Drinks??

[Babywhite]

I have been addicted to soft drinks for years. I drink non-caff ones, but they are the real thing...no diet ones for me. :) I really need to quick b/c of the poor quality and high sugar.

I recently started drinking more water and making my tea with splenda. I also drink milk and juice, but I still would like some other options. I recently got hooked on Gatorade when I was really sick. While it is better for you than soda, it still has a lot of sugary stuff in it. :)

What do you drink?

(I have heard people talk about mixing something (??) with seltzer or club soda...)

Any ideas would be appreciated!!! :)
TIA for your help!

R.W.

[elephantmeg]

ice water with a splash (an oz maybe?) of cranberry juice when I'm tired of plain water
have you tried crystal lemon/lime? The lime in particular is yummy in water, almost tastes sweet
If you do splenda, I used to mix lime juice and splenda in a cup and add ice water for limeade.
I find having good water makes a difference, we have well water and my britta is a lifesaver!
HTH

[dules]

Water, seltzer with a twist of lemon or lime or a splash of orange or cranberry juice.

I was hooked on diet coke for many years until aspartame/nutrasweet started triggering my migraines so I dropped it cold turkey (hard to do but much better than migraines). You'd be surprised how quickly you can switch to almost exclusively water and nearly no sweetener once you kick the habit. It's hard for maybe a week and then it's fine.

If you are going to cut out the sugary ones and you don't already drink the diet ones (including Crystal Light and the rest), I'd recommend not so you don't just trade one poor quality drink for another.

I occasionally have a regular coke and I love a real lemonade in the summer but these are definitely not everyday drinks for me.

Hope that helps.

Best,
Mary

[cmdunn1972]

We've banned sugary sodas and juices (except for light) in our house, even for DS. In our fridge right now, we have light Ocean Spray cranberry juice, Old Orchard "Healthy Balance" apple juice, iced coffee, and 2 kinds of diet caffeine-free sodas. Occasionally, we'll share a bottle of wine with dinner, make ourselves espresso drinks, or brew a pot of coffee or tea.

As far as mixing things goes, I've mixed juice with seltzer-type mixers, but you have to be careful with tonic water. Regular tonic water contains sugars, so if you use it to cut sugar intake, use the diet kind.

[chlobo]

I mostly drink water but when I'm out my drink of choice is Seltzer with a splash of cranberry & lime.

Also, you might want to try some ice tea herbal teas. There are some that taste sweet when you brew & would make a nice iced beverage.

[chiqanita]

I LOVE ROOT BEER AND VANILLA CHERRY DR. PEPPER! But I try to limit it to the weekends and then only one a day. Otherwise, I usually drink water or teas (herbal).

Brita water pitcher makes a huge difference for me. I fill my 32 oz. Nalgene every morning and try to drink it up before lunch, then do it again.

I also mix seltzer or Perrier w/ a little (about 2 oz):
--Mango Juice
__ Cranberry Juice
__ Cran-Raspberry Juice
__ 1/2 a lemon or lime, even an orange
You can even drop a strawberry in it for a little extra flavor or by itself.

DSx2 drink milk and water. I used to give them the Gerber juices: apple and grape, but I stopped buying them a while back. They seem very satisfied with water all day and milk 3x a day.

[BeachBum]

I drink sparkling water with natural flavor and no sugar. The brand is La Croix, and it comes in a can just like a soda. It is sooooooo good. And it's just water (but more fun).
Give it a try. It might take a time or two to get used to it because it isnt' sweet, but once you get hooked..... :)

[bcky2]

omg, my sister swears by this stuff! she says it is the best drink she has found yet. i still need to try it :)

[lizamann]

I love little spritzers made with sparkling water (or club soda) and juice. Feels so fancy, and yummy.

[JElaineB]

I've pretty much given up on any beverage except water or occassionally unsweetened ice tea. I have been starting to carry around packets of stevia (http://www.sweetleaf.com/) if I want to sweeten it because I don't want to use artifical sweeteners and I am trying to avoid sugar. I recently bought their liquid lemon flavored stevia and it is really good in iced tea, but it is a glass bottle and I have only used it at home so far. They have lots of other flavors and plain too (same website as above).

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/34195.gif

ETA: I just saw on their website that if you send in your packets of artifical sweetener they will send you some stevia to try. Cool! I highly recommend it - it is all natural and tastes great (sorry if I sound like a commercial, I have no vested interest in the company, I just like their products!)

http://www.sweetleaf.com/category.php?subcat=community&subpage=toxic_tradeins

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

[BargainMomforLuke]

I drink a lot of water with fresh lemon wedges. Also, Propel is really good (the grape kind is the best!) and comes in many different varieties. I always stock up when it goes on sale. Wal-mart's prices aren't too bad, but I usually try to avoid that place!

[cmo]

Try half unsweetened iced tea and half lemonade (also known as an Arnold Palmer in some parts). You can experiment with different kinds of tea (Celestial Seasonings' Wild Berry Zinger is great, and no caffeine) and your ratio of tea-to-lemonade to get your preferred level of sweetness. Yum!

[kijip]

Water and diet Cherry Coke. Diet sodas never tasted sweet until I gave up the sugared ones. I know they are not great but I don't have headaches (knock on wood) and I figure it is better than the sugar.

[HoneymoonBaby]

Fruit juice and sparkling water, plain sparkling water, and water are just about all I drink. If you're too lazy/busy/on the run to mix the juice with sparkling water yourself, there are natural spritzers available in the health food section of the supermarket, and a product called Izze (at Target) that are pre-mixed with really yummy, unique flavors.

You will feel a thousand times better if you cut High Fructose Corn Syrup out of your life completely. You have to read ingredients, though, it's in a LOT of stuff you'd never suspect (bread, many "juices", yogurt, etc.).

[cmdunn1972]

Speaking of Gerber juices, I bought I bottle of Gerber apple juice before I figured out that regular no-added-sugar (or low-sugar) juices or water worked just as well. Besides, DS likes cranberry juice, which Gerber doesn't make anyway. :)

[KBecks]

I'm going to go get a Mt. Dew while I respond to this :)

I have a Mt. Dew habit, but I also drink water, I also like frozen Minute Maid lemonade, which is still sugary, but you can dilute it more, and it's really easy.

Oh, I also drink frappuccinos when they're on sale as a treat. Not any better though!!

[ribbit1019]

I have a Mrs. Tea and I make herbal iced tea. Very yummy and I don't miss the sugar.

I've put a pop (soda for you non-midwesterners) ban on the house in my efforts to begin losing weight. DH still has his diet caffiene free drinks that he buys by the liter and drinks at work, but no more in the house. I am steering clear of artificial sweetners until DS weans.

I've recently become addicted to the Orgnaic Lemonade drink mix from Costco, it has sugar in it but no high fructose corn syrup. It is really yummy and tastes a lot more like 'real' lemonade than country time. It is my only splurge these days.

I have juice for DD but I make sure to buy her flavors that I don't like so I won't drink them.

Christy
My Waterbabies
Maddy 6/9/04
http://b3.lilypie.com/nlacm4/.png
& Jarred 3/8/06, 14 lb 24 1/2" @ 10 wks, a happily breastfed babe.
http://b1.lilypie.com/KH1pm5/.png
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/steitzsmith/Other/jump.gif

[Babywhite]

I have been able to find plain tonic water, club soda and seltzer, but I haven't been able to find plain sparkling water. It is always already mixed with juice. Can you buy it plain?

TIA
R.W.

[elliput]

I think seltzer is the same as sparkling water.

[dules]

Poland Springs makes it, definitely. Good luck.

Best,
Mary

[mommyoftwo]

Oh I love that stuff. I used to drink it all the time. Then we moved and then don't sell it by me now. :(

[mommyoftwo]

Well, if you don't mind a little fruit juice here is what we do in the summer. Buy sparkling water (or seltzer-same thing) and a can of frozen juice concentrate of your choice. Mix a good spoonful of the frozen concentrate with the water. It's totally refreshing. My favorite in the summer is grapefuite juice. If you want an alcohol free mixed drink, mix a can of frozen grapefuite juice concentrate with a two liter of sparkling water. Poor in champaign glasses then pour a little marachino cherry juice or grenadine on top. The syrup sinks to the bottom and gives you a beautiful two-toned drink. Garnish with citrus slices. This can be done with orange juice too. It's always a big hit when I make it for guests.

[aliceinwonderland]

Of course, in 3 or 4 different brands: Poland Springs, San Pellegrino (my favorite) and Perrier come to mind. There's another expensive one that comes in a blue bottle, but not sure of brand. I happen to think (with no scientific basis whatsoever ;)) that mineral water is good for you, more so than still water.

It is my drink of choice these days.

[tina-t]

Just water and diet Hansen rootbeer. I like the Hansen brand. There is no caffeine and they use Splenda as a sweetener.

[JTsMom]

I was going to say flavored tea too- I like the Country Peach Passion, and it really doesn't need sugar imo. It's also caffeine free.

[randomkid]

If you are looking for something convenient, I like these. When I was pregnant, my nausea was horrible for my entire pregnancy. I couldn't stand the taste of plain water, so all my friends were bringing me new things to try. Propel has artificial sweeteners as do a lot of flavored waters. My favorite was the Glacéau flavored waters. No sugar or sweeteners of any kind. They stopped making them for a while and in my search for something else, I found Le Nature's Ice Water (may be regional though). Both have no sweeteners and even though you can make your own with water and lemon, I found these really convenient to have with me at work or on the go. I mostly just drink plain old ice water now.

http://bottledwaterstore.com/fruitwater.htm

http://www.le-natures.com/index.cfm/bay/content.view/catid/127/cpid/99.htm

[lizamann]

I think it's generally sold in the bottled water section as opposed to the soda pop section, which are different in the stores I shop in. San Pellegrino is our favorite, but I also really like
Gerolsteiner and Apolonaris. We picked up the sparkling water habit in Italy where they ask you if you want your water "with gas." DD and dh won't drink tap water anymore, the spoiled brats LOL.

[brittone2]

Mostly water or iced herbal tea around here. I do like lemon lime seltzer (no sugar, etc.).

For picnics, going to the beach, etc. we will occasionally pick up the Knudsen spritzers, which come in soda cans and are 80% juice mixed with sparkling water. I'm picking some up for a trip to the beach this weekend to encourage my pg self to DRINK in the hot sun.

I also like mineral water, but for some reason don't buy it that often.

Oh, and we do sometimes use xylitol or stevia as sweeteners here :)

[cmdunn1972]

I've been getting into the Zingers lately too, and adding them to my repotoire.

Not only do they taste great as tea, but I've found that they're really good mixed with club soda and a few shots of alcohol for a fun summer mixed drink. :)

[MelissaTC]

There are lots of alternatives out there for you! My Dad has worked for a major soda company my whole life so I grew up drinking lots of it. I now stick to water, diet soda when I am in the mood and seltzers & flavored waters. Super Target sells their own flavored sparkling waters and the white grape tastes like grape soda. There is no sugar or calories in it and it tastes great. Another brand they sell is Talking Rain- http://www.talkingrain.com/PRODUCTS/INDEX/. I like their sparkling waters with juice. They are made with Splenda. ETA that the Whole Foods sparkling mineral water is yummy!! I could live off of Pelegrino but this stuff is just as good and a little cheaper.

HTH!

[oliviasmomma]

I like Glaceau fruit and vitamin waters. We also drink iced tea (lemon zinger is really good), coffee, lemonade, water with lemon and lime, etc.

I love Orangina but limit my intake!;-)

[octmom]

"I was hooked on diet coke for many years until aspartame/nutrasweet started triggering my migraines so I dropped it cold turkey (hard to do but much better than migraines). You'd be surprised how quickly you can switch to almost exclusively water and nearly no sweetener once you kick the habit. It's hard for maybe a week and then it's fine."

ITA with this. I was a diet Coke addict (one before I brushed my teeth in the morning and another right after), but I gave it up around 9 years ago on the reocmmendation of a doctor. I was having lots of heart palpitations and he suggested that I cut out caffeine as much as possible. I switched to caffeine free at forst, but that seemed a bit pointless and I gave that up too after a while. I really felt like I had a bucket over my head for the first week off my beloved diet Coke, but then it got much better. Now I drink water 98% of the time and lemonade sometimes. I still have caffeine in chocolate and I drink hot chocolate from starbucks pretty frequently.

Good luck! You can kick the habit!

Jerilyn
DS, Sean 10/03
DD, Katie 3/06

"Baby makes days shorter, nights longer, home happier, and love stronger."

[LBMommy]

If you still want a soda every so often, try Sprite Zero. It is a very good substitute for the real thing, and I normally can't STAND to drink regular diet sodas.

Personally I am a Coke addict... and for all you fellow addicts, I think Coke Zero is a decent substitute, especially if you haven't just recently had the real thing for comparison. (But not quite as good as Sprite Zero vs Sprite.)

Good luck!
Jen
Mommy to Avery 8/23/04

[cmdunn1972]

Jen, I've also found that fruity diet sodas mask the taste of artificial sweeteners well. (That's why I prefer diet Canada Dry Cranberry ginger ale over diet colas.)

[jillc]

Hi,

I'm totally hooked on watered down pomegranate juice right now. It tastes good & it is full of antioxidants.

I water it down for a few reasons: (1) it is expensive, (2) it's a little strong, and (3) although it is great for you, it is still juice & full of natural sugars.

Both PomWonderful & Trader Joe's Just Pomegranate are great. The TJ's stuff is a lot cheaper, but you can find the PW in your regular grocery store. I've also tried the pom/blueberry juice blends & really liked them, too.

I pour a glass of water & then add a splash of the juice, so it's maybe 80% water.

Good luck in finding something that you like. You've gotten lots of good suggestions.

Jill

[cmdunn1972]

FYI, R.W. Knudsen also makes a "Just Pomegranate" which is carried at Wegmans grocery stores in the natural foods section. :) If you find it, it might be cheaper than PW. (I haven't priced checked it against TJs though.)

[LBMommy]

ooooo, that sounds good... I used to love raspberry ginger ale (regular, of course). I'll have to look for the diet cranberry, thanks for the tip Colleen!

Jen
Mommy to Avery 8/23/04

[cmdunn1972]

Hope you can find it and enjoy it when you do! :)