SubscribeWhat Happened to Just Drinking Water?
Photo courtesy of Lost At E Minor
Last night, I just had to finally catch an episode of The American Gladiators. While that was on, I caught a commercial for Propel fitness water. You can watch the video at that link.
The basic premise is that many vitamin-enhanced waters have 125 calories per bottle. They then run through the various activities that would be required to burn those 125 calories: 492 situps, 2640 steps (walking), 995 jumps (jump-rope). But then they tell us that Propel only has 25 calories. That sounds like great news - only 1/5 the calories of “the other waters”. It didn’t take my mathematical brain to kick in and think, “So uhh…one would still have to do nearly 100 situps, walk over 500 steps, or jump rope 200 turns to burn those calories. How many people do that?” That’s advertising at its finest. I doubt most people are thinking through those calculations to see that they probably won’t burn off much more than that Propel “fitness” water during their time in the gym.
If I had money to burn, I’d make a commercial that said “Water has 0 calories. To burn off those calories, you can sit on the couch and do absolutely nothing.” Seriously, what happened to people that we can no longer drink water? Even tea and coffee are good non-caloric beverages. But there’s really no need for everything to be sweetened or artificially sweetened. I guess our modern food environment has so distorted our taste buds that plain ol’ everyday water just doesn’t cut it anymore.
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Filed in The World of Advertising 10 Comments so far
Anna on 05 Feb 2008 at 1:57 pm #
Let’s hear it for plain jane water!
While we’re *not* a family that guzzles water constantly throughout the day, like some coastal Californians, with a water bottle attached at the hip, we are water drinkers and always have been.
When my son was weaned, he wasn’t a big milk drinker (he drank it but rarely finished it), so at home and out-and-about he often drank plain water, not juice. That’s because about 15 years ago (long before he was born) I started to see juice for what it is, sugar water.
I stopped drinking sugary soda when I had gestational diabetes ten years ago. My husband switched to diet soda then, too. Then I stopped drinking diet soda (except on very rare occasions, perhaps 2 or 3x year) a few years ago. I have encouraged my husband to give up diet soda and he mostly has, except when he camps with their father-son group and his lab’s beach parties, etc. I don’t keep tabs on his diet soda consumption, but I’ll bet it now averages no more than one soda a week or two.
We generally drink filtered tap water with our meals at home and that is also what I offer to my son and his friends between meals (unless I make smoothies).
One of the things I have noticed is now when we eat out, our bill is smaller because we often only have water as a beverage (my other beverage sometimes is wine). I didn’t stop ordering soda or iced tea to be cheap, but it is a nice benefit. At self-serve soft drink fountains, sometimes plain (carbonated) soda water is available. I’ll get that and drop in a slice of lemon if it’s available. Even my 9 yo likes that plain “sparkling” water now.
And by not buying soda for consumption at home, it frees up the food budget for real food. The people who complain about how expensive unprocessed food is sometimes fail to realize that buying real food also means *not* buying processed food, which can be a significant savings and offsets the cost of real food. There is less to carry home, too.
Alex on 05 Feb 2008 at 2:06 pm #
If you’ve never seen “Idiocracy” (a film by Mike Judge), this post should prompt you to take a peek. Luke Wilson’s character goes into the future and one of the things he finds? Water has been replaced by a sports drink — all water except in the toilet. It’s hilarious and sad all at once.
DaveC on 05 Feb 2008 at 2:30 pm #
When I was going to elementary schools in the late 50s-early 60s, I used to get 12 cents to take to school. That would buy me a Coke at little recess and another at big recess (is recess as archaic a notion as the $.06 bottle of soda?). So I’ve been conditioned for something like 50 years to expect my drinks to be fizzy and sweet. Up until a few months ago, I drank 2-3 diet sodas a day. I’m down to 3-4 a week. It ain’t easy overcoming that kind of conditioning.
Lemur on 05 Feb 2008 at 3:44 pm #
Like Alex, my mind immediately went to Idiocracy, as it often does when I see water with additives of any sort. To be honest, I am reminded of Idiocracy on an all too regular basis, the movie is more like a dire forecast than a comedy.
Here’s an ad for the sports drink, Brawndo. Don’t worry, no spoilers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef7X7–ktLk
This is a scene that involves Brawndo from the movie, so I guess it’s a spoiler, but not like a will-ruin-the-movie kind though. It’s sad that I can almost imagine it happening.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuvK1NenUQ4&NR=1
And just because it’s hilarious, the intro to the movie for those who haven’t seen it. I can’t recommend this movie enough.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upyewL0oaWA
Also, has anyone else noticed (and been repulsed by) this Special K Protein Water? The stuff has 5 grams of protein & 8 grams of sugar per serving. Clearly an ideal source of protein. Why can’t people just drink water & eat some nuts or something? I wonder if anyone actually buys the stuff? I doubt consumers were clamoring for this product, obviously the company just invented it to cash in on the latest diet trends.
Matt on 05 Feb 2008 at 6:22 pm #
I drink only two things - water and beer. People tend to think I am crazy, not drinking milk with all its protein and vitamins or cranberry juice with its antioxidants or coffee with its life-giving caffeine. “What do you drink for breakfast?!?” Um…water?
Alex on 05 Feb 2008 at 11:35 pm #
Thanks for posting the idiocracy clips - I don’t know anyone else that has seen it. It is like a dire forecast.
I, too, wonder about protein water. It just sounds wrong, doesn’t it? It would make so much more sense to just eat a little something, like you said. Are people that crunched for time they can’t grab some nuts to take to work or wherever? If so, maybe it is time to rethink how we are living!
Anna on 06 Feb 2008 at 12:44 am #
Special K Protein water packets? It’s just something else for Kelloggs to sell to “hyperbusy” knitwhits who won’t know any better. Even my 9 yo picked that commercial out as a “dumb thing”. He said “she should just eat meat or eggs for protein, shouldn’t she, Mom?”.
Scott Kustes on 06 Feb 2008 at 9:15 am #
Lemur, thanks for those clips. Looks like a movie I need to see.
Anna, that’s one smart son you have there. You’ve taught him well. It’s unfortunate that most 29 and 39 year olds don’t know that.
DaveC, I understand that it’s hard to retrain the tongue to appreciate regular tastes. Our modern food supply is so over-sugared and over-salted that most people’s tongues can’t appreciate the natural sweetness of a carrot or an apple. Lucky for me, I was never a soda junkie and switching from milk to water was easy.
I drink water, tea, coffee now and again (usually once a week), and a bit of beer and wine. Milk makes me mucus-y.
Cheers
Scott
Marc on 06 Feb 2008 at 10:08 am #
Scott,
Does the “Kefir” cultured milk/yogurt drink make you mucus-y too?
Lately I have been trying to drink a small glass upon waking. Can’t seem to notice any difference in how I feel.
Marc
http://www.feelgoodeating.blogspot.com
Scott Kustes on 06 Feb 2008 at 12:56 pm #
Marc, I’m not sure. I’ve never had kefir, though I do have the culture for it. Just need to take the time to make it after I locate some raw milk in the area.