The idea of drinking a crapload of soft drinks doesn't appeal to me. However, attempting to find a healthier alternative with an actual calorie content (ie not water) seems to be difficult. The options I'm aware of are:

-Fruit juices, apparently are as chock-full of sugars and such as soft drinks
-alcoholic drinks, which besides the obvious reasons, don't really work for me since I don't like the taste of a lot of alcohol
-vegetable juice like V8. I've tried V8 and found it disgusting.
-milk. I'm already a milk addict, but that only goes so far.
-gatorade and other sports drinks, of which I'm woefully unaware of what's good and what's not.

Are those my only options? It seems really hard to find a replacement for soft drinks. Any suggestions would be great!

Blood.

Why is water not an option?

If the fruit juice is real juice, then the sugar that you are getting from it is much better for you than the sugar in soda.

I drink lemonade made with real fruit juice. Yeah its got nearly as much sugar as soft drinks, but at least its got some stuff thats healthy for you as well.

Edit: Also, what Vegiemaster said.

Wait, Gatorade as a "healthy alternative"? I know how Gatorade helps after doing exercise, but just as a simple drink?

Fructose is actually a wily thing and isn't necessarily a great deal better. Especially avoid anything using Crystalline Fructose as it: a- is broken down in the liver and can cause cirrhosis, and b- Doesn't trigger a fed response so you still feel hungry but are filled with junk.


White Russians are one of my favorite sitting around at home drinks >_>

For work, Vitamin Water is surprisingly tasty. Life Water on the other hand is full of sugar and junk and fen fen. I'll often bring some no-sugar-added grapefruit or orange juice to work. There is also a V8 pina colada with protein and such which is pretty delicious.

At home I drink mostly tea and Silk chocolate soy milk.

And his opposition to water is that it doesn't have any nutrition This is actually a concern for me, as sure water is very important, but I also need to maintain some degree of blood sugar or else things are bad.

I personally like Vitamin Water and Sobe. both are tasty and are supposed to be better for you.

Replacing a sugary drink with a sugary drink isn't going to do anything good. Drink water and eat a snack.

Vitamin Water. It has sugar in it, but I don't think it's as much as in something like Gatorade. I'm in love with the stuff. It is deliciousness and, if the name is to be believed, it has Vitamins in it.

Seriously, listen to everyone who said Vitamin Water.

While health is also a goal, the water objection is particularly because it has no calories. I suppose "a drink I can bring to work" is mostly what I'm interested in right now.

LISTEN TO THE WOMAN

From what I understand, I could only drink so much vitamin water. I mean, I don't want to go overdosing on vitamin water...if that's possible. And does vitamin water have calories in it? A string of stupid questions, I'm sure, but I'd like to know all the same.

the vitamin water i have infront of me is 32oz. 4 servings per container.
amount per serving: 50 calories, 0 fat, 0 sodium, 70mg potassium, 13g sugar, 0 protein.

per bottle: vitamin A 40%, vitamin C 400%, calcium 16%, vitamin E 40%, vitamin B3 40%, vitamin B6 40%, folic acid 40%, vitamin B12 40%, vitamin B5 40%

The Gatorade fitness water is flavored with a lot less sugar than the regular sports drinks. Some kind of sweetened tea would be another option.

Water and Green Tea. It's what I drink now of days.

All the sweetened teas are awesome. They have a bunch of different flavors. Sugar content varies by brand but the more the merrier in my book. Not just black tea, either, oolong, white, green, etc.

emergen-c

its a powder you add to water

You won't OD on Vitamin Water. Get a bunch of different flavors, because they each emphasize different vitamins. That way you won't get 1600% of your daily vitamin C value.

I also enjoy partially freezing them so they're slushie-like. But that takes forethought I don't usually bother with.

Theres not really a reason to drink anything other than water at any other time than exercise or eating. I understand that it is kind of bland, but that is how your body functions. You also are very unlikely to overdose on any micro nutrient even if you consume 300% of your "daily value" that is recommended. But consider that the daily values are based from outdated nutritional information meant to hook up farmers.

Doing so will have an adverse effect on your health, be it small or large. Increasing your calorie count without appreciably increasing your nutrient intake is kind of dumb, though I do it all the time.

If you drink lots of juices, just be aware that because of the lack of fiber, you will be getting a lot of carbohydrates with a high glycemic index rating, and your insulin and blood glucose will be all whacked.

Just find something you like to drink and drink it. As long as it isn't a lot of simple processed carbs you should be good. Vitamin water is a good choice like everyone says, but water is better.

I drink plenty of water, but my body is a freakin' furnace -- my metabolism is damn high. It's just part of my vain attempt to compensate.

I have the same deal. I've managed to compensate and get my lean body mass up through heavy weight exercise and a balanced diet.

About 40% favorable carbohydrates, 30% favorable protein, and 30% favorable fats, relative to your total calories. I try to keep my calories at the lowest level that can sustain my activity. Not because I am afraid of gaining weight, but because I have read enough to believe that caloric restriction is favorable to your health. When I feel that I am not consuming enough calories, I simply increase my fat intake with monounsaturated fats. Guacamole, olive oil, almonds and other favorable fats will provide the energy that you need.

The great thing about my diet is I am free to make indulgences fairly often, and not pay for them nearly as dearly as if I ate like **** all the time. If you're interested, check out http://www.zonediet.com/

I drink a lot of orange juice cut with filtered water though. I find that you can use a relatively small amount of orange juice and still have it tasty, since orange juice is really expensive.

Thanks, I'll have to look into it. (though not now, since I'm at work... :ninja:...)

Spook knows what he speaks. Pretty much listen to him.

Also, to reiterate: If you're worried about "overdosing" or megadosing on vitamin water... you'd probably sooner drown yourself. I also have a theory (haven't confirmed this) that most, if not all, the vitamins in vitamin water are water soluble (which would make sense. Them being IN water and all.) This basically means any excess you just pee out.

Some of the Sobe's [yellowy ones and reddish ones it seems] give me almost immediate horrible heartburn for hours.

I tried their orange energy drink thing as well and each time it's given me almost immediate and intense gastric discomfort.

Has anyone else had any issues like that? I'd be really curious to track down the source so I can avoid it in others. I suspect in the energy drink at least it may be the crystalline fructose. I don't recall off-hand the common factor in the other sobes, but it might have been a chromium or such.

The dude abides.

i suddenly can not for the life of me think of the last time i drank something that was not pop

Bwahahaha I hope you're using the corporate theme!

Tea.

Or if you go with the masses, Vitamin water. (But really tea)

I still vote for strict water. Any calories you gain from a drink are either going to be: A) incredibly unhealthy, or B) negligable.

Also, by using complex mathematical equations I have deduced the following:

Vitamin water: Anywhere between $1.25 and $2.00.
Real water: Free from a tap. Which is MORE than likely 100% perfectly fine to drink out of, despite what the water bottle companies would like you to believe. I refuse to /pay/ for water*.


*if you bring up paying for utilities I will harm you.

Vitamin Water is HORRIBLE FOR YOU

It isn't much better than drinking soda. It has all the same horrible stuff in it that soda does.

It's got a ****load of crystaline fructose in it. Ingredients on the back of food labels are ordered by quantity. Crystaline fructose is the second thing on the list.

It has less vitamins in it than regular NATURAL juices. (Apple juice, Orange Juice, Grape Juice)

And it's made with distilled water, which may or may not be bad.

Last summer I was drinking an energy drink every morning at work, and I had all sorts of problems like that. I don't know what ingredient it was, but it didn't seem to matter which brand I went with.

It's a shame, because I love the taste and the boost. I stay away from them now, though.

We have to pay a pretty hefty front foot on our water bill because the state made us hook up to their sewer system so they could tax us for the use of it.




PS, bottled water is filtered using the same processes as tap water. Alot of the time within the same facility. (read the label) The only real difference is that it hasn't traveled through miles of pipe to get to you. It also probably doesn't have the correct additives

(Most regular tap water has additives like fluoride and stuff)

I think that you should drink some absolut vodka! It comes from sweden

Dragon Fruit (i think thats the name) Vitamin Water rocks, its not good once it warms up though, gotta drink it COLD.

Also, Capri Sun, while its really small portions, its not THAT high in sugar, and claims to use real fruit juice... plus they are GOOD!

Ingredients: WATER, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, APPLE AND GRAPE JUICE CONCENTRATES, CITRIC ACID, STRAWBERRY JUICE CONCENTRATE, ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), VITAMIN E ACETATE, NATURAL FLAVOR.


Notice how High Fructose Corn Syrup comes before "Apple and Grape Juice Concentrates?"

drink pee. its good enough for costner (run it through a mr coffee first)


i happen to be a skinny *******, too. at work i drink 75% water, 25% coffee or tea

at home, 5% water 95% beer


Not that anyone would recommend beer as part of a body-building diet plan, but keep in mind it is NOT loaded with sugar or salts, made from four extremely basic natural ingredients, and DOES have carbs/protein/calories. Plus you catch a buzz or better. The Beer Song said it best with the lyric: "Beeeeer, it's liquid bread, it's good for youuu"


It's too bad you don't like V8- I personally rarely get it, but I do like it on occasion and other than the salts, I'd be hard to convince that it could be second to vitamin water, gatorade, or fruit juice.

Beer is all carbs and is worse for you than sugary sodas.

However, Beer is proof that if there were a god, she loves us and wants us to be happy.