The benefits
of bottled water
IT’S NO SECRET that water is an essential part of our diet. We suffer when
we don’t drink enough, and we do ourselves harm when we drink too many
other fluids instead of water. In many situations, bottled water is the right
solution for getting enough water into our bodies.
We’re not drinking the right thing
Doctors say that Americans are facing a growing crisis of obesity and
type 2 diabetes. A contributing factor of this crisis is believed to be increased
consumption of sugary beverages.
Seventy percent of what Americans drink comes from packaged goods,
and all too often it’s in the form of a high-calorie soda. More than 20 percent of
calories consumed by Americans over the age of 2 come from beverages, predominantly soft drinks and fruit drinks with added sugars. The calories from
these sugary drinks account for half of the rise in caloric intake by Americans
since the late 1970s.
Just how much sugar is in soda? Some varieties have about 12 teaspoons
of sugar per 12-ounce can. In a 20-ounce can, there can be more than 20 tea-
spoons, or nearly half a cup of sugar.
And sugar isn’t limited to soda. Some fruit juices, which often come in
squeeze boxes, are just as sweet. An 8-ounce box of fruit juice can have about
10 teaspoons of sugar.
W eight-loss possibilities
Replacing high-calorie sodas
with bottled water while on the go reduces the amount of empty calories.
According to a recent study, dieters
who substituted water for all sweetened drinks lost more weight in one
y ear than those who did not (an average of 5 pounds or more). The same
study also found that those who drank
more than four cups of water a day
lost an additional 2 pounds more than
those who did not drink as much.
Here’s another way of looking
at it: Drinking bottled water instead
of sugary drinks just three times a
week for a year could save you more
than 21,000 calories, or more than 6
pounds, in a year.
This article sponsored by Nestlé Waters
North America Inc., maker of Arrowhead®,
Deer Park®, Ice Mountain®, Ozarka®, Poland Ice Mountain®, Ozarka®, Poland Ozarka®, Poland Poland
Sprin g ® and Zephyrhills® bottled and Zephyrhills® bottled bottled
wate rs, all now available in the
Eco-S hape bottle. These bottles use
less p lastic— 30 percent less than
the a verage half-liter bottle. Less
plast ic means less impact on the
Earth . Because when we all do
a littl e, it can add up to a lot.
