Question about Crystal Light

Yes. And No. No, it's not that bad for you. But I drink it as a last resort every once in a while when I just don't want to drink water. But with that said, I don't count it towards my daily water intake. Just like I don't count the tea I drink towards my daily water intake.

can you drink something else? unsweetened tea? good earth tea is tasty and actually a little sweet, but has no sweetener. water with lemon, lime or cucumber slices? i drink butt loads of water...you get used to it and eventually stop craving sweet drinks...this coming from an ex-mt. dew addict!!!

its the only way i can drink water also. When i was on jenny craig they had it under one of the items i could eat/drink as much as i want. I use track it under my daily water intake cause its water, right? I think if it helps you drink water then do so.

I would steer clear of artificial sweeteners. If you're looking for a sweetener without the added calories of sugar, try Stevia. It is a good natural non-caloric sweetener that is not chemically processed like artificial sweeteners. I use NuStevia which i found at a Whole Foods store. I use it when making iced tea. And yes, I count my iced tea under water counts for the day. i mean you have to use water to make it right? lol. Also, the caffeine in tea is far less than that of coffee and it contributes to some of the fat burning effect.

My wife does not like plain water, and I had a heck of a time getting her to increase her water intake. She was having severe leg cramps and I was convinced she was dehydrated.

Long story short, I turned her onto flavored water. She has tried a few, and has settled on Fruit2O. We get it at Sam's Club, at around $9 a case. It is about double the cost of regular water, but if you were to compare regular water plus Crystal Light (or equivalent) I bet you still come out ahead.

She has almost completely kicked the Diet Mt. Dew habit and converted to flavored water.

As a sidebar, anything that has caffiene is actually like "negative water" as my doctor put it.

http://www.advance.uconn.edu/2002/020722/02072207.htm

July 22, 2002

Armstrong's Study Shows Caffeine Does Not Increase Dehydration
By Janice Palmer


Caffeine is not the diuretic demon people are often told to avoid during exercise or while working in extreme environmental conditions.
In fact, caffeine is no more a diuretic than water, according to a research review article by Larry Armstrong, a professor of exercise and environmental physiology at the Neag School of Education.


For decades, health and exercise experts have warned that consuming caffeine and caffeinated beverages can lead to dehydration. But Armstrong, an avid runner and a well respected scientist in the fields of thermo-regulation and human performance, observed evidence to the contrary, so he investigated whether abstaining from caffeinated beverages was scientifically and physiologically justifiable.

"While there have been several studies done that show caffeine is a mild diuretic, there is no evidence that exercise, when combined with the consumption of caffeine or caffeinated beverages, will result in chronic dehydration, and this is contrary to the advice of most exercise physiologists, physicians and dieticians," explains Armstrong, who has been conducting fluid balance research since 1980.

"Therefore, the health and performance of athletes and recreational enthusiasts will not be impaired if they consume caffeine and caffeinated beverages in moderation and eat a well-balanced diet," he says. The National Coffee Association funded his study.

Among his findings:

When caffeine or a caffeinated beverage is consumed, the body retains some of the fluid;


Caffeine consumption causes a mild diuresis very similar to that of water (water, when consumed in large volume, increases urine output);


There is no evidence that consumption of caffeinated beverages causes a fluid-electrolyte imbalance that is detrimental to health or exercise performance;


A person who regularly consumes caffeine has a higher tolerance to the diuretic effect;


The determination of safety or risk of consuming caffeine and caffeinated beverages depends on several factors, including the amount consumed and tolerance to caffeine.
For decades, caffeine has been a favorite stimulant for athletes trying to make weight or enhance muscle definition before competition. Both the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the International Olympic Committee classify caffeine as a banned substance, because of its ergogenic properties. But while there are instances of abnormal and unhealthy diuretic use by athletes, Armstrong reports that "these examples should not be interpreted to mean that the average person who participates in exercise several times a week would be jeopardizing his or her health by consuming one or two caffeinated products each day."

Because the scientific literature analyzed by Armstrong focused on moderate amounts of caffeine (one to four cups of coffee a day), he advises that further research be conducted to determine if chronic, high-dose caffeine consumed over several days results in fluid-electrolyte imbalances.

His findings were published in the June issue of the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism and were recently presented at the American College of Sports Medicine conference in St. Louis, Missouri.


There are many, many studies done on this topic--not just this one. Basically, they all find that if you are used to drinking coffee it has no greater diuretc effect than water.

I try to avoid artificial sweeteners if I can. I couldn't equate drinking a glass of artifically flavored, artifically colored, artificially sweetened Crystal Light to a fresh, clean glass of water. << Just my opinion.

Artificial sweeteners supposedly cause intense sugar cravings- which I definitely notice after drinking diet soda.

I use Crystal Light, but I dilute it way down, just so it has a hint of the flavor.

If I don't feel like drinking water then I'll have some CL and I still count it as water. I do it as a last resort though. I'm going to check out the pure fitness water to see if I might like to try it.