If you've been on TikTok during the past few months, chances are good you've stumbled across the popular flavored water trend.
Under the #WaterTok hashtag, which has over 145 million views on the app, users post videos of themselves mixing their "water of the day" — a multi-step process that entails filling 40oz stainless steel jugs with water and ice and then pouring in packets of powder and squirts of syrup to create flavors like "birthday cake," "strawberry shortcake" and "tropical paradise."
These sweet, brightly-colored concoctions are advertised as ways for people to drink more water and hit their hydration goals. Indeed, the #Hydrationation hashtag, which is full of flavored water videos, has over 70 million views.
There's only one problem: calling these drinks water isn't really accurate.
[Flavored water] really isn't that different from drinking Kool Aid.Dr. Uma Naidoo
"In all honesty, water is water," Says Dr. Uma Naidoo, a Harvard trained nutritional psychiatrist and author of "This Is Your Brain on Food." "You can get it alkalized, you can get it sparkling, but really none of these methods change the effect on your body. [The current trend] really isn't that different from drinking Kool Aid."
Naidoo says it's great that there is a growing movement of people looking to increase their water intake, but notes that just because the powders and syrups are advertised as "zero calorie" or "zero sugar" doesn't mean the end result is the same as a large glass of water.
"The artificial sweeteners are not good for our body," she says. "Many of these are problematic for gut health."
Enjoying a packet of sweetener once in a while as a treat is no problem, Naidoo says. But if you need to rely on powders and syrups in order to reach your hydration goals, that's when problems can arise.
I do want people to be aware that just because it's zero calories does not make it a healthy food.Dr. Uma Naidoo
"Anything in moderation is fine," Naidoo says. "But I do want people to be aware that just because it's zero calories does not make it a healthy food. Your body may be getting hydrated, but it may be affecting you in a bad way somewhere else."
She adds that popular syrups and powders, some of which are designed to taste like Skittles and Nerds, are full of "chemicals, sweeteners or preservatives."
"I'd argue that this is not real hydration," she says. "[It's] just a different form of drinking a sweet beverage like diet soda."
Here's what you should drink instead
There's no need to go back to "plain" water if you want to stay hydrated.
Instead, Naidoo says there are numerous options that flavored water fanatics can turn to to make their next glass a little more exciting.
"There are ways that you can get flavored water in a healthy way by using actual food," she says.
Naidoo recommends adding sliced fresh fruit or berries to your 40oz cup, as well as zesting lime or squeezing some lemon. Sweetening water with "a touch of honey" is also an option. She compares it to "sangria without the alcohol."
"That's a better way to consume your water," she says, adding that you have the option to eat the fruit once you're done drinking. "If you eat it, you're getting plant polyphenols, you're getting vitamins, minerals, nutrients directly from that whole food versus whatever powder or syrup you're throwing in."
If fruit isn't your thing, caffeine free herbal teas are an easy way to get healthy, flavorful hydration.
Even seltzer can be a better option than pouring Skittles-flavored sweetener into your next drink.
"Something like a plain La Croix, at least that's still mostly water," Naidoo says. "It's carbonated, it's gone through a process, but there's nothing else there, no other sugar or syrup or other flavorings added to it."
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