What's your verdict on Crystal Light?

[TexanCzexican]

I'm a fan of True Lemon, True Lime and True Orange (hard to find)

It has no sweeteners or anything artificial and you can find it in the same section as Crystal Light.

That being said, I keep a box of Crystal Light Raspberry Lemonade in my cupboard, sometimes I just want the artificialness

[kelownagirl]

I drink it. I like the iced tea. I'm not afraid of a little aspartame and I figure if it makes me drink more fluids it's a good thing. But that's just me...

[Zen]

Better living through chemistry. I love 7-11 Crystal Lite Slurpees.

[DarcyInOregon]

Hi li10up, it is right to be concerned about ingesting artificial sweeteners. There are a lot of doctors out there who do not want their patients to consume any of it because the chemicals are believed to remain in the liver. And there are other reasons.

When I get tired of drinking plain iced water and tea, I add a bit of fruit juice to my water. I take a tall drinking glass, fill it with ice cubes, add about 1/4 glass of cranberry or blueberry juice, then fill the remainder of the glass with cold water. Or you can add several tablespoons of lime and lemon juice to a glass of ice cubes and water. When the juice is diluted like this, it should not raise your blood sugar, and you will still get some of the nutritional benefits of the juice.

Darcy

[Veronica]

I too only like my water really cold. I freeze water in my Polar water bottle to take to work. The ice lasts most of the day in my classroom. The fake sugars give me a headache. My MIL uses them in her cooking and I had to ask her to stop.

At home I do what Darcy does - mix water and either lemonade or OJ. I tend to go about half and half though.

I do not mix my Red Bulls with anything though.

V.

[KnottedYet]

If diet sodas give you trouble, so will Crystal Lite. (it's also notorious for causing urinary incontinece, like other diet drinks)

What about dropping a teabag (herbal or whatever) into a bottle of water for flavor? I like to toss a peppermint bag into my water sometimes.

[Torrilin]

Every artificial sweetener I've tried gives me a rather nasty aftertaste. Very bitter, and it sticks around for a while. No other ill effects. Splenda and sorbitol are less awful than most, but they all taste bad enough that I won't have 'em willingly.

Yay for weird taste genetics.

I find a small amount of lemon or lime juice in plain water tastes sweet to me, particularly when dehydrated. So if I must have something and I'm avoiding sugar, I do that.

[kelownagirl]

I do not mix my Red Bulls with anything though.

V.

Oh V - have you never tried a Chambull? Red Bull and Champagne - yum!!

[Veronica]

I drink most of my Red Bulls while riding my bike... so no. I can't imagine mixing it into the champagne we drink. It's good stuff as it is.

V.

[7rider]

I'm a fan of True Lemon, True Lime and True Orange (hard to find)

It has no sweeteners or anything artificial and you can find it in the same section as Crystal Light.

I never heard of this stuff until yesterday.
I saw it in the sunday coupons, thought, "Hmmmm, this might be interesting."
Then, found the orange in the "discontinued items - 50% off" shelf a the local grocery. Got the package for $0.64 with my coupon! For that, I figure I can toss it if I don't like it. But it might be tasty enough to encourage me to drink my otherwise preferred plain, room temp. water (sensitive teeth...don't care for cold).

[li10up]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I guess I should have mentioned I'm pretty lazy when it comes to food. I know me and I won't lug around lemon and/or lime juice, etc. I like it quick and simple...open a packet of Crystal Light, pour it into a bottle of water, shake and drink. I work around computer equipment so big glasses of water, etc. make me nervous. I'm afraid it will get spilled on the equipment. Small opening containers are for me.

So, I guess I should have asked...Is Crystal Light better for me than the caffeine-free diet soda I've been drinking for years? I'm hoping it's a somewhat better alternative to the carbination.

[KnottedYet]

open a packet of tea, drop the teabag into the bottle, shake and drink.

I'd be more concerned about the artificial sweetners than about the carbonation. Especially if that's your main source of fluid.

Are you buying bottles of water at work?

[li10up]

open a packet of tea, drop the teabag into the bottle, shake and drink.

I'd be more concerned about the artificial sweetners than about the carbonation. Especially if that's your main source of fluid.

Are you buying bottles of water at work?

Yes, I have two standard Ozarka water bottles (small opening) that I refill with water. I'm trying to work on staying better hydrated and know that soda, even diet soda, isn't a good choice. But given that I don't really like water I was thinking the Crystal Light would be a good choice.

A tea bag would not fit into the water bottle...guess I could use a bike water bottle. But I like that the Ozarka bottle will fit into my kozzie to keep it cold. I haven't seen the True Lime products but haven't looked for them yet. I'll keep an eye out.

[Zen]

I learned in college that the phosphorus in carbonation changes blood chemistry and calcium is taken from bones (the calcium 'bank') to balance it.

As it turns out, that's only partially true. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (September 2001) looked at the question of whether carbonated beverages increase urinary excretion of calcium. If so, this effect might provide a plausible link between consumption of carbonated beverages and an increased risk of fractures.
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Researchers from the Osteoporosis Research Center at Creighton University found that excess urinary excretion of calcium occurred only when the carbonated beverages consumed contained caffeine. At least one earlier study had suggested that caffeine consumption can have a deleterious effect on bone health if not counteracted by sufficient calcium. The Creighton researchers found that the caffeine effect they saw was balanced by less excretion of calcium later in the day so that the net result was only a negligible loss of calcium. This led them to conclude that any effect on bone associated with carbonated drinks would stem from lowered calcium intake due to displacement of milk as a beverage. Incidentally, this study was sponsored by the dairy industry, which would have had an interest in the opposite result.

I wouldn't worry about the carbonation in sodas. My concerns about consumption of soft drinks focus more on the unhealthy amounts of sugar, artificial sweeteners and caffeine they contain. The carbonation itself is not a problem, and Perrier and other carbonated mineral waters are perfectly safe.

credit to http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QA/QA157077/

[onimity]

What about carrying a lemon or lime with you and squeezing it into your water? That's as easy as carrying crystal light, no? Or maybe drink a naturally flavored sparkling water instead of soda?

I avoid artificial sweeteners, personally. I like to know what I'm putting into my body...

Anne