Who’s for a glass of iceberg water?

Who’s for a glass of iceberg water? That’s one of the cool new bottled varieties. Just one problem: It’ll cost you £75!

  • Varieties of bottled water claim to boost levels of health, energy and vitamins
  • The UK market is worth more than £2.1 billion, with bottles priced up to £74.25
  • Here, FEMAIL try some of the more extraordinary water with a nutrition therapist

Do you drink water purely to quench your thirst? If so, perhaps you’re missing a trick — as various bottled varieties claim they can also boost levels of health, energy, vitamins and minerals.

The UK bottled water market is worth some £2 billion, so it’s no wonder these products have been developed. And who wouldn’t be seduced by the idea of on-the-go swigging to a healthier new you?

ALICE SMELLIE sipped some of the more extraordinary and asked nutrition therapist Ian Marber for his verdict…

Many varieties of bottled water claim they can also boost levels of health, energy, vitamins and minerals (stock image)

ICY… BUT PRICEY  

Svalbarði Polar Iceberg Water, £74.25, svalbardi.com

Svalbarði Polar Iceberg Water, £74.25, svalbardi.com

WHAT IS IT? A water harvested from polar icebergs that have broken from the (shrinking) icecap by an icebreaker: talk about fiddling while Rome burns.

The maker says: ‘Svalbarði is an award-winning, ultra low-mineral, superior purity, still Arctic iceberg water.

‘With no nitrates or pollutants, the ultra low-minerality makes for a light mouthfeel, with a slight bite and sweetness. Svalbarði is an experience for the palate, much like a fine wine.’

To most of us, it’s most notable for costing well over £70 a bottle.

But this is a carbon-negative company — for each bottle sold, it gives enough money to preserve 100kg of icecap.

TASTE: The water has won a serious taste award, however it’s impossible to drink it without a wry grin. 

Pleasant — like melted snow, which it is.

EXPERT VERDICT: Eating and drinking locally sourced produce is preferable. Yet we are drawn to products from exotic locations, which have a higher carbon footprint.

It’s great that the company is carbon-negative, but this is a tasteless concept.

Svalbarði Polar Iceberg Water, £74.25, svalbardi.com

LIVE LIKE GWYNIE

FLOW Alkaline Spring Water, £12.74 for 12 x 500ml, aqua-amore.com

WHAT IS IT? A naturally alkaline mineral water from artesian springs in a recyclable carton. It is also sold on Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle website Goop.

‘Flow’s naturally occurring magnesium, calcium, bicarbonate, and potassium are super-hydrating and balancing for your body,’ it says.

TASTE: Just like water.

EXPERT VERDICT: A drink cannot change the body’s pH. Suggesting a health benefit from alkaline water shows a lack of expert knowledge.

ON-TREND CBD

Love Hemp Water, 99p for 500ml, holland and barrett.com 

Love Hemp Water, 99p for 500ml, holland and barrett.com

WHAT IS IT: Bottled water infused with 2 mg CBD hemp extract.

CBD oil from cannabis plants is a big trend at the moment and has been added to everything from tea to face cream. Love Hemp’s website claims that cannabidiol oil, added to the water has anti-inflammatory properties.

TASTE: It has a creamy, herby aftertaste, which is pleasant.

EXPERT VERDICT: There is some good emerging evidence for CBD oil. 

I just worry that it has become trivialised and unmonitored. Just be mindful of how much you consume.

Virtue Energy Water, Lemon & Lime, £1.49 for 250ml, hollandand barrett.com

FIZZ WITH ENERGY

Virtue Energy Water, Lemon & Lime, £1.49 for 250ml, hollandand barrett.com

WHAT IS IT? No sugar, just a bright, sparkling energy water.

The energy comes from natural sources such as the yerba mate plant, guarana and ginseng and there is about 80mg natural caffeine — as much as a cup of coffee.

TASTE: A pleasant fizzy drink.

EXPERT VERDICT: Yerba mate has caffeine, so no surprises on the energy front.

Magnesia Still Water, £1.25 for 1.5-litres, halusky.co.uk

MAGNESIUM BOOST 

Magnesia Still Water, £1.25 for 1.5-litres, halusky.co.uk

WHAT IS IT? A 1.5-litre bottle contains 255mg magnesium — the recommended daily amount for women is 270mg and for men 300mg. The water comes from a mineral spring in the Slavkov forest in the Czech Republic.

The website claims: ‘Magnesium influences more than 300 metabolic reactions in your body. Its deficiency can, therefore, easily lead to health problems.’

TASTE: It feels like slightly flat mineral water on the tongue. However, it does have a pleasant, smooth flavour.

EXPERT VERDICT: It’s better to get magnesium through your diet, rather than a drink. Excess magnesium can also cause diarrhoea, so I would limit to just one bottle a day.

Press London Water+ Probiotics, £3.50 for 330ml, press-london.com

GOOD FOR THE GUT 

Press London Water+ Probiotics, £3.50 for 330ml, press-london.com

WHAT IS IT? ‘Pink Probiotic Water+ contains a special strain of good bacteria, baccilus coagulans, which can have a positive role on gut health,’ it is claimed.

This water contains lemon, agave syrup, strawberry juice and dragonfruit juice, plus at least one billion live cultures in each bottle.

TASTE: Like melted raspberry ice lolly. Truly scrumptious.

EXPERT VERDICT: Not a bad way to take probiotics. It has minimal sugars and flavourings.

Press London Water+ Probiotics, £3.50 for 330ml, press-london.com

BLACK MAGIC?

Blk. Alkaline Fulvic Black Mineral Water, £2.12, vitalifehealth.com

WHAT IS IT? Nutrient-rich fulvic acid compounds are found in plants and the fertile top layer of the soil. 

When 77 naturally occurring minerals are added to spring water, it turns black. 

The website claims blk. will help athletes ‘achieve and maintain optimal performance’.

TASTE: The black is off-putting, but it tastes like any water.

EXPERT VERDICT: Athletes need vitamins and minerals — but not necessarily from water.

QUICK COLLAGEN 

WOW Hydrate Protein Tropical Water, £1.25 for 500ml, tesco.com

Press London Water+ Probiotics, £3.50 for 330ml, press-london.com

WHAT IS IT? Why have an egg or glass of milk when you can drink tropical flavoured water? 

This contains 20g collagen protein plus 33 per cent of the recommended daily intake of vitamins such as C, D and B6.

It ‘delivers the essential ingredients, refuelling the body without carbs or sugar’.

TASTE: The tangerine-coloured water is incredibly sweet.

EXPERT VERDICT: This is like having a multivitamin and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. But 20g of collagen protein seems a lot.

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