What brings me hope

Using science to drink more water

By Rosalind Tompkins
Special to the Outlook

Last year I received several emails from a company about a new product called Air Up.

I receive emails all the time with press releases attached about new products and I always chuckle because I do not consider myself an “influencer” just someone who wants to spread a little hope in this world and make it a better place.

However, after reading the emails about Air Up my interest peaked because it was a product that was unique in that it uses science in a way that causes your brain to taste different flavors when in fact it’s just plain old water. According to their email, “With every sip of water from the Air Up drinking system, scent is absorbed through the ear, nose, and throat. The olfactory receptors interpret this as taste, even with plain water. Air Up harnesses smell by infusing flavored air into every sip of water from the bottle.”

“The aromatized air molecules from the flavored pods enter our olfactory center every time we drink and is perceived as taste when we exhale. In short, our brain thinks we are tasting lime and mango-passion fruit, peach, and watermelon, while we are only drinking plain water – and it is calorie and sugar-free.”

Being calorie free is the part that appealed to me as well as the fact that drinking more water is always a part of my action plan for better health and well-being. With that in mind I responded to the email and asked if any samples were available. They sent me a sample water bottle and pods and I was all set.

I decided to try it for at least a month to see if it would help me to drink more water and if it did in fact do as it claimed. I was pleasantly surprised to find that yes, I did taste peach, which is my favorite flavor, when I drank water from the Air Up water bottle. For the first week I carried it with me everywhere and drank more water. 

After the novelty wore off a bit, I put it down but once I started my health and wellbeing plan for the new year, I picked it back up. This brings me hope in a world where it’s increasingly hard to find it. To see a video of me trying the Air Up water bottle please visit: https://youtu.be/z6wwlin-7yU?si=vDwX_A3CIv6Kj7Qu 

Rosalind Tompkins, Ph.D., is author of “As Long As There Is Breath In Your Body, There Is Still Hope,” and other inspirational books. Tompkins is also founder of Turning Point International Church, the Chapel of Mothers In Crisis. She’s also founder of Turning Point International Alliance with ministries and churches in Pakistan, Nepal, Eswatini, Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria, and St. Vincent in the West Indies.