<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"I love sipping on bubbly water throughout the day&amp;amp;#8212;it just seems a little more exciting than still water (it does, after all, sparkle). I have tight relationship with my SodaStream these days. But I&amp;#x27;m not the only one drawn to the bubbles! It turns out that the lovely India-Jewel Jackson loves it too. So much so, she says that she literally doesn&amp;#x27;t drink any other kind of water throughout the day. She started wondering&amp;amp;#8212;does sparkling water even count as real water? Does it actually make a dent in that &amp;quot;drink eight glasses of water a day&amp;quot; that we all hear about? And I&amp;#x27;m so glad she wanted to know, because please believe I&amp;#x27;ve had days where my brain lobs the exact same question at me. The answer? According to Erin Palinski, RD, CDE, LDN, CPT, registered dietitian and the author of Belly Fat Diet for Dummies,: yes! She says: &amp;quot;Sparkling water certainly counts when you are aiming for eight glasses of water per day as this is just water with added carbonation. Fluids rich in sugar&amp;amp;#8212;such as juice or caffeine&amp;amp;#8212;are less hydrating due to water losses in digestion of calories/sugar as well as the diuretic properties of caffeine, but sparkling water contains no calories/sugar and is caffeine-free, making it a great way to hydrate.&amp;quot; But! Note that there are subtle differences between sparkling waters. Some are carbonated waters, while others are often marked as &amp;quot;mineral waters,&amp;quot; which often have added sodium. And bubbly water with sodium is both good and bad, says Palinski: &amp;quot;Sodium is an electrolyte. When you sweat, you don&amp;#x27;t just lose water but electrolytes as well. So drinks containing electrolytes can be very hydrating. However, too much sodium can have a negative impact on health, so it is important to not drink only mineral water as your sole source of fluid each day.&amp;quot; Also, experts say that the &amp;quot;eight a day&amp;quot; is a great general rule&amp;amp;#8212;but remember you still get a lot of credit for fluids through what you eat too. Do you keep track of how much water (or other fluids) you drink throughout the day? What about sparkling water&amp;amp;#8212;are you a fan too? More on water: * Electrolyte water: worth it? * A super-simple get-happy trick (hint: it involves water!) * Does drinking water improve your skin? Photo: Thinkstock"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2013/05/does-sparkling-water-count-tow>