What are your thoughts on flavored water?

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So, I seem to have a problem with drinking all my water. Regular day is 2, max 4 cups, which I know is not a lot.
When I buy artificially flavored water, I can drink my 8 cups without any problems. It's zero calories like regular water, but still I'm kinda concerned about counting it as regular water. Artificial sweeteners are not good, so also flavored water not good?

Replies

  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
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    why don't you try putting mint, or lemon, or a herbal teabag in normal water? thats a LOT of artificial sweetner to be ingesting
  • t_nish
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    The artificial sweeteners are not the best. Try adding fruit to your water; I like to add flavored aloe to mines.
  • Minerva624
    Minerva624 Posts: 577 Member
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    I think artificially flavored water tastes like toxic crap so I never drink it. I have this awesome Nike squirt bottle that makes drinking water easy and fun. It's sound ridiculous but it's true. Try adding lemons or limes to your water. :)
  • Peanutbutterx
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    crystal light!!
  • CaciaXX
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    You can get teabags which just contain a small amount of dried fruit, I've tried the apple ones and they were good.
    I use this stuff: http://www.hansells.com/ourfoods/browseourrange/ThrifteeHansells.aspx but it does have artificial sweeteners in it.
  • jerameylovinglife
    jerameylovinglife Posts: 13 Member
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    well i know that water is the best, heck we all do, but as an alternative to giving up and drinking coke it is much healthier, You may also want to just give your Dr. a ring and just ask what he thinks. i myself drink unsweetened tea with lemons. .... and you can do what i did to get to that point. i started out using those artificial sweeteners in my tea, and every week i put in just a little less untill i was drinking everything unsweet. just a thought.
  • kbeech06
    kbeech06 Posts: 328 Member
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    Do they have Polar flavoured seltzer in the grocery stores near you? I love them (can't get them now that I'm here in the UK though). They are fizzy like pop, and just a slight hint of natural flavourings...with NO sugar OR artificial sweeteners. See if you can find them, get a smaller bottle, chill it well and try that. Very refreshing.
  • Bobanji
    Bobanji Posts: 79 Member
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    I usually drink Crystal lite or use those Mio drink mixes. Its hard for me to get my 8 glasses without it. For me, the first step has been to get myself to drink at least 8 glasses a day. The next step I am doing is trying to get myself to drink at least 1 glass plain water and slowly substitute the flavor water out one glass at a time. It takes some getting used to and now I"m drinking at least 3 cups plain water. Either way, I'm still not a big fan of the taste of water. And for meals, yes instead of plain, and to avoid sodas, I need the variety that crystal lite and mio provides. I can't imagine drinking plain water or tea the rest of my life.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    It hydrates you, so count it as water. I never understood all this puritanism about what does/does not count as water.

    You don't need other people's validation for this, if you're hydrating your body and you're seeing how it's helping you with weight loss, then keep doing it.

    If you want to consume less artificial sweetener, you could try drinking herbal or fruit teas as these don't contain sugar or sweetener. It can be an acquired taste if you're used to drinking sweeter things, but if you're concerned about sugar and artificial sweeteners then it might be worth it drinking them for a couple of weeks and seeing if you acquire a taste for them. Or trying the above suggestion of starting out drinking them with sweetener, and gradually reducing the amount of sweetener until you don't need it any more.
  • Eneelu
    Eneelu Posts: 20 Member
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    Thank you everyone for great suggestions, I will try some of these out as I really need to increase my water intake.
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,473 Member
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    nope, not a fan at all.
  • coliema
    coliema Posts: 7,646 Member
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    I buy a huge bag of lemons every week and slice them up and I slice them thin enough to fit them in my water bottle. Nothing like fresh lemon water :)
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
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    If you like it and don't have an issue with the sweeteners go for it ! ANything that helps you get your water in is great.

    I drink them now and again... I replace juice with the flavour packets you put in water.

    Only reasons you should stop drinking them is if you have an issue with the sweeteners or some other ingredient.

    Flavoured waters still count as water. I count my coffee and tea towards my water intake. With regular coffee and tea I only count half the amount.... your body gets hydration from everything. Coffee, tea, water, juice, pop, foods, etc.
  • YoungDoc2B
    YoungDoc2B Posts: 1,593 Member
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    As long as you're staying hydrated, there's nothing wrong with flavored water
  • WAHMto5
    WAHMto5 Posts: 375 Member
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    If it was not for flavored water, I would have 0 water intake on itself! I have to put MIO or something in it to drink it all day.
  • ShellyBell999
    ShellyBell999 Posts: 1,482 Member
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    I like the flavor of well water best but, when I'm in town I'll add sliced apples and a cinnamon stick to a pitcher of water.