The 8 Healthiest Water Flavorings, According to Dietitians

During my years as a registered dietitian, the most common recommendation I've had for my clients is to drink more water. No matter what it is they see me for, most people are seriously lacking in H2O.

Water flavorings are a go-to recommendation to help people drink more water without feeling like it's a chore or burden.

"Water flavorings not only provide added flavor for those who dislike plain water, but many also offer other health benefits," says registered dietitian Melissa Mitri, RD. "For example, some packets include electrolytes for athletes or vitamins to help supplement the diet."

But not all water additives are actually good for you. "Look for products that are low in added sugar, artificial sweeteners and unnecessary additives. Choose packets that are less than 25 calories per serving, as more than this can add up if you're drinking these packets all day long," Mitri says.

• ‌Calories‌: 0
• ‌Added sugars‌: 0 g

The next best thing to squeezing a lemon into water is True Lemon's water flavor packets. The only ingredient is crystallized lemon, making it extra convenient to add a splash of natural lemon flavor to your water. They also carry orange and lime flavors if you want to switch it up with a different citrusy taste.

In addition to having zero calories, nothing artificial and great flavor, these packets from are budget-friendly and versatile. You can use them for baking, cooking, adding to tea or any other time you need a lemon but don't have a fresh one available.

• ‌Calories‌: 0
• ‌Added sugar‌: 0 g
• ‌Sodium‌: 0 mg
• ‌Niacin‌: 0.5 mg, 4% Daily Value (DV)
• ‌Vitamin B6‌: 0.06 mg, 4% DV
• ‌Vitamin B12‌: 0.08 mg, 4% DV
• ‌Pantothenic acid‌: 0.2 mg, 4% DV

If you're really looking to spice up your daily H2O, Cirkul is the way to go. These water enhancers are available in a handful of flavors, including:

• LifeSip, for everyday use
• FitSip, with electrolytes to help fuel workouts
• GoSip, with caffeine for extra energy
• Frosted, iced coffee-inspired flavors with caffeine

The flavors come packed in little cartridges that you insert into a Cirkul water bottle lid. The Custom Flavor Dial gives you full control of how much flavor goes into your water and one cartridge lasts about six fill-ups with a 22-ounce bottle. You don't necessarily have to purchase a Cirkul water bottle to use these so long as you buy the lid — the lid can fit most wide-mouth water bottles, like Nalgene and Hydro Flask.

Just note that some of these fun flavors are sweetened with sucralose, an artificial sweetener. If you want to avoid sucralose, opt for Cirkul's Verda line, which is sweetened with all-natural stevia, or go for the Puressence line, which doesn't contain any sweeteners.

• ‌Calories‌: 0
• ‌Added sugars‌: 0 g

While water flavorings are convenient to carry with you and add to water whenever you want them, sometimes you want an option that's premixed. Hint is a great ready-to-drink option for purified water with natural added flavor.

"Hint has no added sugar or artificial sweeteners, and its flavor comes purely from fruit. This product is good for someone who prefers just a hint of flavor without too much sweetness," Mitri says.

Seeing "natural flavors" on a label may have you wondering if these flavors come from a nutritious source. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the term "natural flavors" so you know it comes from one of these places:

• Spices
• Fruits or vegetables and their juices
• Plant materials such as herbs, bark, buds, roots or leaves
• Yeast
• Meat, poultry or seafood
• Eggs or dairy

• ‌Calories‌: 15
• ‌Added sugar‌: 1 g
• ‌Sodium‌: 300 mg, 13% Daily Value (DV)
• ‌Potassium‌: 150 mg, 3% DV
• ‌Magnesium‌: 25 mg, 6% DV

Your rehydration needs after an intense workout are a little different than after a more sedentary day or light exercise. Nuun has a water flavor tablet that's perfect for hydrating after strenuous activity.

"Nuun flavor enhancers have only 15 calories and 1 gram of added sugar per tab, and are free of artificial flavors or ingredients," Mitri says. They include electrolytes often lost in sweat like magnesium, sodium and potassium.

Nuun is also Informed Choice certified, meaning it's been third-party tested to be free from any banned substance in sport by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

• ‌Calories‌: 0
• ‌Added sugars‌: 0 g
• ‌Vitamin C‌: 18 mg, 20% DV

Stur is one of the best low-cost water enhancers around. With zero calories or sugar, this water flavoring is naturally sweetened with stevia and gets its vibrant color from vegetable juices. Plus, it has added nutrients to support immune health.

"Just one squeeze has 20 percent of your daily needs for vitamin C," Mitri says.

Because you can easily control how much flavor you add with your squeeze, this product is a good choice if you prefer a more potent, sweet flavor in your water, Mitri says. The bottles are easy to carry with you and are shelf stable, so no need to refrigerate between uses.

• ‌Calories‌: 25
• ‌Added sugars‌: 4 g
• ‌Magnesium‌: 30 mg, 8% DV
• ‌Zinc‌: 2 mg, 20% DV

If you need a pick-me-up, Hydrant can help you ward off fatigue by improving hydration, giving you an electrolyte boost and a caffeine fix.

Each serving has 100 milligrams of caffeine, about the same amount as an 8-ounce cup of coffee, according to the USDA. But because it also has 200 milligrams of L-theanine, you can expect an even release of energy to improve your focus and attention instead of an instant surge of jittery energy.

Taking 200 milligrams of L-theanine along with 100 milligrams of caffeine can reduce perceived anxiety and blood pressure response associated with mental tasks that otherwise create stress and a rise in blood pressure, per an October 2012 study in the ‌Journal of Physiological Anthropology‌.

It does have 4 grams of added sugar, which is more than dietitians would usually recommend, but if you need an energy boost, the small amount of sugar may be beneficial.

• ‌Calories‌: 0
• ‌Added sugars‌: 0 g
• ‌Vitamin C‌: 100 mg, 110% DV
• ‌Magnesium‌: 100 mg, 25% DV
• ‌Potassium‌: 250 mg, 6% DV
• ‌Sodium‌: 55mg, 2% DV
• ‌Zinc‌: 1 mg, 10% DV

Ultima is a great-tasting, calorie-free, sugar-free water flavor packet that helps to replace electrolytes lost through everyday activities and exercise.

One serving of Ultima has 25 percent of the DV for magnesium. Many people in the United States get less than the recommended amount of magnesium from food, per the Office of Dietary Supplements. This mineral is essential for muscle and nerve function, blood sugar, blood pressure and bone health.

• ‌Calories‌: 10
• ‌Added sugars‌: 2 g
• ‌Vitamin C‌: 23 mg, 25% DV
• ‌Vitamin E‌: 3.75 mg, 25% DV
• ‌Vitamin A‌: 225 mcg, 25% DV

True Lemon Kids comes in seven fun flavors with no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. The fruity flavors and vibrant colors are naturally sourced from fruits and vegetables. If you have a hard time getting your little one to drink water, these water flavor packets will have them looking forward to hydrating.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends the following fluid intakes (from water and milk) for kids each day:

These water flavorings are a great way to reduce the amount of added sugars your kids take in while also increasing their daily water intake. Kids should get fewer than 25 grams of added sugars per day, per the AAP.

As a registered dietitian, I've encountered countless water flavorings and used my expertise and research to select my all-time favorites for this list. I also spoke to other registered dietitians for their recommendations. Ultimately, these products all ranked highly on the following criteria:

• Low in added sugars
• Free from artificial flavors and colors
• Fewer than 25 calories per serving
• Price

Use this list as a starting point. When you're choosing other water flavor packets while shopping, keep this list of what to look for in mind.

Many water flavorings have added sugars, making the nutritional value more like soda than water. Diets high in added sugars can lead to weight gain and health conditions like type 2 diabetes and heart disease, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Choose a water flavoring that's low in added sugars and sweetened naturally using ingredients like fruit, stevia, monk fruit or other natural low-calorie sweeteners.

Water is the ultimate way to stay hydrated without adding extra unnecessary calories to your diet. If you're adding water flavor packets to several glasses of water per day, the calories can start to add up and potentially lead to unwanted weight gain.

Pick a water flavoring that has fewer than 25 calories to keep your water a low-calorie drink.

Choose brands that use natural flavors, sweeteners and colors. Because many water flavorings have added vitamins and minerals, the ingredient lists may be difficult to decipher.

Most brands that skip artificial ingredients advertise this quality on the packaging.