It's very trendy to drink bottled water these days, but Rosemary Stanton thinks nothing beats good old tap water. Mineral waters vary in price but for the average cost of one 600 mL bottle of plain mineral water, you could take 2.5 litres of water from the tap every day for a year! Rosemary says that bottled water is fine, as long as it doesn't mean you drink less than you should because of the cost.

Sports drinks

These are designed for rapid absorption and fluid retention. In sports that involve heavy sweating activity lasting more than about one hour, well-formulated sports drinks containing small amounts of glucose plus some sodium and potassium are helpful. Kids playing in the backyard don't need sports drinks. Cold water is fine for them.

Energy drinks

The so-called 'smart drinks' or energy drinks contain caffeine and a lot of sugar. In most of these drinks the caffeine comes from guarana, an extract from the crushed seeds of a Brazilian vine. Too much caffeine can make you jumpy and irritable and also causes insomnia. As shown on some containers (The Australia New Zealand Food Authority has actually said it should be on all these products), these drinks are not suitable for children or for pregnant women.

Sportswaters

Some bottled waters have names that sound as if they are specially formulated for sports people, but they are really just plain water. At least bottles of straight water are not acidic, so they won't damage your teeth if you like frequent sips.

Some 'sportswaters' and 'vitamin waters' do contain additives, such as reconstituted apple juice, fructose (fruit sugar), apple cider vinegar, flavourings, some vitamins and citric acid. However, these products don't have the balanced mineral composition of true sports drinks.

Oxygenated waters

These are sold on the Internet. They make some totally unproven and illegal claims. Rosemary says that oxygenated water will just produce an expensive burp, and the best way to get oxygen is just to breathe.

Recommendations

If you are an elite athlete, use one of the special sports drinks. If not, drink plain tap water. If you really want bottled water, buy one of the cheapest ones (you can always refill your trendy, pop-up bottle from the tap). Steer clear of products with extra caffeine. Caffeine is not something the body needs, it's addictive and it can be dangerous for some people. Read labels carefully, and don't be fooled by confusing or misleading marketing claims.

Copyright CTC Productions 2002