The Active Organic

I (heart) smartwater!

Posted on 11. Nov, 2009 by The Active Organic in Active, Drinks, Products

So I am a huge fan of smartwater. I have been drinking it for 5+ years now, most recently I have been using it for about half of my water intake, about 2 liters a day.  To get a better idea of why, I will share two quick stories:

I first got introduced to it when I was on the “Big Race” committee for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County. smartwater was the water sponsor for the race and the regional marketing director was delivering the water which he and I unloaded at each station of the race. This gave me plenty of time to inquire and find out a lot about the water and it’s origins. Since than I have been a huge fan.

One other story leading up to this post is; some good friends of mine who are expecting, were having some issues and so they went to see a kinesiologist in the LA area. Basically one of the diagnoses’ was that she was dehydrated. When the Doc came back and talked through his findings with them he told them that smartwater was the best water you can drink because of it’s purity. My buddy thought it was quite interesting since I’ve always been a big advocate.

Essentially they vapor distill the water and re-mineralize it, adding electrolytes back in to the water, after some research I was able to find out more about their process; where they get the water, what they do to purify it and they also provide you with an analysis of the quality of their water compared to the standard quality of drinking water. When I read this I was quite shocked to learn how clean it was. You can get the report here. After reading this I wanted to find out a bit more about who tested the water and the plastics they use for bottling, so I sent them an email. Here is their response:

third party labs perform the water analysis.  they vary depending on facility.  these auditors meet strict criteria set by the epa.

our bottles are made from fda approved, food grade PET1 plastic.  the PET plastics used for vitaminwater® and smartwater® bottles do not contain bisphenol-a (bpa).  in fact, PET1 is considered the safest of all polymers for direct food contact and presents no health risk.

additionally, we make our bottles with 100% PET (one of the most recyclable materials on the planet) to encourage our consumers to recycle.  it’s even on our label, “30 may be the new 20 but green is definitely the new black. please recycle.”

I’ve subsequently tried various brands of bottled water and considering the vast market for bottled water there aren’t many that set themselves apart. There are many options; distilled, electrolyte enhanced, infused this, infused that and they all taste quite alike. Given all this I feel smartwater is the best option because of the pureness, hydration and the consideration they put into the plastic and their environmental impact. Trying to run a sustainable and profitable business isn’t easy but they have created a great eco-conscience model around it.

Depending on where you go smartwater can get a bit spendy, however you can find it cheap if you search a little. Below you can see a breakdown of what I have found:

In conclusion
I have had a wonderful experience with this product. What it comes down to for me is the level of hydration, it’s pureness and the eco-friendly attributes. Doesn’t matter if it’s a few cocktails or an hour run it always seems to take care of me!!

A side note
For those who are still a bit hesitant to buy plastic, what I find myself doing many times is taking a liter of smartwater and dumping it in my Sigg and carrying that around with me. You have a bit of relief knowing the quality of the plastic and that you will be recycling the bottle once you are done using it. Apply whatever frequency or methods fit your lifestyle.