Abby Connolly
Tonya has lost over 220 pounds in the past three years but has always hated drinking plain water. She had a gastric sleeve surgery, and patients are told to drink a lot of water post-op. So, she started experimenting with different zero-sugar and zero-calorie powders and syrups and occasionally shared the ‘recipes’ with her TikTok followers. Over time, viewers became obsessed with her content, and she started posting the flavored waters she drank daily.
Tonya’s viral videos have led to multiple brands of water flavoring powders selling out in stores. The Skinny Syrups she uses aren’t as easy to come by anymore because of their newfound popularity.
Many TikTok users credit Tonya and her flavored water recipes for helping them shed pounds in her comments. Other WaterTok content creators simply drink the flavored waters because they love the colorful look and aesthetically pleasing routine of drinking them out of a cute water tumbler daily.
Despite the promotion of hydration, some nutrition and health experts are skeptical of the flavored water trend and are concerned about the artificial sweeteners in the syrups and powders used to make them. Nutritional psychiatrist Dr. Uma Naidoo told CNBC that drinking water mixed with flavor additives is essentially the same as drinking a sugar-free Kool-Aid or diet soda.
“I do want people to be aware that just because it’s zero calories does not make it a healthy food,” she told CNBC.
“Your body may be getting hydrated, but it may be affecting you in a bad way somewhere else.”
Hardcore WaterTok supporters have continued to advocate for their beverages regardless of concern.
How do you feel about WaterTok?
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