A drink problem

Hello everyone!

I'm taking baby steps to try to make my diet a bit healthier. Of course I'm a perfectionist and I want to only eat super foods and drink green tea . . . but I'm still human. The problem is that I consume WAY to much coffee and diet coke.

I grew up in a household where everyone drank (non-diet) pop and lots of it. Even as a kid, I would easily drink 4-5 cans a day. When I got to college I eventually made the transition to diet, but now I just can't get off of it. I want to make sure whatever I'm drinking is low- or no-calorie. That being said, I can't drink water at meals. I'm a recovering anorexic/bulimic, and in the past, the only time I've consumed water with meals is when I've binged with the intent of purging afterwards (because the water makes purging easier). So in short, drinking water at meals reminds me of my purging days . . . and kind of makes me want to purge.

So what can I drink at meals to get past these vices?

Diet Dr. Pepper Is zero calories and tastes great! Good luck!

how bout sugar-free iced tea?

Hrm. Iced tea is an idea. I'm trying to cut back on sweetners though, and I think I'd be tempted to put sweet 'n low in it. Diet Dr. Pepper is basically like Diet Coke, which is still what I'm trying to get away from . . . for basically the whole artifical sweetner reason.

pepsi one is good. only one calorie and no aspartame.

Flavoured sparkling water? Soda-like, no sweetener. I like Klarbrunn.

You could try diet green tea snapple.

Even if you sweeten your tea with sugar, you'll be way ahead of a soda!  Two tsps of sugar is 32 calories.  An 8 oz soda is 100, and who drinks only an 8 oz soda these days?  I don't do artificial sweeteners, I don't trust them, and they trigger my migraines.  But when I'm jonesing for a soda, I add a little sugar to my iced tea, and I measure it.  I was a soda girl too, but now I've been off them for 2 months.  Another thing I like to drink is fruit juice mixed with water.  Juices have too much sugar for me if I drink them straight, but a quarter cup in a glass of water gives me a nice change from tea, and actually gets me to drink some water!

I too grew up on soda.  When I need some fizzz, I drink Poland Spring carbonated lemon water, with a slice of lemon.  Does the trick for me. 

tazo "passion" tea (starbucks)  iced or celestial seasonings "red zinger"

its a herbal tea and it tastes really good with a lot of ice and NO sweetener at all. plus the hibiscus in the tea is suppose to be good for depression. and its this really vibrant red color. i LOVE it.
you an have a cup at a starbucks before you buy a whole box. i think both brands taste the same.

secret is lots of ice and strong brew.
i like to make it a cup at a time.
just zap the water (6 oz) steep for 10 minutes (cause its a herbal tea) pour over ice.

I drink Fresca alot, its calorie free and sugar free...tastes good too!

I also hate water so I usually add some of those Crystal light singles to my water bottles...(fruit punch flavor is great)

Hope these help.

You can get the new nestea citrus tea in the little packs that are only 5 cals each for 2 cups of water. :)

They also come in diffrent flavours. Like Feild berry, Citrus tea, Tangerine.

Crystal Light?

I would love to support your idea of weaning yourself away from sweetened drinks! AND artificial sweeteners, because as long as you want it sweet, you will want other sweets.

I truly believe that you can retrain your taste buds. Try starting with UNSWEETENED herbal teas. I'm most familiar with Celestial Seasonings, but one of their fruitier flavored teas like Berry Cherry is still 0 calories. I'm currently drinking it at night in a wine glass, to replace my (sigh) nightly sip of (sigh) wine.

Since I don't like sweet things I also like "fizzy" water, and many of those come in lemon, lime or orange such as Crystal Geyser. The carbonation and flavor might be enough to "not be" water ;-)

I make iced green tea by the pitcher. If you want to sweeten it, add a little natural fruit juice--blueberry, cranberry, etc. It's delicious and gives you some real nutrients. Or try a splash of real fruit juice in a large glass of seltzer. A little goes a long way.

I, too, have an eating disorder and still struggle with the binging.  I am a sweet-a-holic and most of my binges were for sweets...cakes, soda, etc.  I went to a nutritionist and he seemed to think that breaking myself from artificial sweeteners would stop the cravings and help with the binges....and it has!!!  When I need sweet now, I use Stevia by SweetLeaf.  You can find this in the organic aisle of any supermarket.  It is 4 times as sweet as sugar, but does not cause your pancreas to release insulin or for you to crave sugar, which is exactly what aspertame and splenda do to you.  It is also FULL of vitamins and fiber which can help you to feel full and satisfied.  I HIGHLY recommend.  I use this in tea whenever I have a sugar craving, which is getting less and less often.  Hope this helps!!!!

Good Earth Original tea makes the best iced tea, and it's naturally sweet so you don't have to add any sugar or sweeteners at all. It's very sweet and spicy. It's good hot or cold.

Why not a good old cup of tea with a slice of lemon?  Or a fruit/herb tea?  You don't need sickly sweet stuff all the time... mature your palate!  Hot drinks are an excellent aid to digestion and tea has to be better than all these chemically enhanced soda pops.