Is Bai Water Good For You (Nutrition Pros and Cons)?

Bai Water is an antioxidant-infused drink that is naturally sweetened and flavored and does not contain added sugar or gluten. It was initially launched as a brand in 2009 before Keurig Dr. Pepper acquired it in 2016. 

The founders created Bai Water as an alternative to high-calorie drinks containing synthetic ingredients and processed sugar. The product is considered a healthy alternative to sugary drinks. Bai Water is marketed as a low calorie, healthy beverage with zero grams of sugar.

It is available in a range of flavors with creative names, including:

• Brasilia Blueberry
• Costa Rica Clementine
• Dominica Dragon Passion Fruit
• Ipanema Pomegranate
• Kula Watermelon
• Kupang Strawberry Kiwi
• Malawi Mango
• Panama Peach
• Sumatra Dragonfruit
• Zambia Bing Cherry

 There is also a sparkling range available in the following variety of flavors:

• Bolivia Black Cherry
• Jamaica Blood Orange
• Gimbi Pink Grapefruit
• Bogotá Blackberry Lime
• Peru Pineapple
• Lambari Watermelon Lime
• Waikiki Coconut Lime

The manufacturers chose the names to include regions where coffee fruit grows.

Although Bai Water is sugar-free, it contains non-nutritive sweeteners Erythritol and Stevia Leaf Extract and some processed ingredients. 

Bai Water’s Antioxidant Infusion range’s ingredients are filtered water, erythritol, malic acid, vegetable, and fruit juice concentrate, tea extract, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), Stevia Leaf Extract, citric acid, natural flavors, coffee fruit extract, sodium citrate.

Here are some of the main ingredients found in Bai Water Antioxidant Infusion drinks that are intended to help with energy levels without too much sugar. Please read the information carefully so you can start to decide whether or not Bai Water is healthy for you or not.

Natural Flavors

There is conflicting information about what natural flavors are in food labeling. Because the term has no official definition, manufacturers can use it to describe nearly any type of food.

It’s important to note that some so-called “natural flavors” are produced using artificial processes and products, such as enzyme-assisted extraction, which may include solvents and high heat. Unless a company reveals its methods and the products used therein, it’s impossible to know whether the natural flavors used are healthy and have any nutritional value. 

See my related article about AHA Sparkling Water which also uses natural flavors.

Stevia Leaf Extract is one of the sweeteners used in Bai Water.

It is a non-nutritive sweetener up to 400 times sweeter than sugar. It has some health benefits. For example, it may help lower cholesterol, and studies have found that it can help fight some types of cancer. However, research has also shown that Stevia Leaf Extract could adversely affect your health. 

This study found that even in low doses, stevia could disrupt the gut microbiome. It can also cause digestive distress in people who are sensitive to sugar alcohols. 

Erythritol is a sugar alcohol with zero calories, no nutritional value, and no effect on insulin or glucose levels.

It naturally occurs in some foods and is a by-product of fermented wine, beer, cheese, and other foods. Erythritol is a by-product of corn or wheat starch fermentation. 

Research has found that consuming sugar alcohols like Xylitol, Sorbitol, Mannitol, and Erythritol can cause digestive distress like gas and cramping and even act as a laxative. Some people are more sensitive to this than others. 

Bai’s proprietary sweetener blend includes some of these natural sweeteners.

Coffee fruit is a type of cherry or berry produced by the coffee bean plant. Coffee beans are the pits within the stones inside the coffee fruit. They are roasted and ground to make coffee. 

Like the coffee beans inside, coffee fruit has health benefits and contains caffeine. Research has shown many health benefits of moderate consumption, including improved heart health and lowered risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. It can also help promote brain health and has anti-aging properties!

On the flip side, caffeine is a natural stimulant sometimes used in energy drinks, so it has to be consumed in moderation, and children should avoid it altogether. It can increase your heart rate, raise blood pressure, cause anxiety and restlessness, and stop you from getting a good night’s rest. 

It’s important to be aware of the caffeine content of any beverage especially if you experience negative side effects.

You may also like this article on caffeine and weight loss.

Although the nutrition label doesn’t specify what type of tea extract Bai Drinks contain, plain tea is known as a healthy drink. Research has revealed that all plain types of tea, like green, black, and white tea extract, contain polyphenols that may have anti-carcinogenic effects that can also fight free radicals. 

Tea also contains caffeine and flavones. In moderation, caffeine has incredible health benefits, as discussed above. Flavones also has many health benefits, including helping with oxidative stress-related diseases including heart disease. 

Fruit juice concentrate is the fruit with the water removed. It also means that the pulp and skin are removed, which deprives the fruit of fiber.

Fruit juice concentrate is a naturally occurring sugar, but it is still sugar and does not have the added nutritional benefits that whole, unprocessed fruits offer. It is likely what makes up the gram of sugar contained in Bai Water drinks. 

Although it provides flavor and sweetness, fruit juice concentrate is empty calories with higher fructose levels. It is processed and not a particularly healthy ingredient, even though it is natural. 

Bai Water does not contain any artificial sweeteners or added sugar. Each bottle only has 1 gram of sugar and contains only ten calories.

It is gluten-free and contains antioxidants from the coffee fruit extract and tea extract. Making sure you are properly hydrated is important for overall health.

Bai Water is manufactured in plastic bottles, which is not good for the environment. On average, a Bai Water beverage contains 55 mg of caffeine, so it’s important not to consume too much caffeine and not to give it to children. 

Bai Water contains non-nutritive sweeteners like Stevia Leaf Extract and Erythritol, which can cause digestive distress in some people.