Seltzer Vs. Water

peaceout_aly

This isn't a huge concern of mine, I'm simply curious. What is your take on those naturally flavored seltzers? Healthy or not? I like to drink a 1 L bottle of flavored seltzer each day in addition to my water intake just to mix it up a little. Do you guys consider seltzer a "water replacement" or not?

The brand I drink has 0 calories, 0 sugar, 0 carbs and 5 mg sodium - ingredients are carbonated water and natural flavor. Pretty straightforward.

Thanks!

MoiAussi93

Yes, I view them as a tasty replacement for regular water. No calories, nothing artificial, just some bubbles and some natural flavor.

Ready2Rock206

Sure - why wouldn't it be counted as water? Adding bubbles to water doesn't turn it into something else. The point is to stay hydrated. If you're hydrated you're good. No need to over complicate things by adding nonsensical rules like bubbles are bad.

peaceout_aly

That's what I figured. Had someone tell me it was unhealthy because of the sodium, not sure if other brands have a boatload or if that person was just mistaken? LOL

MoiAussi93

I don't think they have excessive sodium. But sodium is not a problem for most people. I don't even track it. Unless you are sensitive to it, the worst thing that will happen if you consume more than normal is that you will retain a little extra water until it is flushed from your system.

YogaBookLady37

I drink a liter a day. I love it and will hunt for new and unusual flavors lol

PaulaWallaDingDong

peaceout_aly wrote: »

That's what I figured. Had someone tell me it was unhealthy because of the sodium, not sure if other brands have a boatload or if that person was just mistaken? LOL

Sodium isn't bad, and 5mg? Seriously? That's nothing. Even if you were tracking sodium due to a medical condition, it would do zero damage. I would never take advice from that person again.

Francl27

I don't think any of the seltzer brands I buy have sodium in them.

stv1520

La Croix flavored waters are my personal favorite. ZERO everything- including sodium!

yellingkimber

I started myself on La Croix and eventually graduated up to a Soda Stream. Holy kitten, lemme tell you how nice Soda Streams are. I can have my water suuuuuuuuuuuper bubbly and it's cheaper than $7 boxes of La Croix!

YvetteK2015

yellingkimber wrote: »

I started myself on La Croix and eventually graduated up to a Soda Stream. Holy kitten, lemme tell you how nice Soda Streams are. I can have my water suuuuuuuuuuuper bubbly and it's cheaper than $7 boxes of La Croix!

I have a soda stream, but I connected my own CO2 tank to it. It's good for about 6 months. It works out to be about 1 cent per liter.

The_Enginerd

peaceout_aly wrote: »

That's what I figured. Had someone tell me it was unhealthy because of the sodium, not sure if other brands have a boatload or if that person was just mistaken? LOL

At 5 mg, that is 0.2% of your recommended intake of sodium in each serving, and less sodium than typical North American tap water which averages 18-41 mg/L. Diet sodas in general are relatively low sodium. Diet A&W root beer, my typical to go drink, is on the high end and contains 180 mg of sodium/20 oz container, about 8% of the daily recommended value. Coke Zero has only 70mg/20oz (3% DV). Diet Mt. Dew has 85mg/20oz (4% DV).

lkpducky

I've gotten hooked on the Arrowhead Sparkling water, and find myself ordering sparkling water at restaurants. Much more refreshing than plain water. I should look into getting a soda stream though.

brittyn3

I love la croix. For whatever reason, it's more refreshing to me after a workout/run than water is. I could drink a 2 liter easily.

It's expensive, but it breaks up the monotony of water.

earlnabby

peaceout_aly wrote: »

This isn't a huge concern of mine, I'm simply curious. What is your take on those naturally flavored seltzers? Healthy or not? I like to drink a 1 L bottle of flavored seltzer each day in addition to my water intake just to mix it up a little. Do you guys consider seltzer a "water replacement" or not?

The brand I drink has 0 calories, 0 sugar, 0 carbs and 5 mg sodium - ingredients are carbonated water and natural flavor. Pretty straightforward.

Thanks!

I make my own with a SodaStream and extract. 1 liter water, enough carbon dioxide to give it bubbles, and 1/4 tsp of lime, lemon, or cranberry extract (all of which are 70-90% alcohol). There is nothing in seltzer water to cause any issues unless you have a hard time burping up the carbonation, then you should stick to still water.

The sodium is naturally occurring sodium in the water. If you use a water softener in your home, you will be getting as much sodium as you typically get in a glass of soda (in other words, soda generally has minimal sodium)

If you buy sparking water beverages like Clear American at Walmart, you will be getting artificial sweeteners, etc since they really are diet sodas, not seltzer water.

Sunna_W

The seltzer that you described is perfect and certainly helps you to get in your water requirement. I like to make my own with frozen fruit (like 1 oz fruit to 32 oz water) that I thaw in the fridge and mix with a hand blender. Then I put it in the bottom of a very large glass and top with my sparkling mineral water.

lkpducky

brittyn3 wrote: »

I love la croix. For whatever reason, it's more refreshing to me after a workout/run than water is. I could drink a 2 liter easily.

It's expensive, but it breaks up the monotony of water.

Some sparkling water with an electrolyte tab in it (I use Nuun) is really refreshing to me after a workout in the heat.

Francl27

I usually don't pay more than $0.40 for a bottle of Seltzer.. but store brand or Vintage are fine for me - La Croix is crazy expensive!

I'm not sure a soda stream would be much cheaper, when you factor in the cost of the co2 and the flavoring.

extra_medium

I'm pretty sure plain water has that much sodium. You might even absorb that much sodium just breathing air.

stanmann571

My second liter of the day(I usually drink 1 every 2 hours of work) is usually a wegmans citrus seltzer. It breaks up the day nicely, and I know when I finish it it's about time to push back for lunch.

earlnabby

Francl27 wrote: »

I usually don't pay more than $0.40 for a bottle of Seltzer.. but store brand or Vintage are fine for me - La Croix is crazy expensive!

I'm not sure a soda stream would be much cheaper, when you factor in the cost of the co2 and the flavoring.

I have used mine for almost 3 years now. I drink an average of 1 liter per day and figured out that I have saved 40% over the same amount of store brand seltzer purchased in 12 packs. Compared to LaCroix, I have saved closer to 50%. Then there is the issue of waste which I have none with my SodaStream.

Original cost:

$90 for the unit.
$25 for 4 extracts (lemon, lime, cranberry, black current) from Olivenation.com

Ongoing cost:

$15 per CO2 exchange (I average about 1 a month)
$10 for another larger bottle of cranberry extract since I used that one the fastest)

Total over 3 years: $665

Cost of store brand seltzer assuming 3 cans per day (36 oz so a little over a liter) at a cost of $4.00 per 12 pack: $1095.

Benefit to the environment even with recycling: priceless.

Francl27

earlnabby wrote: »

Francl27 wrote: »

I usually don't pay more than $0.40 for a bottle of Seltzer.. but store brand or Vintage are fine for me - La Croix is crazy expensive!

I'm not sure a soda stream would be much cheaper, when you factor in the cost of the co2 and the flavoring.

I have used mine for almost 3 years now. I drink an average of 1 liter per day and figured out that I have saved 40% over the same amount of store brand seltzer purchased in 12 packs. Compared to LaCroix, I have saved closer to 50%. Then there is the issue of waste which I have none with my SodaStream.

Original cost:

$90 for the unit.
$25 for 4 extracts (lemon, lime, cranberry, black current) from Olivenation.com

Ongoing cost:

$15 per CO2 exchange (I average about 1 a month)
$10 for another larger bottle of cranberry extract since I used that one the fastest)

Total over 3 years: $665

Cost of store brand seltzer assuming 3 cans per day (36 oz so a little over a liter) at a cost of $4.00 per 12 pack: $1095.

Benefit to the environment even with recycling: priceless.

We don't use cans, just bottles... which are cheaper. Still interesting and yeah I hear you about the recycling bit.

How long do the extract bottles last? Our friends have one and we've thought about it but we really don't have the counter space for it, lol.

earlnabby

Francl27 wrote: »

earlnabby wrote: »

Francl27 wrote: »

I usually don't pay more than $0.40 for a bottle of Seltzer.. but store brand or Vintage are fine for me - La Croix is crazy expensive!

I'm not sure a soda stream would be much cheaper, when you factor in the cost of the co2 and the flavoring.

I have used mine for almost 3 years now. I drink an average of 1 liter per day and figured out that I have saved 40% over the same amount of store brand seltzer purchased in 12 packs. Compared to LaCroix, I have saved closer to 50%. Then there is the issue of waste which I have none with my SodaStream.

Original cost:

$90 for the unit.
$25 for 4 extracts (lemon, lime, cranberry, black current) from Olivenation.com

Ongoing cost:

$15 per CO2 exchange (I average about 1 a month)
$10 for another larger bottle of cranberry extract since I used that one the fastest)

Total over 3 years: $665

Cost of store brand seltzer assuming 3 cans per day (36 oz so a little over a liter) at a cost of $4.00 per 12 pack: $1095.

Benefit to the environment even with recycling: priceless.

We don't use cans, just bottles... which are cheaper. Still interesting and yeah I hear you about the recycling bit.

How long do the extract bottles last? Our friends have one and we've thought about it but we really don't have the counter space for it, lol.

I bought 4 oz for each and have only used up the cranberry so I bought an 8 oz. The citrus flavors take about 1/4 tsp per liter and the fruit flavors are closer to 1/2 tsp. so they last a long time. These are actual cooking extracts, not the Sodastream flavors which cost a lot more for small bottles.

The model I bought only takes up 8" x 5" of counter space.

fitoverfortymom

I hope so because I drink many, many unsweetened seltzer waters a day.

brittyn3

brittyn3 wrote: »

I love la croix. For whatever reason, it's more refreshing to me after a workout/run than water is. I could drink a 2 liter easily.

It's expensive, but it breaks up the monotony of water.

I just found at Jewel, Soliel water by refreshen and it tastes identical to la croix! At least the grapefruit. It's also a dollar cheaper for those interested.

AmandaDanceMore

I would say 50-75% of the water I drink (and I drink almost nothing but water) is seltzer or club soda. I see no ill effects. I do keep breaking Soda Streams, though.....I think I like my water too aggressively bubbly for the mechanics of them!