I was instantly suspicious when I saw this recent headline on a major news outlet: “Which drink is best for hydration? Hint: It isn’t water.” They reported the results of a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition which found that milk, soda, and sports drinks are all MORE hydrating than water. Water was ranked down as 10th on the list. (1)(2)
The first thing I did, was research who funded this study.
I always follow the money trail when reading something that goes against my common sense about food and promotes junk food or sodas as healthy options. As I wrote about in Feeding You Lies, a major way that the Big Food industry fools the public is with shady paid-for science, producing studies that are actually thinly veiled marketing ploys. They’re also really good at manipulating the media into reporting messages that support the processed food industry.
To suggest that sodas and sports drinks filled with high fructose syrup, artificial sweeteners, artificial colors, and caramel color linked to cancer are a good choice is outrageous. If anything, these toxic concoctions are destroying your health one sip at a time.
I just knew that the soda industry had to be behind such a study that would ridiculously promote that idea that guzzling down Coke and Powerade is a good way to stay hydrated.
And it turns out my suspicions were right…
I clicked on the study, scrolled down to the footnotes, and bam! — Right there it disclosed that the study was “Supported by a grant from the European Hydration Institute.”
The European Hydration Institute (EHI) is nothing more than a front group for Coca-Cola.
Coca-Cola spent £4.86 million setting up the EHI – a group that promotes the consumption of soda and sports drinks. Coca-Cola remains listed as a founding partner on EHI’s website. (3) EHI’s Director, Jane Holdsworth, worked in marketing for the dairy industry and founded her own marketing consulting firm. She counts Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s, Kraft, and Pepsico as previous clients. (3)
None other than Rhona Applebaum, former chief health and science officer for Coca-Cola, sits on the Board of Trustees for EHI. (3) Rhona famously retired Coke in 2015 after the New York Times and Associated Press exposed how Coke funded another front group (the Global Energy Balance Network) to fool people into believing sugary drinks don’t cause obesity. (4)
The lead researcher in the hydration study had worked hand in hand with the soda industry as well. Ron Maughan was an emeritus professor at Loughborough University, which received almost £1 million from Coca-Cola. (5) He is currently sits as chairman on the EHI’s scientific advisory board. (3)
You would think the major media outlets reporting on this study would have at least mentioned these ties between this study, the European Hydration Institute, and Coca-Cola… but they didn’t!
I know it’s frustrating when there is so much conflicting health information being fired at us from all directions. Here are some tips for how to separate the TRUTH from the FICTION in health news:
- Look to see who is funding the research. Even if it sounds like reputable scientific organization, research who they are, who funds their work, who sits on their board of directors, and what types of health claims they’ve made in the past.
- Check whether any researchers disclosed a conflict of interest. Most academic journals require researchers to disclose any conflicts of interest in published studies. This information typically appears at the end of the study, following the concluding section.
- Conflicts of interest aren’t always listed honestly however, even in prominent journals. Look up which boards the scientists serve on and who has paid them to be a consultant. You can often find this in their public Curriculum Vitae or online profile.
- The same goes for journalists in the media. If you find an article that seems suspect, they may be working in cahoots with Big Food or Big Ag. Research what types of articles they’ve written in the past and who they use as sources. Are these sources front groups?
- Determine whether all viewpoints, for and against an issue, are presented. If everything is squarely on one side of an issue, you can bet that you are not getting the whole story.
Yes it often takes quite a bit of time and effort to figure out the facts. However, when it comes to your health, it’s absolutely worth it to determine what’s real and what’s not. At the end of the day, it’s nobody else’s responsibility to tell you what’s true.
You alone are responsible for the news you consume. We must become our own health investigators.
If you know anyone who needs to hear this, please share this post with them. And don’t forget to check out my latest book, Feeding You Lies, to learn more about the lies we are being fed about our food!
Xo,
Vani
References:
- https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/25/health/best-drinks-for-hydration-wellness/index.html
- https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/103/3/717/4564598
- https://www.europeanhydrationinstitute.org/what_is_the_ehi
- https://usrtk.org/tag/rhona-applebaum/
- https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/11920984/Coca-Cola-spends-millions-on-research-to-prove-that-fizzy-drinks-dont-make-you-fat.html
When I saw the headline I thought for sure it was going to be sugar-laced and toxic: Pediasure. Can you please expose Pediasure in a future article. BTW, I feature your work in my book exposing inter-generational organized crime’s control of the government and media: Understanding Our Slavery which is about to go into its 4th edition / 5th printing.
Thanks for a great article. My wife drinks Power Ade. I looked at the ingredient list and it didn’t contain any HFCSyrup. Did they take it out or are they lying about whether it’s in there? Even if it has been removed should she still stay away from it. Can you recommend a healthy sports drink.
Fred
Fred – Can I ask why your wife drinks sports drinks? Thanks – this will help me with my answer.
Hi Fred,
Does your wife drink Powerade Zero? Because Coca-cola lists HFCS on their website for regular Powerade but not for Powerade Zero. That might be the confusion.
Also, see link here for reference: https://www.coca-colaproductfacts.com/en/products/powerade/mountain-berry-blast/20-oz/
Hi Vani, Thank you so much for being a health rangerette in the fight against food propaganda. This article is one of the best and most succinct I’ve read exposing the hypocrisy of the food and bevarage industries. I completely understand your frustration with this issue as it has been going on for so long and little has been done to keep the industry accountable. I teach classes on this very topic and I’ve found that most people have a hard time believing they’ve been deceived simply because the thought of giving up their favorite treats is scary. I wholeheartedly agree that we all need to be our own food investigators but a recent article by Sayer Ji reveals that there’s an effort by Google and Facebook to censor “controversial” health topics and so the pressure to educate people on the truth about health and nutrition has never been higher. Keep up the good work!
The entire corporate food industry is corrupt. The first thing that needs to go are the manipulative lobbyists who spread lies. By not buying their corporate franken-food, we can change the food industry ourselves en masse and very quickly. So please support true organic farming in your local communities, attend your farmers markets weekly and please READ the labels of food that you buy and educate yourself by reading Vani’s plethora of investigations on this website. Also, share this information and website with friends, family and anyone that you care about.
And support this food revolution by at least learning about Truvani’s products and possibly setting yourself up on monthly subscriptions for some or all of them. My wife and I have subscriptions with the protein powders, collagen powder, turmeric, immune support (new!), vitamin C product and the magnesium product. The magnesium product was a godsend for me being an athlete and needing to replenish my muscles and keep from cramping up.
Thanks for your support and happy you are enjoying Truvani.
Thank you, I’ll definitely pass it on. Just a little common sense would send this up in smoke, who would choose something like cola, milk or even juice if you had to travel across a desert? Seriously????
HAH! Thanks for your illuminating article. I read the original article when it came out due to the headline. I instinctively knew something was completely wrong, but didn’t have the time to figure it out. I quickly moved to another story, and was so happy to see that you had done the work for all of us – thanks!
So please what is the best for hydration? Lemon water?
Celery juice?
I don’t see the answer.
please help Vani
Sandi Anderson
Try WATER!!
Water, H20 is the best hydrating liquid.
60 % of the body is water
64% of the skin is water
73% of the brain and heart is water
79% of the muscles and kidneys is water.
31% of the bones is watery!
It just makes sense that water is the best hydrating fluid in the body.
83% of the lungs is water.
I love you Vani!!!!!!! I know no-one but you, Robyn O’Brien, and Medical Medium who are always pointing out how all the “trends” are funded by these front companies. It is ridiculous how we are used and manipulated by the food and bev industry in this way, and this one is just comical! Yet, the average person who is not aware would believe this. Thank you for all your work and bravery in exposing this situation.
could you please let us know about Trader Joe’s products? The store tells me there is no GMO’s at all in anything, but if product pkg. does not say, I usually avoid purchasing it. They do have some good products, so would appreciate your input, as I cannot get any help from them.
Hello Vani,
Awesome article, exposing the lies. Thank you for being out there. I know about all of this stuff.
My partner has an organic food business & we grow our own food. We know the food and beverage industry is rife with corruption.
Water is the elixir of life, but generally not tap water.
Thanx again
That’s actually not true about tap water. I recently watched the documentary Rotten on Netflix and one of the episodes was about bottled water. Really, really eye opening and made me stop buying bottled water. I’d suggest you watch it.
What do you think about drinking Zevia? I need to get off the pop/soda & I’m having a really hard time doing it! I have always drank Dr Pepper & Pepsi or Coke! I am addicted!!! Recently I found out I am diabetic so have to do something. I tried the Zevia Cola (thanks to my niece who found it for me). It has Stevia in it & it is not too bad tasting! Far from a McD’s Coke in taste ….. but at least it doesn’t have that bitter after taste like the diet pops have from the artificial sugars. Can you please let me know what you think of using both Stevia to sweeten my iced tea & what you think of the Zevia drinks? Thank you so much.
Weston Price pointed out that skim milk takes out valuable fat-soluable vitamins; and thought it was nutritionally poor.
I’m still flabbergasted that at hospitals, where people are supposed to be cared for and given nutritional food and hydration are offered the very opposite!
After a stroke, my husband was supposed to eat “low cholesterol”, “low sodium” diet. And what was he allowed at mealtime (which he never drinks at home) SODA! Gingerale to be specific, as if that was healthy – loaded with high fructose corn syrup and other vile ingredients. Also, processed fruit cups, pudding, graham crackers and God only knows what was in his breakfast, lunch or dinner (mass produced breads loaded with preservatives, mashed potatoes, turkey with gravy, meatloaf). I honestly don’t think anything was cooked from scratch.
Would love to know what you think about Zipfizz and Arbonne fizz sticks? They really help my kids to drink more water so hoping they are ok.