Water is commonly known to exist in three states – solid, liquid and vapour. With the advancement of science, there now exists a fourth state of water known as the ‘Natural’ state.
Take a look at the variety of lables on bottled water — natural spring water, mineral water, filtered water, distilled water, purified water, sparkling water and the new techonology of alkaline water.
What really is this natural water?
It is water in its natural form which holds more energy and thus the water molecules sustain their healing power.
The term ‘bulk water’ is the water you recieve at home from your tap, this water has harnessed through dark, dingy pipes, polluted by industrial wastes, treated with chemicals, and undergone so much abuse that its pristine form is totally lost.
Water is the drink to eternal life,
-it restores lost fluids fluids lost through metabolism, breathing, sweating, and removal of waste
-it keeps your body from overheating
-it lubricates your joints and tissues
-it keeps your skin hydrated and healthy looking
-it is necessary for the process of digestion in the body.
So we all know we need to get that water into our bodies on a daily basis. For some its easy, yet for others, its a chore.
Colas, soft drinks, flavoured drinks and juices are guzzled to keep hydrated, and now the latest trend of water recipes. The newest on the block is WaterTok.
The basic philosophy behind WaterTok is that we all need water to survive but why not jazz it up a bit? These fancy flavoured waters taste good and help you meet your daily hydration requirement but the real question is- How does WaterTok affect your health?
But let’s rewind a bit. Before getting into the questionable quality of the ingredients used, let’s acquaint ourselves with what these water recipes are exactly.
What is WaterTok?
The name “WaterTok” is a hybrid of “water” and The social media platform “TikTok”, where the trend began.
WaterTok, is a section of hydration hyenas on TikTok, turning tumblers of water into flavoured water. These flavours include everything under the sun- From watermelon to gummy bears, cotton candy to lemon pound cake. You name it and a WaterTok flavour exists. All these recipes call for sugar-free powders and syrups.
People on TikTok are creating and sharing water “recipes” by flavouring water with sugar-free syrups and flavoured powder packets. The recipes usually have fun names, like Watermelon Crush, Orange Mermaid Water and Unicorn Cotton Candy Water. The idea is to make water more appealing and to increase your daily water intake.
According to health experts, the diet culture propagation hidden behind this trend should set off alarm bells in your head. At first glance, it doesn’t seem like a big deal but there is a lot to take in here once you get past the bright colours and fanfare of these recipes.
This trend has the internet in a war- is it harmful or harmless?
WaterTok- Does it have any benefits?
Almost everyone can benefit from increasing their daily water intake. If you’ve been experiencing headaches, dry skin, and other signs you don’t drink enough water, either because you don’t like it or you just forget. In comes WaterTok. Who wouldn’t want to drink delicious calorie flavoured water? WaterTok has a few benefits, the primary one being- increasing your overall hydration.
WaterTok concerns —
Instead of natural infusions, WaterTok promotes sugar-free syrups and flavoured powder packets to spice up your water.
While WaterTok might be helping people stay hydrated, it most definitely is an aspartame-laced red flag.
This trend has health experts in a frenzy. Being promoted as a healthy trend with “no-sugar”, “low-sugar”, “artificial sweeteners” and “zero-calories”, these recipes are not healthy. In fact some of these drinks may be adding unwanted calories and sugar to your overall calorie intake. And we all know what added, unwanted calories mean.
In my opinion, this trend seems to be another diet culture fad.
In case you do want to jump on the WaterTok bandwagon, be sure to evaluate these risks beforehand.
- Overhydration- While drinking water is important, too much water can do more harm than good.
- Poor mood and increased cravings- The artificial sweeteners and flavours in these powders and syrups can increase your craving for sweet food, lead to blood sugar and glucose spikes which can affect your mood and behaviour.
Weight gain- The unwanted calories can add up overtime and lead to weight gain instead of weight loss.
- Digestive issues- Sucralose found in these flavours is an artificial sweetener that removes the water molecules from the sugar molecule and adds chlorine as its base instead. Some sweeteners like sucralose, tend to alter the gut microbiota and cause weight gain.
- Dental issues- Citric acid is a common additive in these water enhancers. Too much citric acid can wear away at your teeth enamel and the food dye present in these flavours can stain your teeth.
- Disordered eating- people will choose to drink these flavoured waters instead of eating thereby triggering disordered eating behaviours.
Why is drinking water so important?
Staying hydrated is one of the most important keys to survival, especially in the sweltering summer heat. Here’s what it does for your body-
- Maintains normal body temperature
- Protects the joints, spinal cord and body tissues
- Regulates your internal plumbing system (urination, sweat and bowel movements)
- Keeps your skin barrier plump and functioning properly
How to incorporate drinking more water into your day?
- Use water bottles with markings
- Set a daily hydration goal and try to hit it by bedtime
- Use alarms and reminders to drink water
- If you want to add flavours to your water use fresh fruit or herbs to infuse it. Always opt for natural flavours.
Finally…
My final verdict on WaterTok is similar to most health experts out there. Points for aesthetic looking drinks and points for trying to help with hydration but way too many negative points for diet culture horseplay.
If you want to drink fancy water go the au naturel way with fresh fruit and herbs.
The good old Nimbu pani will always reign supreme.
