Water used to be a cheap and efficient way to quench your thirst. It was boring, but it got the job done.
Then, in the early 1990s, French interlopers Evian and Perrier hit pay dirt with their upscale bottled beverages that helped transform water from prosaic hydrator to lifestyle beverage.
“With fizz or without?” became the equivalent of “white or red?”
Today, Americans aren’t just drinking bottled water, we’re practically soggy with it.
According to the Beverage Marketing Corp., Americans are the leading consumers of bottled water in the world, and it is the fastest-growing segment of the beverage industry.
Our 2006 per capita consumption of bottled water was 27.6 gallons per person – up from 16.7 gallons per person in 2000 and a parched 1.6 gallons per person in 1976, according to the International Bottled Water Association.
And now you can get your water “enhanced” with fruit juice, vitamins, herbs, caffeine and electrolytes.
It doesn’t just prevent you from getting cotton mouth, either. It “keeps you fit,” “revives your soul” and gives you “all the focus you need.”
What’s driving us to drink? Part of it is the perception that bottled water is safer and cleaner than tap water, even though this isn’t necessarily true.
Public water supplies in this country are overwhelmingly safe, thanks to strict EPA standards – standards that are tougher than the FDA’s that govern bottled water.
According to a 1999 study by the National Resources Defense Council that analyzed 1,000 bottles of 103 brands of bottled water, the stuff in bottles wasn’t necessarily better than that from municipal water systems.
“Bottled water is largely a market based on anxiety,” says Dr. Gina Solomon, a senior scientist with the NRDC, whose report recommended the FDA institute more rigorous standards for bottled water.
“My concern with bottled water is not so much a safety concern (but) the fact that people may be thinking they’re getting something that they may not be.”
In fact, there have been a number of lawsuits filed against companies claiming they have duped consumers about the purity and source of their products.
For example, in 2003 a class- action suit was brought against Poland Spring (owned by Nestle) arguing that its bottled water didn’t come from a spring “deep in the woods of Maine” at all, but was groundwater piped from man-made wells located near some parking lots.
When it comes to the source of water, you don’t have to go far to get an international taste, either.
Grocery store shelves are a veritable United Nations of bottled water, with Wales, Germany, Spain, France and Norway sending their very best.
We don’t just drink water – we are made of it. It makes up almost 70 percent of our weight and is critical to vital functions, such as carrying nutrients and oxygen to cells, flushing away waste, lubricating and regulating body temperature.
“The advantage of a bottled product is that it’s portable, so if you’re going on a car trip or you’re going to SeaWorld for the day, you really do need to have some source of hydration with you, and bottled products provide that,” says Roberta Anding, a registered dietitian in Houston and an American Dietetic Association spokeswoman.
While plain bottled water is preferable to caffeinated products such as colas, energy drinks and iced tea, which act as diuretics, enhanced varieties can have other drawbacks.
“These things can pack a calorie load that, if you’re an average American, you probably don’t need,” Anding says. “We also make the assumption that we need extra vitamins and minerals. You’re probably not going to hurt yourself with these products (but) where I would stop, however, is getting a water that is fortified with a bunch of different ingredients that you don’t understand.”
In addition to bottled waters claiming to boost your immune system, help you lose weight and neutralize the acid in your body, some are promoted as enhancing athletic performance.
“You can really benefit from the carbohydrates and sodium if you’re moving and sweating for more than an hour, not if you’re sitting in the shade of a tree,” Anding says.
