Propel Water

First thing I would suggest is that you find a way to convince your husband to stop drinking Propel Water! the artificial sweeteners contained in this questionable beverage are not good for anyone! There are direct links to metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes, weight gain, not to mention neurological effects! Artificial sweeteners are highly addictive and cause sweet cravings.
The best beverage for dad and for sons to be drinking is good old H20!! Preferably filtered tap water, which costs 200 to 1000 times LESS than bottled water!

Keep in mind that pound for pound, children are exquistetly more sensitive to chemicals like artificial sweeteners, refined sugars and artificial colors found in these "fitness drinks". Physicians who say that this doesn't matter are not fully informed. Keep in mind that most physcians have no training in nutrition!

Also note that the American Academy of Sports Medicine only recommends electrolyte replacement in situations of extreme physical activity lasting 3 hours or more. Like marathon training!Does your husband work out to that extent? At that point, it's super easy to make a sports drink with just water, lemon juice, honey and a touch of sea salt!

The food indsutry has been working full throttle to keep these beverages in schools and to convince those concerned with fitness to drink this garbage. That is because millions / billions of dollars of profit are at stake.
The whole sports water/ fitness water craze is simply marketing! Don't get suckered in my the food industry! take you power back as a smart consumer and save your money and your health. Drink real Water!
Times are tight right now financially for many of us, why waste money on useless/ potentially hazardous beverages when we live in a country that has a good water system? Not to mention the environmetal issues connected to plastic water bottles? Do a quick math test and calculate how much money your family wastes on these products in a week or a month! that is money that could go to way better uses.
When it comes to your family's health, real water is the best insurance policy!

Hi T.,

This is a great question and it is one that many people are unclear on, so thank you for asking it!

As a nutritionist I always recommend that clients, friends, family (really anyone who asks my opinion) NEVER EVER use artificial sweeteners. When in doubt use the real thing in small doses.

Splenda simply hasn't been tested by enough independent researchers to safely say that it is OK for anyone, especially children to ingest.

Recently, there have been independent reviews that are already connecting Splenda with migraines and even possibly showing it to be a carcinogen.

Dr. Mercola has written a book called Sweet Deception and it addresses the whole artificial sweetener controversy. You can check it out on his website, www.mercola.com.

In the meantime, I suggest you play it safe... give your little one a safe alternative with small amounts natural sugar. At least you know where it came from and the effect it will have on his body. At this point, we have no idea if the body even knows how to process these artificial sweeteners and if it can/will cause metabolic issues long term.

Best to you and your boys!
Be Well,
A.

There is nothing wrong with propel, it's just water with some added sugar. Because of the extra sugar you may want to limit his intake so he is not taking sugar in all day long, but there is nothing bad for him in it.

*Edit*

After someone messaged me I figured I would edit my post, Propel has artificial sweeteners in it, not sugar, which I didn't word right. These sugars are controversial but just visit the FDA's website and look for yourself, there is no evidence proving they are bad. I guess it's your own call on whether you feel comfortable with it or not. I personally feel everything is fine in moderation.

hi T., i also drink the propel water and my 2 year old son always wants "mamas water" so i dilute it like i do with all his juices. i dont know if i have to b/c its water but thats what i do! good luck, B.

Hi T., I have the same situation with my 4 year old. I spoke to both Propel and my doctor. Both said it is fine for my son to drink, as long as it is limited. I buy the small bottles and only let him have 1/4 of it a day when he is with "Daddy". They call it their "special drink" for dinner time. If you're having a hard time limiting him, buy some naturally flavored water and transfer it to the Propel bottle. Good luck to you. I hope this helps. J.

Hi T.,

This is a topic very close to my heart, so I am sorry if I am a little abrasive or defensive. Just to let you know, I was at one point working on my masters in Nutrition.

If it were me, I'd not allow it very often - maybe once a week, like a Saturday afternoon after a TON of playing and sweating as a treat. Maybe come up with something else to be their "thing" - like chocolate milk made at home with Ovaltine.

My reasons:
1> Ok, it's not pop they are drinking, so that's better - relatively speaking. However, it's some sort of Fake Sugar in it. For me, my body metabolizes all Fake Sugar the same as real sugar, so I get sugar highs, crashes, and extra body weight. I don't want my child to go through that until she's a bit older - like junior high or after a good full sports practice.
2> There's no good research on Fake Sugars and children's growth and the effects therein.
3> Fake Sugars and HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) can build up in the liver causing issues over time. Why start this process so early?
4> I know that Propel can be a source of vitamins and minerals (check the labels), but I'd prefer my child to get that from natural food sources. Maybe your child is a picky eater, so this might be helpful for you.
5> Propel is made by Gatorade, which I believe is part of Pepsi or Coke. Personally, I have issues with kids under 8 contributing to big-honking corporations, including Mattel and McD's.

I am sure some people will find this response reactionary, but if it were Beer, everyone would say "NO WAY!" because we know the effects of alcohol. These beverages are made for adults doing activities. Just because there isn't a ton of research out there about Fake Sugars effect on the body doesn't mean it's OK - let alone on what it could do to a child.

These are my opinions so take it or leave it, but for me and my family I am definitely uncomfortable with it.

Good luck -
A.

I had asked my pediatrician about that when my daughter was the same age and she said that in moderation it is ok but not to exceed one bottle per day.

No, it has sugar as the second ingredient. Try to discourage your husband if that is the only way to get your son to stop. All those flavored waters are full of sugar and you also need to worry about getting to much of certain vitamins.

T., I would not give the water to a child frequently because it has sythetic vitamins, which are not good for anybody. Also, if you son is drinking this often, he is probably drinking atleast 4 to 5 times of his daily vitamin requirement. In addition to that, the water probably has high fructose corn syrup as sweetener, which is horrible because the body does not know what to do with it. I am a holistic health counselor and have studies nutrition for the past 4 years now. Good luck and just give him plain water in a propel bottle :).

No-NO NO! I made the mistake of drinking it in my first pregnancy thinking it must be good for me. It has Sucralose in in. This is one of the big industry lies. They say it is really "sugar" but it is a chemically altered sugar molecule which replaces the carbon atoms with chlorine. They already suspect it is bad for the liver and kidneys (etc)-and I bet you that in a few years this will be the next big scandel; the dangers of all the sucralose we are loading into our "low-sugar" foods. This stuff was released by the FDA after just a few months of testing.
Avoid it and check your labels on everything.
M. P

Our pediatric dentist has told my kids (and myself) that if they are going to drink a water drink such as Propel or Gatorade that her recommendation is for them to drink Propel. She has informed me that Propel has the least amount of sugar added to it compared to the others. She of course would rather see them have just plain water but has given my kids the okay to drink Propel in moderation.

I am not all that familiar with it but I know alot of "sports drinks" have a TON of sugar in them, I don't think propel does - I would just check the ingredient list for anything you may not want your son to have. Esp. flavors like strawberry - if it is actual strawberry - be careful about possible allergies.

Yes its fine,

but in moderation, because of the sugars,

he should drink 2 percent milk, plenty of tap water because it has floride for his teeth, and Gatorade 2 times per day.
You could try recycling the same bottle adding or diluting with water.

Have daddy refill his bottle at the sink,
this way he thinks daddy is drinking water aswell,

put the water bottle on the lower level and the propell on the upper level, this way he can reach the waterfilled bottles

Good luck

M

In my opinion you should NEVER let any children drink anything with artificial sweetners in them. They are so bad for everyone, especially developing children. I never let my three children drink anything with fake sugar in it, especially diet soda.

Hi T.,
I suggest you read the ingredients. If you see; high fructose corn syrup, or aspartame, or anything else that isn't water, I would strongly say; don't give it to him.
It is no different than soda or diet soda which is worse.
These ingredients are harmful and addicting and can be the beginning of a nightmare for you and your son.
Read everything you give him. These harmful ingredients are everywhere.
Good luck.
P.

I been mixing propel packets in water for my neice at night, since then she hasn't complain about her stomach and she don't wake up as much in the middle of the night, During the day she drinks regular juice but at night that's what I give her. She is 2 years old and my nephew is 3 and he drinks a little bit during the day ( he doesn't drink anything at night ) I been wondering if It was good or bad for kids, but I'm just as confused cuz some say yeah its ok once in a while some say no no no..I guess next time she goes to the doc. I ask them about it, she's been drinking it for a month now, and she's been doing better and feeling better since she started drinking it.

Propel is 100% better than Gatorade, just limit the amount he drinks. During the summer my kids are very active outside and they "forget" to drink the amount that they should, but when they have a bottle of propel they drink the amount that they should to keep them hydrated. They make small bottles of propel so my advice to you is to let him drink one of those and then when he's not watching you fill it back up with tap water. But like I said my kids love that stuff, their drinking water which is good, and they don't get sick off of it like they did with Gatorade. I just limit the amount of it they drink!!!

Absolutely not! Don't let your little boy drink Propel. It is sweetened with Sucralose (Splenda) which is toxic on many levels. Sucrolose is essetially highly chlorinated sugar, and studies have shown that you will permanently absorb between 15% and 40% of what you injest and store it in your cells. If a 175 poound grown-up has a dose of Splenda, it won't do him any good, and it will eventually build up in his cells to cause noticable harm. However, if a 35 pound kid has a dose of Splenda, it can cause all sorts of problems - especially since he's still growing. You can find many, many articles discussing the various issues, problems, and symptoms associated with Sucrolose at www.mercola.com. Maybe these articles could convice your husband to go back to plain water and be healthier himself and a better example to your son!

NO! Do not let them have the propel. The artifical sweeteners are passed through adult bodies with no problems but there are no tests for children. My pediatrician says no artificial sweeteners!

I am not a physician or a nutritionist, but I think I am educated enough to tell you as a mom who sits on our school's Health and Wellness committee this is NOT a good thing for your 5 year old to drink. Look at the ingredients and decide for yourself, then Google it to find out more. If you think you are adding nutrition to your child's diet, you are not, just added sugar, and chemicals. The added vitamins are not enough to offer any benefit. Get your 5 year old to drink water, clean, pure, filtered water. Don't let him get hung up on sweetened drinks, you will regret it.

if you don't want him to drink it, take a used propel bottle and fill it with water or juice for him...use a label maker to put his name on it(I do this with all my kids stuff...helps them reconize their name). Everything in moderation, a little i don't think would hurt but ask your peditrican to make sure...if you see behavioral changes, stop.(water it down)

Hi T.!

I understand your concern! For one thing, if this product contained - . Aspartame is one of the most dangerous substances ever added to food. Not only has aspartame been proven to make you fatter, it's been proven to cause some pretty serious diseases, not the least of which are cancer and neurological diseases. - I would be very concerned. However what it does contain is Splenda, which is listed on the bottle as sucralose.

I think I would best answer this question two ways: How much is my child drinking (and what else is my child drinking beside this) ? and Would it be possible to give him "a special bottle", which would be Propel, but watered-down?

Please let us know what you decide!
Sincerely yours,
J. in Jersey