A closer look at Health Waters, learn all about this drink trend

If you’ve been to any supermarket recently you’ve probably stumbled upon new weird types of water that comes with promises of better health. Usually they also come with a hefty price tag as well. But what are all these new types of water and are they any good? We take a closer look on coconut water, birch water and a few more that is coming.

These types of waters is a relatively new thing, it was first popularized on the market with the king of health waters. The coconut water. The coconut water became a big thing when companies started to bottle it and focus on the health benefits of the coconut water.

Coconut water is a common thing in tropical countries where you can buy a coconut with its top cut off and drink it. What coconut water manufacturers did was to bottle this water and market it with a focus on the health benefits, and it worked.

A growing market always get new players

Now since coconut water have become a big hit it is only natural that more companies try to get some of the action on a new market. And since coconut water have become such a big hit and is sold at a high price there was only a matter of time before we got to see some new competitors.

And yes the market is booming, since the success there are now different waters extracted from everything you can imagine being launched at the market.

So are these waters any good?

I’m sure all of these waters have more nutrients and vitamins than regular water so in that view it seems like this water is a good idea. On the other hand actually eating vegetables or fruit and having a regular glass of water is probably way more healthy than any over priced water you can find on the market.

Now the makers of water will certainly disagree and it’s not that easy to eat a piece of birch or maple but to me I will still stick to a regular glass of water and a healthy vegetable or fruit on the side. But if you are interested in these new inventions keep reading.

So what are all these waters

As mentioned there are lots of these types of health waters being sold and more keep coming, we’ve put together a list of what we think are the most interesting ones.

 

Coconut water – Coconut water is the liquid from the inside of the young and green coconuts. It was one of the first waters to be successfully marketed as a health drink. It is marketed with having a high electrolyte content and containing high levels of sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium.

These health claims have been under a lot of criticism. There are many different types of coconut waters on the market and all have their own selling points. Not all coconut waters are just pure coconut water either. Some have added vitamins, minerals or sugars so we think that it is a good idea to have an sceptic view on any health claims.

 

 

 

Maple water – Maple water is marketed by the company Drink Maple, it is pure maple water taken from maple trees. If you would boil this down to a syrup you’ve got maple syrup.

According to Drink Maple the maple water has a high content of minerals, polyphenols, electrolytes and prebiotics. It contains nothing besides the water from the maple and is thereby non-GMO, vegan, gluten and dairy free.

 

 

 

 

Birch water – Birch water is more or less the same thing as maple water. It is the sap that has been taken from the trees. Just as maple water birch water is of course non-GMO, vegan and all that.

According to the brand Sealand Birk birch water contains antioxidants, electrolytes, trace minerals, xylitol, fructose and vitamins that is easy for your body to absorb and enjoy.

 

 

 

 

Olive water – When an olive is pressed it usually contains around 15-20% of oil and 50% of water, the rest is the dry matter and pit. That means a lot of olive water is wasted when olive oil is produced.

The company Evee Olive Water has seized this opportunity and are now marketing their product Olive Water which is the normally wasted water from olive oil pressing. The olive water is sold with the following claim by Olive Water.

“Every bottle of OLIVE WATER® delivers the phytonutrient power of a ¼ liter of extra virgin olive oil with only 20 calories and 0 grams of fat, compared to olive oil’s 1,920 calories and 224 grams of fat for a similar serving”.

To me olive water sounds like a good idea, you’ll get nutrients and taste from a source that would normally go to waste, this will be interesting to follow in the future.

 

Artichoke water – Artichoke water is a new product from Arty, a Californian company that are extracting water out of artichokes without removing to much of the nutrients. The process is patent pending so we don’t have that much information on how this is actually done. The taste “is tastefully balanced with zesty hints of organic lemon, apple and spearmint”.

According to Arty there are many benefits of this unique water –

“ARTY™ Water is a multi-functional, plant-based beverage containing antioxidants, electrolytes, Vitamins A, E, C, B1, B2, B3, B6, and B9 and vital minerals Sodium, Potassium, Calcium and Iron. The combination of nutrients found in ARTY™ Water may help reduce increased levels of oxidative stress biomarkers after exercise. Artichoke-derived bioflavonoids are known for their excellent anti-inflammatory properties and can reduce joint pain and muscle soreness”.

 

Cactus water – The Company Caliwater are selling a product made from cactus water. The drink is a combination of Prickly Pear Cactus Extract,  Prickly Pear Cactus Juice and Water. The drink comes with a wide range of health benefits according to Caliwater.

“The prickly pear cactus fruit is the only fruit which contains all 24 known betalains: powerful antioxidants known for their skin revitalizing benefits. Hydrate and revive your skin naturally. Cactus Water contains 5 naturally-occurring electrolytes, vitamins, minerals and rare antioxidants. Drink Cactus Water when you need a cleanse & detox for your body. Lower in sugar and calories than nearly all leading coconut water and aloe juice products”.

 

 

Other health drinks is booming as well

Remember if you wanted to drink healthy before juice or regular water was you best bets. Now most health freaks are staying away from anything with sugar juice is no longer an option, even if the sugars in juice is all natural.

The weird thing about that is at the same time home juicing and juice bars are popping up like mushrooms everywhere.

And besides this there are health and function drinks being launched as we speak, smoothies, aloe vera drinks, enriched waters, green tea drinks, high protein yoghurt drinks are just a few examples on what is going on in the drink category at the moment.

So no matter which water who will be the most successful it will still have some fierce competition on its hands.