Low calorie / sugar free drinks?

[MRose]

I've always been a huge water drinker, I generally hated flavors and sodas are just gross IMO, but after a surgery, ALL water just tastes disgusting! I can't shake the metallic zing that seems to accompany plain water. Mostly I just drink tea with stevia now, but the occasional Crystal Light drinks come into play. I've heard a lot of people say that your body converts and metabolizes it just like sugar, so you might as well just be drinking the normal stuff. I haven't seen any research on that thought, though. If something is sweetened with xylitol or stevia, would there really be any reason not to drink it? Other than the fact that it's artificially sweetened, is there a reason not to drink Crystal Light or Propel? Or rather, why is the artificial sweetener a bad thing?

[carl669 · Accepted solution]

the jury is still out on artificial sweeteners.  some will say it's the devil, others will say it's the only thing to keep them from eating an entire sheet cake to curb a craving.

personally, i avoided them for the first few weeks that i changed my eating habits.  mainly because i knew they might lead me to want other sweet things.  now though, i do have them on occasion and haven't noticed any issues.

[PaleoCrossfit]

I'm on the side that thinks they're the devil. They're terrible for your brain. And really, it's just chemicals.

Try making a pitcher of water and putting some fruit in it. My favorite is an organe cut up and then maybe a few mint leave. The longer it sits, the better it tastes!

[loveabull]

Oh I swear by those little blue packets...I have a monster sweet tooth n' I'm fine with chemicals.

[tallson]

I grow stevia, pick and dry the leaves in bundles. Leaves crushed and steeped in a hot beverage such as tea or coffee are not the devil, I think. Central and South Americans have been preparing it this way for centuries.

[PaleoCrossfit]

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@tallson wrote:

I grow stevia, pick and dry the leaves in bundles. Leaves crushed and steeped in a hot beverage such as tea or coffee are not the devil, I think. Central and South Americans have been preparing it this way for centuries.

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Completely different than buying an artificial sweetner that is in a pink little packet. This, I would most definitely do.

[HelenaFitbit]

I do the same as @PaleoCrossfit and mash a bit of fruit with ice and a ton of water. It's not sweet, but it's very flavorful. 

[Evelyn071392]

I love the stevia sugar. Are they easy to grow?(:

[ChrisEll]

I always have a couple kinds of homemade iced tea in the fridge. I like the fruit varieties - lemon, cherry, raspberry. Just steep a couple tea bags per quart, let it soak, then cool in the fridge. I try to avoid artificial sweeteners except when I am strictly counting calories. You'll crave sweet drinks less as you phase them out of your diet.

[tallson]

They are easy to grow. I grow mine in the vegetable garden but have also grown them in containers on the patio. They thrive like weeds and are not high maintenance. The sweetness of homegrown stevia isn't appreciated by all as my wife doesn't like the "herbal" taste. I also propagate cuttings and have overwintered plants in the garden.