healthy beverages (besides water)

mgodby86

Hi all,
I wanted to see what some of your non-water beverages of choice were (non-alcoholic ). I am trying to drink only water but it is extremely difficult. I bought some lemons to make it more palatable, but this doesn't work if I am on the go. I used to drink a ton of diet V8 splash, and I also love diet Snapple. However, I have become a lot more conscious of what goes into these drinks so I'm not sure if they're the best choice.

I've tried to find 100% juice with no added sugar, but there is a mind-boggling amount of brands and varieties! I have no idea if juice from concentrate should be avoided (I've heard mixed things). I've considered buying those powdered, single serve drink mixes again, but they're also full of weird ingredients and artificial sweeteners.

So, what do you guys drink, besides water? Should I worry about the artificial sweeteners too much?

Thanks

Holton

I add ginger and lemon to my water and make a large pitcher at night. Fill water bottles the next morning. I also like to drink hot tea a lot. Personally I am not a fan of artificial sweeteners, and only use splenda if I absolutely have to add sugar to something. Will also be looking to see what others suggest you drink.

fitinyoga14

tea all the way! so many different flavors and such. 0 calories, no chemicals, and health benefits galore!

fitinyoga14

tea all the way! so many different flavors and such. 0 calories, no chemicals, and health benefits galore!

MacMadame

I don't worry about artificial sweeteners but I do try to mix them up and not have the same one all the time.

I have found that some days, water goes down better if it's not quite so cold and other days, I need it to be very icy! So I experiment with that.

I also drink a lot of decaf tea.

I have a protein shake for breakfast so that gives me 16 oz. of liquid at the same time as my breakfast calories.

I generally have a protein hot chocolate at night.

But, if you are watching your sodium, protein drinks tend to have a lot compared to water and tea! :laugh:

spritie

cucumber in water also works, makes it really sweet.

blondie76

green or white tea!!

jzbaby626

Propel makes powder packets to add to your water. I love it. Its 20 cals per packet & 2g sugar. Add 1 packet per 16 oz of water. You can buy it already bottled but it is cheaper to get the packets. I have only tried the kiwi strawberry flavor so far but i like it. Its a light flavor but it is good when trying to drink something other than plain water.

sweetbn

I don't worry about artificial sweeteners at all. I drink about 50% water and 50% Crystal Light. I find the flavors helpful especially since there are so many it never gets boring. It also makes sure I drink plenty all day (I drink a half gallon of each, approx). This is really important especially for days when I decided to run 6 miles and I know I sweat a ton..

If you ARE worried about them, I saw an ad on TV for Crystal Light with no artificial things in them. Also, Whole Foods makes some mixes for water that have little sugar and some natural sweeteners (can't think of the brand at the moment but an associate there could point you in the right direction).

I have tried diet V8 splash but it is occasional.. seems to cost too much for the little amount of juice you get.

One other thing I like are the 50% less sugar cranberry drinks. I know they are basically just watered down cranberry/grape juice, just the cranberry has a nice tang that makes it seem less empty than watered down apple juice.

mgodby86

Thanks guys, as always, for your responses. Tea is a great recommendation, but unfortunately I am not a huge tea fan :-/ (except chai). Do you all know any good ready to drink teas/instant teas? Or is there such a thing?

I also hadn't considered adding anything else to my water (ginger, cucumbers), so those are nice ideas.

I've seen the Propel mixes and the Crystal Light fitness mix, but I hold back on purchasing them because they have so many (probably harmless) ingredients that I don't know.