Diet Pepsi replacement....on my grocery store shelf

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johnarnold101
johnarnold101 Posts: 6 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Okay, I'm about to snap! I DON'T WANT TO DRINK MORE WATER! What can I buy at my local grocery store that is a better alternative to Diet Soda?? Again, at a regular commercial grocery store! Zero or low calories. Everything I see online is either water (screw that, I want flavor) or something I've never heard of located at some back street health food store. ANYONE??? Thanks.
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  • coconutmango16
    coconutmango16 Posts: 544 Member
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    Crystal light is nice for some flavor and it's so cheap that even if you need to experiment a bit to find a flavor that you love it won't break the bank. I also enjoy buying fruit teas, tossing a few tea bags into a pitcher with cold water, and leaving it to steep in the fridge.
  • johnarnold101
    johnarnold101 Posts: 6 Member
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    Vitamin water/PowerAde I'm told too many chemicals, beer....calories, wine...can't drink as much as Diet Soda (although I try), no vodka. Sparkling water, chemicals or the plastic..etc etc.
  • mathandcats
    mathandcats Posts: 786 Member
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    What about diet soda are you wanting to avoid? (I.e. please clarify "better alternative to diet soda")

    Tea is 0 cals, you can sweeten it with stevia or something.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,996 Member
    edited July 2016
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    Fruit juice spritzers (start out at 1:1 juice and seltzer or club soda, and gradually decrease the juice)

    Something I've started recently is cold-brewing teas and herbal teas for iced tea, and turning those into spritzers with seltzer.

    ETA - there's nothing wrong with diet soda from a weight loss or health perspective, so you could just continue drinking that. But spritzers you make yourself, or iced tea or coffee you brew yourself, will likely work out a good bit easier on your wallet.
  • johnarnold101
    johnarnold101 Posts: 6 Member
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    I'm looking for something I can buy off the shelf. Not something I need to make, cook, or blend. I was looking at teas that are on the shelf but I get told they have hidden sugars, aspartame and are 100 calories per serving. Zero calories like diet pepsi????? Diet Pepsi doesn't have aspartame but I guess it does have chemicals that will kill me or make me gain weight anyway.
  • xvolution
    xvolution Posts: 721 Member
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    mathandcats wrote: »
    What about diet soda are you wanting to avoid? (I.e. please clarify "better alternative to diet soda")

    Tea is 0 cals, you can sweeten it with stevia or something.

    It could be to avoid carbonic or phosphoric acids that are found in sodas [if you're trying to avoid phosphoric acid, those are only in dark-colored sodas, except for root beer].

    I personally use those individual flavor packs made for 16.9 oz water bottles. I'm so sensitive to sweets that I can flavor a liter of water with one of those and it's just sweet enough.
  • grubb1019
    grubb1019 Posts: 371 Member
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    Coffee or tea sweetened with stevia, (my addiction) Arizona Green tea with ginger, I also give some flavor to my water by putting a little cranberry juice in it.
  • MaxT370
    MaxT370 Posts: 274 Member
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    Zevia is carbonated flavored water. My local Kroger carries it in the organic section, comes in 6 different flavors. Can also be found at whole foods, fresh thyme, probably trader joes. The cream soda is the best imho.
  • johnarnold101
    johnarnold101 Posts: 6 Member
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    Thanks, I want to be able to walk up and grab a bottle of something just like I can a bottle of diet soda. Again, I don't want to mix tea, make coffee, stir in something to something else. Bottle of something off the grocery shelf into the grocery basket into fridge. Zero calories, no caffeine is fine.
  • kbmh611
    kbmh611 Posts: 110 Member
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    What about sweetened diet tea that comes bottled by Lipton? They have different flavors and are, I believe, like 5 calories a bottle. I think there are some that are zero calories as well. The peach and green teas are my favorite.
  • MaxT370
    MaxT370 Posts: 274 Member
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    Zevia is caffeine free, no sugar, no sweetners...well erythritol is in it. It has a few carbs but nothing else. I've only seen it sold by the 6 pack until yesterday when I found a new flavor at whole foods and also say they sell them in single larger cans there.
  • mathandcats
    mathandcats Posts: 786 Member
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    Again - what is the issue with diet soda? Is it the carbonation? The artificial sweeteners? It is hard to suggest alternatives when we don't know the issue.

    There are bottled, unsweetened iced teas. Pure Leaf sells a few. There's also Zevia soda, which doesn't have aspartame or sucralose.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    Diet Pepsi will not kill you or keep you from losing weight. Honestly, I have no idea what would have no calories, no artificial sweeteners, and not require you making it.

    I make mint green tea and stick it in the fridge overnight. I slice lemon and cucumber and put it with some water in a fruit infuser bottle. I drink diet soda. I make iced coffee with a low cal creamer.

    If you want to go the "all-natural, no evil toxins" route, I would think you're going to have to put some minor effort into it.
  • xvolution
    xvolution Posts: 721 Member
    edited July 2016
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    Oh, so a quick "grab and drink" thing. Whenever I'm in that mood, I either get a Vitamin Water Zero or a Sparkling ICE, depending on my mood [VWZ is larger, but Sparkling ICE is just a bit sweeter and is sweetened by sucralose, not aspartame].

    There's not really anything in diet sodas that make you gain weight. Some people can't process phosphates normally, but it's very rare and that only pertains to dark sodas. I drink diet sodas very often and I'm still losing weight.
  • johnarnold101
    johnarnold101 Posts: 6 Member
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    The issue is I'm told the chemicals in it and artificial sweetners trick your body and you can still gain weight....and you'll get diseases and die a horrible death. Anything in a 2 liter size or equivalent?
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
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    johnarnold101 wrote: »
    The issue is I'm told the chemicals in it and artificial sweetners trick your body and you can still gain weight....and you'll get diseases and die a horrible death. Anything in a 2 liter size or equivalent?
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1308408/why-aspartame-isnt-scary/p1

    My favorite thing about going to HEB is picking up a bottle of their store brand diet sodas at the end. Sparkling ICE is lovely.

  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,039 Member
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    johnarnold101 wrote: »
    The issue is I'm told the chemicals in it and artificial sweetners trick your body and you can still gain weight....and you'll get diseases and die a horrible death. Anything in a 2 liter size or equivalent?

    I think you are just trolling now.

    Of course you will not gain weight from zero calorie artificially sweetened drinks nor will you die a horrible death from them.

  • johnarnold101
    johnarnold101 Posts: 6 Member
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    PaperPudding, I'm not trolling....I had a dietician tell me those things.....thanks so much for understanding....that's sarcasm in case you didn't catch it. I love my diet soda but I keep getting told it's bad for me. I was going to switch to PowerAde Zero, I'm told it's bad. The bottled teas on the store shelf (like Arizona) has aspartame and I'm told it's bad. Anything that is natural (juices/teas) on the shelf are 120 calories per serving. When you go to the store for years and you grab a 2 liter bottle of diet soda off the shelf and you want to replace that, you ask for information and help from people in a location who have more knowledge and have maybe gone through the same thing.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,039 Member
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    Well, for starters you need to check sources of information not just react because 'someone told you it is bad'

    Obviously everyone who consumes diet drinks does not die a horrible death - simple observation of the world around you will show you that.

    Also obvious that nothing other than water will have zero calories unless is artificially sweetened.

    Some things like lemon infused water will have almost none - but not sure if you can buy them ready made.

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