What counts as a "WATER" substitute?

I hate water although I know it's good for me. 

I seldomly have "anything" to drink and was just in the hospital for Kidney Stones where they said I need to drink LOTS of water to aid in passing the stones.

My hubby forces me to drink something when I'm at home but at work I drink "nothing"!

Was wondering if the 8 glasses or so of water that should be consumed on a daily basis could be in the form of Crystal Lite or something else with zero calories/fat...

 

I think you'll hear a lot of different ideas. Different sites says it doesn't matter as long as it's liquid. I like flavor in mine also. My opinion is Crystal Lite is fine. Good luck!!

Thanks clmitch4jesus...Anyone else?

I've found that my favorite tea - Earl Grey - contains 0 calories - add a packet of splenda for flavoring (if you so choose... I use SweetLeaf Stevia Plus - it's a natural sweetener, unlike splenda). But most teas are 0 cals. :)

just about anything you use water to make - like lemonade, iced tea, hot tea, coffee...

Have you tried putting lemon in yuor water. That's how I started to drink water. Now I'm a total addict. I drink water all day and all night :)

Tea is good cjeka...I'm trying to acquire a taste for green tea which is a good source of antioxidant.  I do use Sweet & Low though...not sure if it is a no-no but been using it for years and like it...have tried all the others.

neese I have tried lemon and liked it but stopped...don't know why.  I'll have to try it again, thanks!

 

La Criox makes cabonated water... I love it and it has flavors with no artifical sweetners! So its a good alternative! my husband has kidney stone ALL the time (at least 1 a yr) so this water I'm hoping will help him intake more too! Between the two of us we've stopped all soda and drink over a 12 pkg a week not including bottled water!

I like the crystal lite - some people don't but thats personal taste - I water it down a lot but it helps me get in over 2 liters of water a day - the hydrate ones are good and not as strong flavor.

Tea is a good option - I often brew up green tea and cool in fridge to drink as iced tea! Everytime I go to food store I try a new flavor of tea... found some great ones that way and it doens't feel as expensive!

I love to make a pot of chai tea then put it in the fridge for wonderful iced tea! No calories, doesn't really need a sweetener... but is better with some in it :)

I know from personal experience with bladder infections...nothing helps flush the kidneys and urinary system as well as water.  So you really should try and drink just plain water.  Teas, coffes...diet drinks, sugar drinks all can be an irritant to your urinary system and won't be as effective.

Everyone's contributed yummy alternatives to water and I intend to try all of them.

Also, as gfrisbie mentions "plain water" is best to flush out the sytem...so...much as I hate it I'll also try it......just not as much as I know I should be drinking.

Thanks all!

I kind of make a game of drinking water.

I went to walmart and bought a 32oz jug - I like the ones with the built in handle and the sports top (pop top) and I know that filling it and emptying it twice is my daily requirement - anything more is just bonus. :)

Good luck! :)

And the reason I use the Sweet Leaf - Stevia Plus is because all those artificial sweeteners (equal, sweet N low, splenda) are not good for you as they are chemically altered - and it's just been discovered that splenda is not 0 cals.

Stevia is natural and tastes real good in teas - it is sold at the super walmarts - in the baking needs aisle - it's a green box with like 300 packets.  :)  Give it a try - 4 packets of sweetleaf has the same amount of fiber as a bowl of cereal. :)

I try to do a mix of plain water and water with mix ins like crystal light and water sensations(my personal favorite)

BUT - I don't like the mix ins at "full" strength - so I usually use one in my 1 liter bottle - which is twice the amount of water recommended. 

I usually use a bit of lemon, but occassionally, I squeeze in a bit of tangerine or lime or orange.  It's not enough to add significant calories, but it's adds lots of flavor and a bit of Vitamin C.

I used to dislike drinking water as well -- now I get 2-3 L a day, and far prefer it to pop or juice.  For me, the thing that really worked was keeping a bottle with me at all times.  When it's there, I drink it.  Sometimes, keeping it ice cold can make all the difference -- put about half a bottle of water (with the top loose) in the freezer over night, and top it up in the morning.  You can drop a few slices of lemon or lime in as well, or a couple of squirts of juice.

Brewed tea is also fantastic, hot or cold.  There are an unbelievable range of options out there for any taste, from the standard black/green/white tea to rooibos (my current favourite), to fruit-flavoured herbal teas like raspberry or blueberry or cinnamon apple, to herbal teas like chamomile or peppermint, to fusion teas such as pomegranate green.  After a bit of adjustment, you don't even need to sweeten them, and you can steep them a bit longer and then ice them.

hey... "supplement" for water really sounds strange haha

Well This is My Suggestion

If you like bit of sweetness

try

Tea

here my favorites

"Rooibos tee"

and "Honeybush tee"

just look it up at wiki.com its herbal from southafrica and healthy ;)

I used to hate plain water when I first tried to change the way I was eating. I found some stuff at the grocery store called True Lemon. It's crystallized lemon in a little packet that you can just pour into your water bottle. They also make lime and orange. I don't use them much anymore, since I've gotten used to drinking water. You'll get used to the taste eventually.

actually black tea can help form kidney stones. do not drink it.


try juices. you can water them down 50/50.


heres a guide:
http://adam.about.com/reports/000081_7.htm

p.s. my father starting having stone problems when he started using splenda. he stop using splenda and his stones went away. so i would skip that crystal light stuff too. at least for now while you are dealing with flushing your system.

a herbal tea that is ok to have is corn silk tea. its suppose to help your condition.

Sometimes I drink my water "a la carte"

Sometimes I add some lemon or lime.

Sometimes I add some Crystal Lite.

Sometimes I add some low sodium chicken bouillion. (hot, of course)

Sometimes I drink some DECAFFEINATED tea. (Hot or Iced)

=^..^=  MOLLY

diet pepsi... the nectar of the gods.

When I was pregnat a nurse told me that water is water and there is no substitute. I don't have any facts to back that up but that is what I was told. i like water so it is not an issue for me