Wednesday 6/2

Fad Water

Most fads are easy to spot.  Things like big hair from the 80s and more recently, crocks shoes, are disappointingly popular.  In retrospect, no one can figure out why.  Some fads, however, are harder to recognize than others, especially when we’re right in the middle of them.  Here’s a good one:

Vitamin-enriched water.  It’s not just the Vitamin Water brand, either.  Sobe has one, too.  Propel is another one.  You may or may not have heard of Vitamin Water’s most direct competition: V Water.  (V meaning ‘Vitamin’).

It’s kind of a weird thing to be sweeping the nation.  Water.  It makes sense, though.  Americans are always looking for the easy way out.  Who needs wholesome fruits and vegetables and whole grain breads when we have enriched water?  Just guzzle a couple of these bad boys every day and you can skip straight to the burgers and fries because you’ve already had your vitamin intake for the day, right?  Sure, just run that by your doctor. 

The problem is that a lot of people think that.  Vitamin-enriched waters are usually zero calories.  And since those precious calories no longer need to be wasted on salad and veggie subs, there’s more room for Snickers and cheese balls.  Yum. 

If you haven’t noticed this fad yet, take a look at the grocery store, next time you go.  The enriched water section is almost as big as the regular bottled water section.  Buy it, try it, then turn that page of history so we can move on to the next big thing.  Maybe erasable pens will make a comeback.

By: S. Cole Garrett