We looked at 6 popular bottled waters that had stuff added for “energy”. These included: FRS Healthy Energy, Gatorade Perform 02, Propel zero, Sobe lifewater, Activate, and Powerade.

1. Even though the bottles were not that large, only 1 was designed as a single serving (FRS Healthy Energy) – the rest have 2-4 servings per bottle.

2. Most of the drinks were NOT zero calorie - 4 of the 6 drinks had calories ranging from 25 (FRS Healthy Energy) to 200 (Gatorade Perform 02 and the Powerade) per bottle.

3. 1/2 of them use artificial sweeteners or chemically altered sugar which completely defeats the healthy aspect – sucralose (FRS Healthy Energy, Propel Zero), acesulfame potassium AKA Sweet One (in Propel Zero) and high fructose corn syrup (Powerade), Erythritol (in Sobe Lifewater),

4. Most of them could be called Chemical Water - with added chemicals used as flavor-stabilizers, enhancers, and preservatives like sucrose acetate isobutyrate (in Gatorade Perform 02 and Powerade), sodium citrate (in Gatorade and Propel Zero), monopotassium phosphate (in Gatorade), sodium hexametaphosphate (in Propel Zero), potassium sorbate (in Propel Zero), calcium disodium EDTA (in Propel Zero), potassium citrate – which is also a diuretic (in Sobe Lifewater and Powerade). Only 2 did not contain these chemicals: FRS Healthy Energy and Activate.

5. Gatorade is sold with the energy drinks but really doesn’t offer any energy benefits other than sugar – no added vitamins.

6. Some drinks still may be using chemical dyes to color them – Gatorade uses Yellow #5.

7. Caffeine may be part of the “energy” recipe - FRS Healthy Energy and Activate have caffeine in their water.

8. The best vitamins for boosting energy are Vitamin B-1 (AKA thiamine – needed to store energy for exercise), B-2 (AKA riboflavin – needed by cells to create energy and boosts immune system), B3 (AKA niacin – helps metabolism, digestion and elimination of toxins), B5 (AKA pantothenic acid – anti-stress and stamina enhancer), B6 (AKA pyridoxine – reduces stress and anxiety to restore energy) and H (AKA biotin – helps stabilize blood sugar to avoid crashes);

Let’s see how they stack up: (DV stands for Daily Value)