fortified drinks really make a difference in a person’s health.
Vitaminwater
Various multinational companies make huge and bold claims that their drinks are enriched with a particular vitamin which will help to increase endurance and enhance performance. With the help of certain amino acids in the drink you will be able to concentrate clearly in a better way. Some drinks may claim that their nutrient enriched products will help a person to manage their weight.
As 2 out of 3 Americans are overweight, these gimmicks along with marketing strategies are an easy way to get their attention. However most of the nutritionists believe that these nutritionally enhanced drinks can add more calories to the consumers diet which are not really needed.
Before paying a hefty price to the retailer for these nutritious fortified drinks, one should first check whether these drinks can actually make a difference to a person's health.
While these drinks provide various vitamins and minerals, there is little scientific evidence available whether these drinks can actually help improve a person's health.
Healthier alternatives
An important issue to consider is why we go for these drinks when we can get these nutrients in natural form. Usually a healthy breakfast including whole breakfast cereal, skimmed milk and a fruit will provide much more vitamins, minerals and fibre than we get from this vitamin water. Moreover these enriched vitamins and minerals in the drinks are in very small quantities that do not make a big difference in improving a person's health.
For example fibre which is important for various physiological functions in the body tends to be chunky in liquids giving a typical after taste.
Some of the beverage companies and nutritionists believe that vitamin C and B complex vitamins which are water soluble can be easily used in the drinks and can also be easily absorbed in the digestive track. However in case of fat soluble vitamins, the absorption of these nutrients will largely depend on the amount of fat present in the digestive track.
The risk of overdose on vitamins is unlikely in these drinks as water soluble vitamins can be excreted from the body and fat soluble vitamins have the ability to be stored in the body. However take care of the herbs which are added in the drinks as there is very little scientific evidence available for their safety.
Remember that these drinks are not designed as the main source of vitamins and minerals which you can easily get adequate amounts from a balanced diet including fresh fruits and vegetables.
