substitutes for fizzy drinks!

forharry
forharry Posts: 2
in Recipes
I really enjoy fizzy drinks but since I want to be successful in losing weight, I had to make a substitution. I heard that sparkling water helps and should be a healthier drink but I absolutely hate the taste of it! I bought organic fruit juice and decided to mix it in with the sparkling water and it turned out so good. I have now found a substitute that actually tastes good :))))

Replies

  • joshkilborn
    joshkilborn Posts: 46 Member
    Get a soda stream. I have one and you can carbonate anything, even just tap water. It's great!
  • fattypattybinger
    fattypattybinger Posts: 337
    I have been wanting to buy one but hesistant about how long the CO2 would last. How often do you change it
  • lwagnitz
    lwagnitz Posts: 1,321 Member
    They have these flavored carbonated drinks at walmart, and they're only like 68 cents for a liter :) I LOVE them.

    I'm really not a fan of soda, but I love the fizz for some reason, so these are my go to when I crave that fizz :)

    Or sometimes I get carbonated water, and put crystal light in it :) I also like squeezing lime & lemon in carbonated water too.
  • Tonnina
    Tonnina Posts: 979 Member
    Get a soda stream. I have one and you can carbonate anything, even just tap water. It's great!
    YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Actually I've been thinking of carbonating Kool-aid... should I carbonate the water then make the Kool-aid or can I carbonate the Kool-aid mixture already made?
  • CyeRyn
    CyeRyn Posts: 389 Member
    I do this too! I mix Ice Mountain sparkling water (lemon) with some raspberry lemonade. The way I mix it it's about 30cal per 10oz. I never cared for the taste of soda's it was all about the carbonation for me. I can drink it with or without the lemonade but if I have the extra calories I tend to favor with the lemonade mix.
  • Luv2Smile55
    Luv2Smile55 Posts: 133 Member
    The CO2 canister in the Soda Stream makes 60 liters before you need to purchase a new one.

    Hope this helps! :D
  • Luv2Smile55
    Luv2Smile55 Posts: 133 Member
    They always carbonate the water first ... then add your flavoring. :)
  • CanadianaSally
    CanadianaSally Posts: 2 Member
    I was a caffeine free diet coke addict for 14 years... gave it up months ago and now only drink water or the odd "Zevia Gingerale". You can find them in the health section in Zehrs. They are sweetened with stevia extract so no calories/sweeteners. I lost 23lbs just switching to water/Zevia since Diet Coke always seemed to go hand in hand with a sugary treat!
  • fattypattybinger
    fattypattybinger Posts: 337
    That does help. I saw that bed and bath you can get the refills for $14.99 so that is okay then. I just wanted to make sure I didn't buy it and then need to get it refilled right away.
  • kepirus
    kepirus Posts: 79
    I promise I'm NOT judging in ANY way - I still haven't broken my Diet Pepsi in the morning b/c I also love the 'fizz' . . . but wanted to throw out there that - from what I understand - the carbonation in drinks weakens bones.
    Again, not judging, and it might not even be true, but given the topic, I wanted to provide the info in case {you} hadn't heard it and can make own decisions from there.
  • gazelleintraining
    gazelleintraining Posts: 107
    I have a SodaStream Penguin and love it. After you carbonate you can add a whole host of things, from fresh squeeze juice to calorie-free flavor enhancers, which I like from time to time. To make it super-sweet without using too many calories, you can add a few drops of stevia.
  • bunsen_honeydew
    bunsen_honeydew Posts: 230 Member
    I promise I'm NOT judging in ANY way - I still haven't broken my Diet Pepsi in the morning b/c I also love the 'fizz' . . . but wanted to throw out there that - from what I understand - the carbonation in drinks weakens bones.
    Again, not judging, and it might not even be true, but given the topic, I wanted to provide the info in case {you} hadn't heard it and can make own decisions from there.

    There was a study which correlated drinking fizzy drinks with weakened bones in teenage girls. However, it appears the reason is because the girls were drinking soda INSTEAD of milk, and it's the decreased milk consumption during the years when the body is building up the bones that caused the problem.

    Some links to the studies in the wiki article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_drink#Soft_drinks_and_bone_density
  • nis75p06
    nis75p06 Posts: 114
    "carbonation causes bone loss" pops up often on MFP regardless of there not being a single study that actually proves so and a ton of actual information that proves against. By the time you drink enough carbonated water to cause extreme acidosis (interfering with the laying down of calcium in the bone or possible removing calcium directly from bone) you would be in the hospital with the start of organ failure...

    Get a sodastream. Experiment with flavorings (carbonate the water then add flavoring). I use packets of True-Lemon or True-Lime if I'm going 0 calorie, or any of the Torani syrups (though at 1/2 or less the amount used for making italian soda) make a low calorie flavored fizzy.
  • kepirus
    kepirus Posts: 79
    Thanks! It's one of those things that I'm always meaning to look up, and then forget about again! Nice to have the reassurance (especially since I still like my daily diet pepsi ;-))
  • laineyluma
    laineyluma Posts: 358 Member
    I like to use my juicer with lime and green apples and kiwis... The lime gives a bite that reminds me of a fizzy drink :)
  • miracle4me
    miracle4me Posts: 522 Member
    I miss my fizzy drinks and have been seriously thinking of checking out ebay to buy one. Thanks OP for posting this question as I needed to know also.
  • christabel6
    christabel6 Posts: 173 Member
    Grapefruit juice and soda water (about 1/3 to 2/3) is a really refreshing drink with fewer calories than straight fruit juice. Also good with fizzy water.
  • fatmom51
    fatmom51 Posts: 173 Member
    I'm puzzled over why it's recommended that people eliminate diet soda (which I'll admit I do drink) but replace it with Crystal Light, or the sweetened carbonated waters. I suppose the seltzer waters with natural flavoring (no sweeteners) are a healthier option, but I'm generally just confused. Is the problem the carbonation, the artificial sweeteners, or something else? I'm not being critical. I honestly am not clear on what the issues/concerns are.
  • joshkilborn
    joshkilborn Posts: 46 Member
    The first time I used my soda stream, I screwed up and put the flavoring in BEFORE carbonating and it fizzed out really bad! I don't know if it was just the syrup I used or what, but you should be able to carbonate fruit juice without a problem.
  • Gwilson939
    Gwilson939 Posts: 37 Member
    This is a question that I've been wondering about too.. I've almost given up on my diet coke, sprite zero, and diet Shasta cream soda.. so what is the difference between those and Crystal Light or MiO flavorings unless it's the carbonation?

    Inquiring minds want to know!!
  • Ronngie
    Ronngie Posts: 295 Member
    I drink flavored seltzer. It satisfies my love for fizz.
  • MissNations
    MissNations Posts: 513 Member
    If you like the carbonation, another option is kombucha. There are several brands that carry various flavors and they are pretty low calorie. I'm a big fan of Gt's Enlightened bilberry and lavendar flavors. 60 cals for a 16 oz bottle.
  • nikki_dw
    nikki_dw Posts: 126 Member
    Have you tried Izze drinks? They're sold at most grocery stores. They're basically carbonated fruit juice... delicious! My favorite is the clementine flavor. It's about 120 calories.
  • Tw1zzler
    Tw1zzler Posts: 583
    I like Pellegrino w/ lemon or lime.
  • Prahasaurus
    Prahasaurus Posts: 1,381 Member
    I like Pellegrino w/ lemon or lime.

    Yes...

    --P
  • pittcurl
    pittcurl Posts: 82 Member
    Hmm, after reading this I know what I'm asking Santa for this year.
    I have a Diet Coke addiction.
    At my highest peak, I was drinking almost 3 liters a day. The McDonalds girls knew me as the large diet no ice (of course don't water my drink down).
    Since I've strated living healthier, I restrict myself to 20oz at most of soda a day. I have started drinking the carbonated flavored waters from Walmart. You just have to watch the sodium. Just watch b/c their are flavored seltzer waters, which were surprisingly horrible. Usually if I could get a burp out of the fizziness my mind thinks it's the bone eating soda instead. (trust me after you do the experiment of a chicken bone in diet coke and it kind of makes you realize how not so good that is for you---- and yes everyone knows about it, but doing it shocks you!)

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