Wait, What In The World Is Going On Over On WaterTok?
You might take issue with many aspects of TikTok, but you can't deny it's a powerful educational tool. Nowhere else do we see people motivated to share, learn, and popularize newfangled knowledge than on this social media behemoth. TikTok has a way of adding a fun spin to the most boring and second nature of tasks.
And that's the case with WaterTok — a trend that teaches you how to make hydration less of a chore and more of a creative, colorful process. Although drinking plain water is a perfectly simple task that doesn't require any learning curve, not everyone finds it easy to tie it into a routine, stick to it, and stay hydrated throughout the day. And this is where the WaterTok hack might help, or so says the proponents of this trend.
On TikTok, searches for WaterTok have raked in more than 108.3 million views at the time of writing. In TikTok videos with the hashtag #watertok, you'll find many TiKTok users showing themselves performing the hack and testing the results on the spot. Some go as far as to create a hydration station inspired by WaterTok recipes. Let's find out if WaterTok is a boon, a bust, or just a buzzword.
WaterTok is all about boosting water consumption
Popularized by TikTok user Taylor Pullan, WaterTok is about mixing up a jigger of snack bar hydration by mixing plain water with store-bought liquid and powdered flavorings. The idea is to make plain water so flavorful that it makes you want to consume more of it If you go to Pullan's channel, you'll find many videos in which she shares recipes for her fun water, aka #watertok, drinks of the day.
For instance, in a tutorial video that has garnered over 9,789 likes, Pullan shows people how to make "calorie-free" caramel apple fun water. In this video, Pullan uses a pack of Jolly Rancher green apple drink mix and caramel syrup. Then, she fills her tumbler with ice, fills it with water, and pours in the drink mix. After diluting the powder, Pullan decides she wants another packet of flavoring. One great thing about WaterTok is that it's buildable: you can add more or fewer flavors, depending on your preferences. Pullan then adds two pumps of caramel into the mix, stirs it up, gives it a sip, and adds a little more syrup.
Final verdict? "That is so good" and "Oh my God! I'm obsessed" are Pullan's own comments. Pullan also shares that she used to drink soda at least once per day on a daily basis, despite knowing it wasn't good for her health. But ever since she started making her own fun water mixes, she's weaned herself off of soda.
WaterTok receives mixed reactions
As a nutrition trend, WaterTok is polarizing. Its proponents claim that flavored water motivates them to drink more water, while its opponents argue it's simply another diet culture craze that poses as a hydration booster. In the comment section of Pullan's video, some TikTok users question the legitimacy of this trend. "It's juice at this point," reads a comment by TikTok user Idk. And TikTok user Demi writes, "You don't reach for soda because it's literally (diet) soda at this point."
Frances Largeman-Roth, a dietician, tells Today that while anything that encourages drinking more water is a step in the right direction, she would not recommend people make artificially flavored and colored syrups the core of their hydration. "Since these TikToks feature sugar-free syrups, the influencers don't seem to be adding sugar to their water," explains Largeman-Roth. "However, I do think that making your water super sweet isn't great in the long run as it may put you in the mindset that all beverages need to be overly sweet and flavored to be enjoyed."
Largeman-Roth also compares WaterTok to Crystal Light, a powder popular in the '80s and '90s that people would add to water to give it a sweet taste while keeping calories low, in hopes of losing weight. Ultimately, when it comes to hydration, plain water is best. If you want to jazz up its taste, Largeman-Roth recommends trying ice, frozen lemons, or other fresh fruits and herbs.