Drink Alternatives

I have a really hard time drinking enough plain water. Singles-to-go helps it do down a lot easier

Costco sells "Sparkling Ice" sparkling water, case of 24 with 4 flavors about 16 oz. bottles for $17.00. It is the only sparkling water I like & with the large bottles it can help with hunger, it is 0 calories. Some stores sell it in single bottles for $1.00. Most days I have one bottle. Also a bottle I can take with me, a can I can not take with me & sometimes I drink 1/2 & the other 1/2 later the same day. It has not gone flat in the 12 hours I drink it.

Fizzy water -- I like the Polar Ice brand in cans -- has way more fizz than other brands. Add some of the sugar free DaVinci syrups if you want sweetness.


www.davincigourmet.com/sugar-free-products
/

Smart Water is good.

I love my water! I do have seltzer, plain or with a squeeze or so of fresh lemon or lime. Drink it with a straw to help avoid tooth damage. Sometimes decaf tea or coffee. Hubby likes Mio in water. So easy to control how much you use. I treat my grandkids with a little of that in water or an ounce of soda in seltzer, if that much. They are in heaven as it's a treat they don't often have.

Powerade Zero added to my water with ice is refreshing, zero calories and also adds some electrolytes. If you miss fizzy, try plain seltzer on ice.

Ok so I'm not a fizzy water drinker at all. Sometimes coconut water is just the thing when I'm craving something sweet to drink. It's got potassium and some electrolytes too so that makes me feel better about drinking it. Last time I got a stomach bug, I followed the BRAT diet because, stomach bug, but mixed my AJ half and half with coconut water. I feel like it helped a lot.

I've also been experimenting with putting different fruits/veggies in a pitcher of water to flavor it. So far mint is a hit and I'm really ambivalent about cucumber. It's a little off putting when I first taste it but then I end up just chugging my water and can't get enough of it! I don't know what that means but there you go. If you look online, there are a lot of "flavored water" recipes but most of them are a bit over the top. As in, I'm not spending $12 on fruit to flavor 1 pitcher of water. But you can get some starter ideas.

Thanks for posting this thread btw. I was just wanting some ideas to branch out a bit.

In winter I drink green tea, chamomile tea, or hot water with lemon. In summer I love fresh fruit infused water. When it’s really really hot I throw it in the blender with ice and make a slushy.

I guess I'm boring-just water or maybe tea for me usually

Hot water with lemon. Sometimes with honey, but rarely. Usually if I have a sore throat.

Twinings Jasmine green tea or Lipton Diet Iced Tea Lemon or Raspberry. I'm a bit addicted to the raspberry at the moment.

DH and I have discovered Kombucha. It was recommended by a nutritionist. It is somewhat of a fermented tea. The fermentation is really good for digestion. It is very low in calories. You would have to drink 6 bottles of it to equal one beer, so the "alcohol" is almost non existent. One problem, it is very expensive. We drink only very small amounts at one time for a treat.

Aldi has a product called PurAqua- carbonated sparkling water. The white grape tastes just like grape soda- zero calories. Black cherry is also tasty.

Be careful with the Crystal Light mixes- although quite delicious, the side effects of the sugar free sweetness will make you spend the day in the toilet.
I had several glasses of Crystal Light Orange (mmm so good, tastes like Tang) yesterday, digestive distress followed. 😣

Unsweetened carbonated water

Water & crystal lite,

Aquafina now has several flavors of unsweetened carbonated waters in cans that seem quite good to me. But as with juice and some soda or energy drinks, I tend to dilute them with regular water. They are so strongly flavored that an ounce or two in a glass of water is enough. I'm not a huge fan of too much carbonation, though.

Izze carbonated juices are very good. I like their grapefruit, diluted.

I've stopped drinking soda also. I love sparkling water, but I'm concerned about the damage to my teeth and bones. I also drink coffee and hot tea. I can't figure out anything else to drink that isn't harmful in some way. Unfortunately, plain water makes me nauseous, it always has. Oy

Plain water, 16 ounces first thing in the morning, and last thing in the evening.

Half caffeine half decaf coffee in the morning with Stevia and whole milk.

A variety of decaf hot teas, including Constant Comment, Twinnings Earl Grey, and either Twinnings or To go green tea.

Wal-Mart sells a wide variety of flavored calorie free seltzers, they're own brand. The black cherry is especially good.

LaCroix is another brand my sister likes a lot.

Crystal Light brand of low calorie mixes are great. I like their Mango Green Tea, and the Fruit Punch. Not fizzy, but tasty!!

DH quit drinking pop, and switched to unsweetened tea. He uses a reg green tea bag [gently pull out string, if there is one] and puts bag in bottom of a tall 24 oz insulated cup. He then adds ice and cold water. He'll keep adding more ice 'n water throughout the day, as needed. We found that we didn't have to worry about using hot water, or making 'sun tea', that this could be made just using cold water 'n ice.
When we go for fast food, he just orders an unsweetened tea. No problem.

I like sparkling water, I stopped drinking soda about 5 years ago. If sparkling water doesn't work for you on its own after trying a few brands and flavors, try adding just a bit of unsweetened juice to the sparkling water, that change in flavor profile might help.

Not to be a buttinski, but I was in weight watchers for quite some time and it was recommended not to drink fruit juice because it lacks fiber. It’s better for you to eat the whole fruit. Just saying. On the other hand, I totally get that we are looking for alternatives to just water. I say, do what you think is right for you; especially if your juicer incorates the fiber. Thanks for your suggestion.

Edited by: TLCFOLEY at: 2/4/2018 (00:11)

Beef bouillon in tomato juice, hot, is very satisfying and tasty

i found some waters -some are carbonated some are not. there are lot that have fruit flavors and sugars or artificial sweeteners.

ADVICE PLEASE ~ am I doing myself an injustice but drinking unsweet tea or lightly sweet with Stevia as an occasional alternative to water. I get bored easily.

I love flavored caffeine free coffee. I ordered then from Berres Brothers in Wisconsin. They are really good. I add some flax milk and I enjoy my coffee!

switched*

I switcherd over from coke to coke zero. It's not too bad, satisfies me when I'm wanting a pop to drink.

Fresh juices....that you actually make yourself and not store bought. Look up recipes on the net.

Lucy, that makes us almost the same age. I, too, am grateful that I'm still as healthy as I am, and part of that is thanks to SP.

I hope you like the Kombucha. The sugar in it is partially consumed by the action that creates the carbonation. It's very refreshing.

Y.

@LADYBUG1943 I just bought one bottle to try. It is still unopened. I hope I like it. Gonna share with DH. (dear husband.)

I was born in 1943.

hot tea with Xyla (natural sweetener) and cream. I actually want some good fats in my diet. Unlike before.

Edited by: LUCYICANNON at: 1/26/2018 (18:49)

Water - same category as air, we need it to survive,
it doesn't need to have a special taste.
Where I live, tap water is good, and I express my gratitude by drinking only that.
Tastes pretty good.

I drank diet coke for years! I stopped drinking it all together in June 2017 and now all I ever drink is water! Oh and a cup of coffee in the morning

Edited by: CSWEET12 at: 1/26/2018 (10:13)

Has anyone tried Kombucha? It's a fizzy drink that has probiotics and is very good for you. My daughter started drinking it for something carbonated that wasn't a soda. You can make it at home, too, but now many stores are carrying it.

Yvonne

I was a heavy soda drinker for years. Cut soda cold turkey. Year 2 of not drinking soda, I finally found that sparkling water actually tastes good now. It took a long time for me to reach that conclusion. I found that the cherry vanilla flavor that Wegmans offers is fantastic. I also really liked the lemon flavor as well, as I used to drink Sprite as my go-to drink. Haven't found any other substitute that really satisfy me.

I usually just drink regular water, sometimes with a squeeze of lemon. But when I want something fizzy I get flavored seltzer water. It's not sweet, but if I add a few drops of Mia or Crush it actually tastes like soda.

I like sparkling water a lot! I add a squeeze of lime or lemon sometimes.
I also occasionally drink Eco beverage (powdered mix with electrolytes)

Unsweetened iced tea

I actually like warm water once in a while.

I like the Polar sparkling water w/flavor and no sweetness. The other thing that is good is to keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator and float slices of citrus or cucumber or other herbs.

I'm a water water and ICE water drinking girl

water 1st thing in the morning! coffee a little bit later and tea w/a some honey!
as a rule i dont let myself have sugary juices or soda anymore.

I'm a fan of essential oil in fizzy water. You need to make sure that you are using food grade oils, not ones meant for aromatherapy. I use dōTerra brand, which are expensive, but my friend sells them. A drop or two of wild orange or grapefruit in a class of fizzy water with ice is refreshing and feels like a treat.

My new favorite thing is Kombucha. It's kind of tart and tangy, but it does have fizz. It's also good for you. A serving doesn't have a lot of calories. It's a fermented beverage and contains probiotics.

Water first! Then coffee (I drink at minimum 2 cups a day with a little half n half)

Sparkling water next... sometimes flavored, sometimes not.

Kombucha is a favorite too. It's a great way to get a little fizz.

Diet soda is a last resort, which I try to only do when I go out now. Haven't purchased any soda for home in a long time.

One option is to make your own simple syrup at home and add a small amount to a sparkling water of your choice. I am personally quite happy drinking water all day but I did this to help transition hubby off of soda. I started making it just a little less sweet than soda and then cut it down slowly over time- now he drinks his lacroix without anything in it most of the time. Occasionally he'll add juice or elderflower syrup to it, but I don't make simple syrups at home. The nice part about it is that you can flavor it however you want! Ginger lime syrup in lime or lemon lacroix is delightful, for example :)

I do really enjoy metromint water- they have a chocolate mint flavor (still not fizzy, no sweetener added) and it's kind of amazing. It's also pricey so I couldn't tell you the last time I bought it but it's definitely fun.

We also do enjoy kombucha and kefir from time to time- maybe see if you like either? If you don't like the first one you try I would recommend trying another brand. I currently love Big Easy Bucha's Satsuma flavor! We like kevita's mojito flavor as well.

Not sure if you're a smoothie fan, but I do have a protein shake just about every day. Always an easy way to add more fruit and veggie to your diet, and more filling than juice since you keep the fiber.

Another favorite is lassi- it's a yogurt based drink that you most commonly find flavored with mango. I add honey and cardamom to mine and tons of ice- it's almost like soft serve that way...mmm. Haven't made lassi in a long time- maybe I'll plan for it this weekend!

I've never been one for fizzy drinks, and I don't often drink fruit juice as I've heard that it gives you a very quick sugar rush. You might find this article from BBC news useful. It's over a year old so some of the manufacturers may have changed the sugar content of their drinks to avoid paying taxes - but if you really really want a fizzy drink it may help you to make a better choice.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35831125

For me, I know I should drink water, but I'm mostly a tea and coffee person. (I nearly always limit coffee to 2 cups a day.) I sometimes drink squash (not sure if you call it that in US - it's where you put a little concentrated liquid into the glass and fill up with water.) I'd usually take a bottle of squash to the gym with me as I find I drink more if it tastes better.

Edited by: FAITHP44 at: 1/17/2018 (04:51)

I often use fruit juice that is NOT sweetened with sugar. I dilute it 50/50 with water, and sometimes reduce the water slightly and add a little zero calorie diet lemonade.

I also often drink tea - either normal black tea or a fruit or herb tea.

Remember, any liquid counts for hydration, but try to not overdo the less wise choices.

Kris

I'm not a fan of sparking water either, it just tastes really weird to me. Unless if I mix it with juice and make a spritzer of sorts. I like to make infused water, there's a lot of varieties, but it doesn't help the carbonation craving. Usually I just break down and have a diet soda when the cravings get bad.

Hi friends.
What are some good recommendations for drinks besides water and tea? I'm trying to stay away from sweet drinks and soda, but sometimes I really do want some syrup and carbonation. I miss it! I havent found a sparkling water that I care for, but maybe you guys have...?