Quick Drink Help

Hey guys, 

So first of all, I have IBS. And as anyone with IBS knows, caffiene is a no go. So I usually stay away from drinking coffee or tea. Also, fake sugar hurts my stomach. I get all bloated when I drink it. So diet colas are out, so are most water mixers. 

Now, is it just me or is there no "happy medium" with drinks nowadays? I can either pick the water with 0 calories chock full of sweeteners that hurt me or pick a juice that has 48 grams of sugar or more....ugh. 

So i started drinking Vitamin Water, trying to fit in the calories, when I read an article saying it was just as bad as coke cause the sugar alcohols or something retarded. 

What do you all drink? I drink water a lot, but to be honest I dont like the way it tastes at all. So I wont drink a lot, then I end up hungrier. Suggestions for low cal, but not artificial, beverages? I saw a think on tv about fiber water mixers. those might be good.. 

If you're okay with natural sugars, perhaps you should just squeeze your own juice and dilute it with water if you have to.

Or maybe you can drink decaf coffee or tea? I don't drink it, so I don't know what it consists of, but have you looked into it?

The fiber water mixes still have the chemical sweeteners, but they might even things out a bit.  I have IBS also, and I've had a lot of luck with G2.

green, herbal and fruit teas? they can be made hot or cooled to drink, like an iced tea.

I like iced tea that is made with green tea.  I usually drink the diet kind, but the regular doesn't have a ton of calories.  Also I'm not sure if it has artificial sweeteners or not, but I like the special k protein water.  Maybe you can check that out.

You should try brewing different varieties of herbal teas (jasmine, hibiscus, rooibos come to mind) and maybe drinking them iced, with a sprig of mint... you can make your own if you have an Iced Tea maker - I swear by those in the summer!!  There are also wide varieties of flavored seltzers that aren't sweetened (just the flavoring added) to tease your tastebuds...

I don't know how natural fruit sugars affect you, but I buy the unsweetened 100% fruit juices from Trader Joe's (the cranberry one is my favorite).  I love mixing them 1/2 and 1/2 with seltzer water for a nice spritzer. Don't know if you have a Trader Joe's close by though.

If you are OK with fruit sugars, have you ever thought of investing in your own juicer?  There are some pretty good ones out there, and you could make your own combo of fruits and veggies...

Just some ideas... Good luck!! 

How about a V-8?  I was watching one of those early morning TV news shows on Friday.  They had a nutritionist that said that Vegetable juice is so much better than "fruit" juices.  (The show with Matt Lauer and Meredith Vierra).  How about water from your tap?  Buy a filter if you must, but don't spend the money to buy water. 

A bit of lemon or mint mixed in your water can really liven it up a bit.  Watch out for decaf stuff and herbal stuff, because sometimes they do have some caffeine (especiially the decaf - it's not DE-caffeinated, it's LOW-caffeine).  I've also heard good things about Stevia, a natural sweetener, so you might want to check into that.

Herbal teas perhaps?  My current favorites are mint or cinnamon.  Both of those I drink hot or cold with no sugar/sweetner. 

And I second the above suggestion of having a fruit juice mixed with sparkling water, though I mix mine 1 part juice to 2 parts water. 

And, when I'm completely bored with water, but also NEED to drink it, I'll have sparkling water with a wedge of lemon, lime, or orange - whatever happens to be in my house.

Good luck.

Tea can be good--just a friendly reminder, many, many teas contain caffeine so just read the box carefully before you buy.

thank you guys so much!! so many replies!

I will definately try out different kinds of fruit tea. That sounds amazing! The only tea I ever thought of was iced tea and my mom's green tea, which is way too bitter for my taste! I dont like sweet, but not bitter! :/ 

And I honestly never thought of diluting juices. Idk why I never thought of that! I will try mixing some to make it less sugary and definately more calorie friendly! I am excited to try these suggestions! Thanks again!

In addition to natural Sweetners like Stevia, Trader Joe's (I am sure whole foods or some of the other more organic/health food groceries in your area will carry the same type of products), I also really like Organic Blue Agave Sweetner. It comes in a small bottle, and looks sort of like a light maple syrup, It's 60 calories, and 16 carbs for a full tablespoon but it's so sweet I NEVER need that much even if I'm sweetening something that is 2 dry cups or more. Also, I have heard of new sweetners coming out that are similar or related to Stevia, etc. I am sure a google search would give you all the information you need and then some!