Diet Soda Alternatives (with a stipulation)

ReaderGirl3
ReaderGirl3 Posts: 868 Member
edited November 13 in Food and Nutrition
I've been drinking diet soda for several years now and it hasn't caused me to grow a tail, nor have any of my organs spontaneously exploded. I've also met my weight loss goals and have improved all my health markers while drinking it, and it hasn't negatively impacted my maintenance either.

However, I have noticed increased sensitivity with my teeth lately after drinking it, and there's legitimate issues with the phosphoric and citric acids in soda causing erosion of tooth enamel. I decided to cut out the soda a few days ago, and after not finding any diet soda detox centers in my area (several MFP members have informed me that I'm an addict and need to seek professional counseling for my diet soda habit, which is in fact the same as a crack addiction. True story), I decided to go through withdrawal on my own. Instead of experiencing suicidal thoughts, intense cravings, rage and vomiting I'm dealing with one thing I wasn't expecting-boredom.

Because come to find out pretty much everything has citric acid in it. Every single water flavoring option I've looked at has it, from Mio drops to Koolaid. Sparkling flavored water has it. Fresh lemon has it. Many teas have it. I already drink several glasses of plain water a day and need something to liven things up. That's one of the main reasons I drank diet soda. But obviously cutting it out and then replacing it with something else that has the same culprit ingredient isn't going to help anything.

Soooo, does anyone have any flavored water options that don't contain citric or phosphoric acids?
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Replies

  • socioseguro
    socioseguro Posts: 1,679 Member
    Green tea, prepared at home with hot water and tea leaves, not the bottled version
  • ReaderGirl3
    ReaderGirl3 Posts: 868 Member
    edited April 2016
    socioseguro wrote: »
    Green tea, prepared at home with hot water and tea leaves, not the bottled version

    I'm looking more for cold options (should have clarified in my op). When I cut out the soda (my only caffeine source), I figured out the caffeine equivalent I'd need in black tea to keep my caffeine intake the same. Which means I'm now drinking like 5 cups of tea a day :p So I'm now drinking a butt load of black tea plus my regular dose plain water. I'd like a sweet cold option for meal times/when I'm out n' about (to put in a water bottle etc). But thanks for the suggestion :)
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I stick a passion teabag in my water bottle with cold water and let it steep.
  • ReaderGirl3
    ReaderGirl3 Posts: 868 Member
    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    I stick a passion teabag in my water bottle with cold water and let it steep.

    Thanks, I'll definitely look into this :)
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    edited April 2016
    I brew green tea with mint at home, let it cool off a little, then pour it into a pitcher and stick it in the fridge to drink as iced tea tomorrow. The mint gives it a "sweetness" I think.

    ETA: You could try just mint tea leaves I suppose, lots of herbal teas taste good iced, you'd just have to read the label to make sure they don't have fruit flavoring added, which would prob be citric acid...
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
    Put some mint leaves in it? Not sure if mint has citric acid....I also like melon in my water. A little slice of honey dew or cantelope...again not sure how much citric acid is in those. Muddle some blueberries? The internet (awesome news source that it is) tells me that blueberries are the only berry without citric acid. Who knew?

    Also, I know you are moving away from soda but a lot of root beers don't have citric acid...You have to read the bottle but the expensive hand crafted ones usually don't. You can also make your own root beer....my granny used to make it when we were little. so good. I miss it.
  • HealthierRayne
    HealthierRayne Posts: 268 Member
    I just learned that diet soda is really only bad when it comes to your teeth - it softens the enamel more than most other things. My dentist told me that you should not brush your teeth for at least an hour after your last SIP of diet soda to avoid damaging the softened enamel, she also recommended rinsing with water after drinking soda so it doesn't linger in the cracks/crevasses in your mouth. *insert shooting star and rainbow* - "the more you know!"

    I agree, herbal teas cold are a great alternative. I really like peach ginger teas steeped cold with some fresh mint added, so delicious during the warmer months.
  • xmichaelyx
    xmichaelyx Posts: 883 Member
    Is coffee considered flavored water? I make pots of coffee, refrigerate them, and drink throughout the week.
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    Iced tea? You can even get cold brew tea bags. To make it sweet without calories, add sucralose (Splenda).
  • ryry_
    ryry_ Posts: 4,966 Member
    Let me know if you survive. I'm not sure if I'm brave/strong enough to cut out diet pop. *sips diet coke* :smiley:
  • ReaderGirl3
    ReaderGirl3 Posts: 868 Member
    edited April 2016
    Thanks everyone! I hadn't thought of using herbal tea to make cold drinks-that's kind of brilliant :# I'm going to head back to the store tomorrow and I'll spend more time in the tea section reading labels (today I spent a lot of time reading through water additions like Mio and such, and found nothing).

    As for coffee-I don't actually drink it at all, just don't care for the taste of it. I literally only drink plain water, black tea and then the recently deleted diet soda. Oh, and 1-2 light beers on the weekend lol.

    Root beer-who knew lol. I'm not a huge fan of the flavor, but I'll keep it in the back of my mind if the herbal tea idea doesn't work out :)
  • ysalinas
    ysalinas Posts: 8 Member
    edited April 2016
    Here is a link to a page with varieties of infused water. Including infusing herbs into water.
    http://www.infusedwaters.com/

    I do not have a fancy infuser/water bottle. I use the mesh reusable k-cup and drop it into my water bottle.

    Hope you can find some options here.
  • rhtexasgal
    rhtexasgal Posts: 572 Member
    I sometimes make my own flavored water using fruit. For instance, if I buy a pineapple, I cut off the edible parts and am left with the core. I will make a few cuts into the core and then put it in a pitcher of water and store in the fridge. Within a few hours, I have pineapple water. There are pitcher infusers with a middle insert so you can insert anything you want to flavor your water. I used to grow stevia and would use a few stevia leaves and mint leaves together ... pretty yummy and different!
  • ReaderGirl3
    ReaderGirl3 Posts: 868 Member
    edited April 2016
    ryry62685 wrote: »
    Let me know if you survive. I'm not sure if I'm brave/strong enough to cut out diet pop. *sips diet coke* :smiley:

    It really hasn't been hard cutting it out (I was drinking 3+ cans a day), but I did make sure to keep drinking the same amount of caffeine via tea. I haven't experienced any headaches etc, though I do miss the taste of it. I've already noticed that my teeth don't feel so 'achy' though, so it's worth the trade off. But but yeah if the teeth thing wasn't bugging me I'd still be drinking it :)
  • OyGeeBiv
    OyGeeBiv Posts: 733 Member
    rhtexasgal wrote: »
    For instance, if I buy a pineapple, I cut off the edible parts and am left with the core.

    Just as an FYI, the core is perfectly edible.

  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,024 Member
    Buy a soda streamer. Make your own fizzy water. I love mine. I just drink it plain. I love the sparkles.

    I was a serious diet Mountain Dew drinker. Within a year, I developed 5 different cavities. I almost completely nixed diet sodas. Just had a check up, and for the first time in years, I have no cavities. Coincidence? Maybe.
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    Could using a straw help?
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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  • ClubSilencio
    ClubSilencio Posts: 2,983 Member
    There's like 30 flavors to choose from: http://www.shopsweetleaf.com/sweet-drops-liquid-stevia/

    Get it from Whole Foods or Sprouts and you can return it if you don't like it. Although they'll only have limited flavors in stock (cola, grape, root beer, vanilla).

    Can you drink San Pellegrino water?


  • peggymenard
    peggymenard Posts: 246 Member
    Other than the sugar, exactly what is in soda drinks that is bad for you? What about carbonated water like LaCroix?
    Is that bad for you?
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    peggymenard wrote: »
    Other than the sugar, exactly what is in soda drinks that is bad for you? What about carbonated water like LaCroix?
    Is that bad for you?

    There is no sugar in diet soda.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    What about the sugar-free versions of the syrups made for adding to coffee or making Italian sodas?
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
    Now my teeth are going to hurt when I drink this Pepsi Maxx I broke down and bought after months. Thanks OP.
  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
    Is it the flavoured beverage you miss or the carbonation? If it's sipping on a carbonated beverage that you miss, try sparkling wine? ;) Or just use a straw to avoid your teeth...
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    What about the sugar-free versions of the syrups made for adding to coffee or making Italian sodas?

    Most still have citric acid. She said it's not the sugar that's the problem.
  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
    Cucumber slices? Chopped fruit in your water?
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    lacroixwater.com/nutritional-faqs/
    I like the store brand of La Croix, especially the coconut flavor. I don't think it has any acid in it. The ingredients are shown in the link. Because its sparkling, it feels like drinking a soda.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    elphie754 wrote: »
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    What about the sugar-free versions of the syrups made for adding to coffee or making Italian sodas?

    Most still have citric acid. She said it's not the sugar that's the problem.

    Yes, I saw that (although it seems pretty clear that she's looking for a calorie-free or very low calorie alternative to diet soda that doesn't have citric acid. If calories don't matter, there are tons of things she could drink without citric acid. Like milk shakes. Of course, that has lactic acid, so I'm not sure that's really fixing the perceived problem.) I just never thought that those syrups - which don't taste remotely acidic or even "bright" -- would have citric acid, but I went and looked at the ingredient list for sugar-free Torani and DaVinci syrups on Amazon, and you're right! It does look like it's a pretty small amount, as it tends to be down among the preservatives on the ingredient list.


  • mburgo108
    mburgo108 Posts: 20 Member
    Mio is actually one if the most horrible things to drink. Fast && convenient as it is, it has too many chemicals in it. When I was working at Walmart, whenever we would get a return of it or it caused a messy spill, we were instructed to label it but it had to be confiscated with the broken light bulbs due to similar ingredients.
  • quiltlovinlisa
    quiltlovinlisa Posts: 1,710 Member
    I brew herbal loose leaf teas and refrigerate in the summer. I then sweeten with stevia and enjoy on ice. There's an herbal chai that is heavenly iced, with a touch of coconut milk. Adagio teas sells sample sizes making it easy to try flavors.
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