sugar free drinks...

reedkaus
reedkaus Posts: 250 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Does anyone out there know of any drink mix that has absolutely ZERO calories, and no sort of inert substances that would cause a physiological response. it's for a placebo study, and need something that tastes decent, but wouldn't truly cause any effects...

Thank you!

Replies

  • sunlover89
    sunlover89 Posts: 436 Member
    Make your own. Fizzy water, lemon juice, truvia.
  • meganshort11
    meganshort11 Posts: 48 Member
    i get the fizzy flavored waters at the grocery store, and i also use mio. both are zero calories, and although they may not be all-natural, i've had absolutely no side effects from drinking either of them. i usually drink 4 bottles of water/day, and then after ive had my recommended amount of plain water, i jazz it up a bit with either the mio or the fizzy flavored kinds.

    some people argue that articial sweeteners are harmful, but after doing a lot of research on the subject, it seems that the only way for it to be harmful is if you overdo it. im talking, 36 cans of diet pop a day kind of overdoing it. (unless you have a medical issue)

    lipton diet green tea with mixed berries is also delicious. its not water, but its a calorie-free option that isn't pop. i dont personally care for green tea, but with the fruit flavor added, its pretty good.

    good luck to you, and if you have any more questions, just message me.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Iced tea - you can brew using herbal tea bags too - that way no caffiene. Herbal teas won't taste bitter.

    Lipton makes Blackberry Vanilla, Orange Blossom Hibiscus and Melon Cirtus Mint
  • richardheath
    richardheath Posts: 1,276 Member
    It would depend on what the study is actually supposed to be testing. And any compound you add to water is potentially going to elicit some physiological response.
  • allshebe
    allshebe Posts: 423 Member
    It would depend on what the study is actually supposed to be testing. And any compound you add to water is potentially going to elicit some physiological response.

    I concur. Presumably the OP has an hypothesis that something (presumably in a beverage) has a specific physiological effect. The "best" control would taste the same, but not have the "something" in question, so as an example, regular earl grey tea versus decaf earl grey - the only significant differences would be one has caffeine and the other doesn't (plus anything else that "washes" out with the caffeine would also be missing from the decaf to some degree). Knowing more about the hypothesis would allow more pertinent suggestions
  • reedkaus
    reedkaus Posts: 250 Member
    It would depend on what the study is actually supposed to be testing. And any compound you add to water is potentially going to elicit some physiological response.

    I concur. Presumably the OP has an hypothesis that something (presumably in a beverage) has a specific physiological effect. The "best" control would taste the same, but not have the "something" in question, so as an example, regular earl grey tea versus decaf earl grey - the only significant differences would be one has caffeine and the other doesn't (plus anything else that "washes" out with the caffeine would also be missing from the decaf to some degree). Knowing more about the hypothesis would allow more pertinent suggestions

    thanks for the responses. the placebo is being used in sprint recovery testing. two groups are being used, both are taking identical drinks, yet one is being touted as having an impact on recovery.

    this is not my study, but i have a friend killing himself reading articles and trying to find a substance that has few effects. i'm on side that says if both groups are taking it, then you are able to control that variable, but it seems he'd rather just give them water both times (yet participants know what water tastes like!)
  • bearwith
    bearwith Posts: 525 Member
    water with lemon or sparkling water with a dash of lemon juice?
  • allshebe
    allshebe Posts: 423 Member
    If the test drink is at least partly sugar based, I'm not sure you're going to find something that tastes the same, but is sugar free - none of the sugar substitutes taste like "real" sugar to me, although stevia is fairly close - with other flavorings might be close enough to act as a "blind"
  • allshebe
    allshebe Posts: 423 Member
    Actually, water might make a reasonable control if the question asked is whether or not athletes recover faster after the drink than with water and you have objective data (decrease in hr and resp or other easily measured parameter) - if you're measuring something concrete, rather than asking an opinion, the difference in flavor should not affect the outcome

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