We’re attracted to sweetness like fruit flies, but what are these natural sweeteners doing to our bodies? Are they adding anything? Is flavored water good for you?

Or are we trading our health for a little bit of flavor?

In this article, we’ll discuss flavored water beverages and how their use of natural sweeteners can be problematic for your health. You’ll learn what consuming any added sugar does to the body and the adverse impacts flavored water is capable of producing. 

Why Do Brands Use Natural Sweeteners In Their Products?

Lots of brands are using natural sweeteners in their flavored water. But why? Some manufacturers might say that their sweeteners are “natural,” but the reality of the situation is many of these sweeteners are either processed or refined. 

For example, when manufacturers use Stevia as a sweetener, they typically label the product as a natural sweetener. The truth of the matter is that while some artificial sweeteners are made from naturally occurring substances, sucralose is derived from sugar.

There’s a lot of misinformation in the world that leads people to believe these sweeteners are healthy for human consumption because they’re natural. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case.

Natural doesn’t always mean healthy. And the way these sweeteners are digested doesn’t make them any healthier than indulging in processed sugar.

What Are The Health Advantages Of Natural Sweeteners?

While natural sweeteners have their place in home cooking and processed foods, the sole purpose of their use is to sweeten foods and beverages. Even though these natural sugar substitutes are not as detrimental to human health as regular sugar, they don’t serve any purpose regarding our health.

Natural sweeteners lack vitamin and mineral content. With this being the case, we can’t help but question what the health benefits of natural sweeteners are. Since these substances are still processed into glucose and fructose, they’re still capable of harming the body.

What Are The Health Concerns Of Natural Sweeteners?

While some people believe natural sweeteners are safe, the truth behind them is that when a person consumes too much of them, they can be problematic. Several health problems can occur as a result of eating or drinking too much natural sweetener. So are they really worth consuming?

Tooth decay is quite possible from natural sweeteners. With this in mind, brushing your teeth following the ingestion of these sweeteners is something we’d recommend. While they might satisfy a sweet tooth, there’s always the possibility that they’ll decay it as well.

Weight gain is also possible with these sweeteners. While they are natural sugars, they’re still sugars. Thus, they add calories that can turn into fat when a person fails to burn off the energy. Sure, these natural sugars can provide you with energy, but if you’re not expending the energy, weight gain will be the result.

Since natural sweeteners don’t provide nutrition to the body, you’re solely experiencing an increase in energy. With this being the case, consuming these sweet substances can increase the body’s triglyceride levels. The body converts excess calorie into triglycerides, and these are then stored in the body’s fat cells. 

One sweetener, in particular, honey, can be extremely bad for ingestion. This substance has small traces of bacterial spores in it. The bacteria could produce botulism toxin, which is precisely why this sweetener should never be given to infants and children under a year old. 

Conclusion

So while avoiding processed sugars helps people avoid detrimental health impacts, opting for the natural alternative isn’t necessarily safer. Even though the sweeteners are called “natural,” this doesn’t mean they won’t harm your health.

Flavored water generally includes some sort of additional sweetener to enhance the taste. While this might satiate your sweet tooth, the harm it can cause to your body isn’t worth it. 

These sweeteners provide no health advantage, meaning these brands aren’t interested in improving your health. Instead, they’re pumping their flavored waters full of these natural sweeteners in the hopes that you’ll look past the damage they’re causing.