I have been addicted to something as long as I can remember. I can't seem to give it up no matter how hard I try. I know it's bad for me. What is it? Diet soda. (Or diet pop, whatever you call it.) Diet Pespi to be more precise. I never drink regular soda. I try to stay away from all the added sugar in those drinks. I could consume way too many in a day so it's just better for me to avoid them. I usually would have about 2 or 3 diet sodas a day. I know they have sodium and the carbonation isn't good.
I was always most concerned with artificial sweeteners. We all know saccharin has been seen to cause cancer in lab rats. That can be found in many sugarless gums too. I drink one or two cups of coffee per day and I put Equal in that. So what does this add up to? I don't drink much water. Yes it's bad! I am horrible about it. I honestly don't care for water. I force myself to drink it. I occasionally make myself feel nauseated drinking it. I know I should but it's not very appealing to me. So I decided to give these vitamin waters a shot.
When I was very sick and I felt tired and like I couldn't wake up they did seem to give me a little energy. I wonder now if it wasn't because of all the sugar in them. I hear they might be bad for you and that you can't even absorb most of the vitamins in these drinks. Here is the question I ask though. Before I drank this I rarely got more than one glass of water a day. It was mostly diet soda and coffee. They are both loaded with caffeine. I never drink an entire Vitamin Water at once. One bottle lasts me two meals. Or I sip on one bottle all day. Is it worse for me to be drinking the sugars? Or is it better because it does have water? I am not sure but my guess is I can consume some of these drinks but I should still probably try to drink more plain old tap water. I am trying to break bad habits but it's not easy. I grew up on soda. Now I feel like I need it. These vitamin waters are honestly the only thing that has helped me not have those urges. They are loaded with calories though, that I was not getting in the diet soda. What are your thoughts on Vitamin Water drinks?
I used to be addicted to diet Pepsi too. Always had one open morning till night. One day I just quit and started drinking water. I've not had a diet Pepsi since.
ReplyDeleteI've not heard of vitamin water before. I don't know if it's good or not. For me it would be too many calories I'm sure. But you are thin. I'm thinking nothing really replaces water. Perhaps your doctor would be of help. After all if you don't like water then there has to be a next best thing.
Have a terrific day. :)
I'm no dietician, but I think vitamin water is better for you than soda, and I also think real sugar is better for you than the artificial sweeteners. I grew up on water and I love it, but my husband hardly ever drinks plain water. We don't keep soda in the house at all, but he drinks juice and sometimes vitamin water.
ReplyDeleteOne idea might be to start diluting your vitamin water with plain water - that way you're getting the flavor but a little less sugar and you can dilute it more and more over time.
MaryAnne that sounds like a really good idea :) Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi! I'm a diet decaf coke drinker myself. I got sick and tired of getting the "buzz" from all that full strength stuff. Yes, H2O is most probably better, but it's just not the same. I'm now down from 6 a day to about 3 or 4! The same goes for my decaf coffee intake.
ReplyDeleteMy youngest brother had Hodgkin's lymphoma sometime ago. He also went through the rigors of the treatment and is now enjoying life with his wife. Unfortunately they are unable to have children but still are living life to the fullest.
Take Care,
Peter
I'm a Diet pepsi junkie and proud to admit it. I don't drink coffee but it is my caffeine of choice. That being said I'd skip the Vitamin water and just drink regular water, maybe with a slice of fruit in it if you need some flavor. Much less expensive and not almost no calories. :)
ReplyDeleteIf you don't like the taste of water, you can add something like crystal light to it. That way, you get some flavor, and the Crystal Light comes in low cal versions too. I also know someone who added a tiny bit of powdered gatorade to her water for flavor. Hope that helps you a bit!
ReplyDeleteI agree with MaryAnne, Vitamin Water is better than your average regular soda. Artificial Sweeteners in diet soda are VERY BAD for you, High Fructose Corn Syrup in regular soda is REALLY BAD for you. The sugar in Vitamin Water is just bad for you.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, it is certainly worse than regular filtered water and far worse than something "healthy" to drink like fresh vegetable juice.
Switch your soda habit to real tea with real honey and you'll be shocked at how much better you feel during the day.