Soda alternatives
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kcaffee1
Posts: 759 Member
Well, the first verdict is in on the new carbonated drink experiments.
Ocean spray on-the-go juice mixes are pretty good, especially if you like tart drinks. But, they can get to be a little on the pricey side.
Walmart has come out with some on-the-go sugar free mixes now, and so far I've fallen in love with the pomegranate cherry, mixed berry pomegranate, and the blueberry acia. The last two are a tiny bit on the sweet side for me, but by cutting back on the mix to carbonated water ratio, that fault can be worked around. (The ratio is supposed to be 1 packet per 500 ml, so for a two liter bottle it would be 4 packets. I have found using 3 packets per two liter works perfectly for the mixed berry pomegranate and the blueberry acia)
Still haven't attempted a second round of home made syrups. Since I found the mixes with no carbs, no sugars, I'm almost afraid to try. The first round flopped horribly, and the carb counts were horrid! (65 g for a single two liter!)
Ocean spray on-the-go juice mixes are pretty good, especially if you like tart drinks. But, they can get to be a little on the pricey side.
Walmart has come out with some on-the-go sugar free mixes now, and so far I've fallen in love with the pomegranate cherry, mixed berry pomegranate, and the blueberry acia. The last two are a tiny bit on the sweet side for me, but by cutting back on the mix to carbonated water ratio, that fault can be worked around. (The ratio is supposed to be 1 packet per 500 ml, so for a two liter bottle it would be 4 packets. I have found using 3 packets per two liter works perfectly for the mixed berry pomegranate and the blueberry acia)
Still haven't attempted a second round of home made syrups. Since I found the mixes with no carbs, no sugars, I'm almost afraid to try. The first round flopped horribly, and the carb counts were horrid! (65 g for a single two liter!)
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Replies
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Have you thought to mix them with regular water instead of carbonated water which really isn't good for you?0
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I like crystal lite mixes but since it has the fake sugar in it, I don't drink them very often. Right now I have some brewed unsweetened ice tea (tea from a tea shop) that is very flavorful. I drink it unsweetened and since it has some flavor I don't miss the sugar.0
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@ Rainey - the carbonated water I use is just straight CO2, not the stuff you buy from the store that has the sodium and other chemicals. I have used straight water on occasion, but if I don't have some carbonation, my stomach goes entirely sour.
@ Sherry - I've tried crystal light in the past, never have liked the flavors they offer.0 -
Honestly, I've found that the more water I drink the less desire I have for anything else. It was so hard to increase my water intake at the beginning.0
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Honestly, I've found that the more water I drink the less desire I have for anything else. It was so hard to increase my water intake at the beginning.
Very very true! I was a caffeine ADDICT. I downed a pot of coffee every morning and switched to Diet Pepsi in the afternoon. If DP wasn't available, I settled for Diet Coke. No soda available - I made do with iced tea until I had my second pot of coffee in the evening. Now I have coffee if someone offers it to me and guzzle water. It was a hard transition, but now i can't even finish a whole can of soda and don't even order iced tea when eating out.0 -
Guess I got lucky on that score. The only thing I can't seem to get away from is the carbonation. Like I said earlier, when I have strait water (juice, tea, anything with out the fizz) my stomach turns massively sour, and I have a hard time keeping anything down. But, when I walked away from soda (Diet Dr Pepper, or the Walmart generic), I actually expected some withdrawal symptoms from the lack of caffeine. I had one day with a small headache. That was it. And the headache was solved by a HALF of a 12 oz Diet Dr Pepper. I usually get tea when I'm out, but that's just because I actively despise city water.
I was extremely lucky (cursed?) to grow up on well water directly from a pure artisan spring in the country that chemicals didn't touch, except maybe once a year when we flourinated the holding tank to knock out the possible algae buildup. So, for me, I have to cover the chemicals in city water with something strong enough to kill the scent and taste, or I can't gag it down unless I'm VERY hot and thirsty. Even then, the smell will turn me off before I'm fully re-hydrated.
I know I'd mentioned in another thread that's gotten buried here about replacing sugars for soda syrup recipes, and so I posted this topic to present my findings so far.0 -
I only drink soda water when I want bubbles, though I was a HUGE fruit juice and lemonade junkie, up until Friday, when I was diagnosed T2. My juice fixes are now out.
So yesterday after seeing that MIO water flavoring had Glycol in it at the grocery store, I came home and filled up a glass with ice, soda water, one juiced lime, 3-frozen blackberries and one fresh strawberry, and then sprinkled a bit of stevia on it. I kept refilling the glass, leaving the fruit at the bottom. It's really good!0 -
As a diabetic, I steer clear of soda for the most part. I was given a Sodastream last year and use the diet flavors for that to make my own soda from tap water. However, my BF tends to drink it more than me since I stick to plain water and occasionally Crystal Light or other drink mixes that are sugar free.
I agree with the suggestion to also mix up carbonated water with lemon, lime and fruits. I also find green tea (the diet one from Arizona will work fine) if you still find yourself craving sweetness.0 -
I've pretty much settled on two flavors that I add to the carbonated water. (I use a soda stream too) I've tried adding straight fruit juice to the mix, but the bitterness of the carbonation is a little too much for my taste still, though I have noticed as time goes by that I can cut back a little more on the flavor mixes. I actually prefer the tart flavors to the sweet flavors. And, I know mom loves having her own "club soda" on demand!
The two flavors that seem to prefer are the mixed berry pomegranate with an extra packet of cherry to make it a bit tarter, and the blueberry acia (though, just about ANYTHING blueberry would be quite suitable! I love that flavor all on its own).0 -
I have never been a big soda drinker but I have found mixing a little orange juice or lemon juice with plain soda fills the need and is quite inexpesive. You can try other juices as well, those are the two I prefer. The ratio is usually a little less than 1/4 cup juice to 1 can soda. I have tried the carbonated juices and they are quite good as well but as you said they are quite pricey. I generally just drink water and when I make ice tea I like to add a bag or two of a flavored herbal tea, particularly ones with a citrus flavor, they add a touch of sweetness without the sugar. I switched to drinking tea when I went out years ago as I was trying to avoid the extra sugar--chronic dieter. Now I often just ask for water, just being cheap!0
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I drink La Croix carbonated water as my soda alternative. It has no sodium and natural flavors. Has anyone heard if this is bad for you? It tastes soooooo good and satisfies my soda craving but I drink a LOT of it and count it as drinking water.0
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I LOVE La Croix! Perrier and San Peregrino also fill the thirst gap. The three are just so spendy though.
Like you, I count my berry soda water as water intake. I buy the 2-liter bottles for under a buck for at home and add a couple of whatever frozen or fresh berries/fruit are on hand. It make me feel like I'm indulging...good for the psyche!0 -
That was part of what sent me in search of an alternative to the store bought soda (carbonated) waters. When I stepped off of sodas, I went from 4 L of liquids per day (on a fairly regular basis) to 6+, and the carbonator has been a major help in keeping costs down.
Once I got past the initial investment, the refills + flavors for me are still averaging in under what I was spending per bottle. Good for a student's budget.0 -
I am never far from a mio!
I like the ones with energy in them.. I'm a social worker and take all the extra steam I can get But, its always better than soda that's for sure 0 -
I've looked at the mio flavors, but because of the price wasn't sure if they would be something worth trying or not. Which flavors do you prefer katekross? And, how strong are the flavors? (1 drop per bottle, etc.) I'm still looking for pennies to save, and if the flavor's strong enough, I might try this one next time my packets run out.0
