Substitute for Soda

Mish2032

My husband and I are really trying to lose weight and eat healthier to set a good example for our son and some foods/drinks are easier to replace in our daily diets than others. We are having a hard time replacing soda in our meals because we tend to get a "sloshy" feeling from drinking plain water. We have tried so many options, from diet sodas, to flavored waters, to carbonated waters, to juices and either they are just plain gross, or they are no healthier than soda. Wine is the only thing so far that works, though it's not the ideal choice for "healthy".

Does anyone have any suggestions? We are currently trying to stick to one soda or less per meal and/or one glass of wine, but we'd like to find another option.

Mokey41

You really shouldn't be washing your meal down with a lot of any liquid. Slow down, chew your food well and you shouldn't need a huge quantity of liquid. Water gives you a sloshy feeling because you're drinking too much too fast.

seltzermint555

You really shouldn't be washing your meal down with a lot of any liquid.

Ok...I don't mean to hijack the thread, but why not?

Asking because I find it much easier to drink tons of water with my meals and just a bit in between.

JoRocka

in order of how my day goes

coffee
water
milk
beer (weekends)

rebeccaaa_elizabeth

Try getting a pitcher of water and adding a few cinnamon sticks and a sliced up apple. Let it sit overnight to absorb all of the flavor, then have at it Regular water is usually all I ever drink but I hate flavored water - this is very good though. I find when I drink this it also gives me more energy than drinking plain water.

ladams562

What I found personally is that it is kind of a waste of time to try to find a substitute for soda. Nothing really tastes like it and it is designed to be fairly addictive to your body. For me, the best thing to just think of it like it is, something very unhealthy with no positive health impact at all and just quit cold turkey. And then just learn to tolerate something else whether it be water, or crystal light or club soda. But trying to find some magical soda replacement just generally seems useless. There is no healthy replacement because there is nothing healthy about soda.

Also, as someone else said, if you are feeling "sloshy" after drinking water, you are probably drinking too much, too fast. Learn to spread your hydrating out throughout the day rather than trying to cram it in at mealtimes.

RosaliaBee

I use carbonated water with sugar-free squash / cordial. You can mix it to the strength you prefer.

daynes23

Oy. I'm hardcore struggling with giving this one up too. I do really enjoy plain water but my 1 can of coke with lunch is my favorite.

Is it terrible to indulge here and there? (I'm going to try really hard and cut it back to every once and a while but I know complete cold turkey is going to be tough)

ileitch

I like water with lemon, or iced tea with lemon.
How about club soda with lemon?

kamyers1289

I make a pitcher of water every night with lemons, limes, mint, and cucumber and drink it all day. My boyfriend drinks a lot of plain seltzer water. He likes the carbonation of soda, so seltzer really hits the spot for him.

As for me, I cheat with a soda every now and then, but I buy an 8 pack of the little 8 oz cans, which usually lasts me 2-3 weeks, depending. Not keeping a huge amount in the house is definitely the way to go for me.