My new favorite beverage....Crystal Light (Generic)

[thefed]

I bought some Walmart version of Crystal Light and am loving every flavor. i tried rasberry, cranberry, cherry and pink lemonade so far. A 50/50 mix of rasberry or cranberry and pink lemonade is SUPER. Cant wait to try the rest of the flavors...

The best part is there are ZERO calories. I really am not too fond of artificial sweeteners, but I cant afford to keep chugging the pop, so this is helping cut calories in that dept.

[Rambler]

We went to the WMT version in the summer, and you can't beat them. Been doing CL for years before that. We think they are better than CL...and at $1.50-$2.00 per tube of 6, you just can't beat the for value unless you only chug tap water.

R

[73ss454]

I don't use any products with artificial sweeteners that I know of anyway. I gave up soda about 4 years ago and I don't use alcohol.

After reading an article about artificial sweeteners a few years ago I stopped using them the next day.

Try some seltzer with lemon, should quench your thirst.

[Goonie]

We drank the 'genuine' Crystal Light for a long time, until we discovered the generic version of it at a local 'dollar' store. Good-bye Crystal Light, Hello knock-off brand! It's as good as, or better than, the 'genuine' stuff.....and a heck of lot cheaper!!! I really like the raspberry-lemonade!!! Plus they have boxes of 'single serving' packets, that you just empty into a 1/2 liter bottle of water and shake up.....very convenient for trips and outdoor activities. Since I usually refill my water bottles with tap water, I save a bundle there to.

I only drink the equivalent of about 6-12 cans of pop a year. Much prefer water (#1 fave), fruit juices, tea (iced or hot), milk, and coffee....and of course, the 'fake' Crystal Light stuff!

[Sarah in SC]

DH likes the energy drinks, so I've been buying him some kind of Berry ones from CL that have caffeine and what-have-you, to save him chucking money down the drain to buy Monster or Red Bull at the convenience store. Better to have him put the powder in water, as it might be just a bit healthier.
73ss, I have an aunt who will not use any sort of artificial sweetener and I admire her a great deal, as it is a lot of trouble for their family. I try to avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup myself, and it is in a surprising number of products.
I'll have to check out that generic CL, but I try not to go to Wallyworld but like 2x a year if I can help it.

[Goonie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah in SC I'll have to check out that generic CL, but I try not to go to Wallyworld but like 2x a year if I can help it.

Check out your local 'dollar' stores. We get ours at the local "Dollar Tree", and (IIRC) we've also bought similar stuff at "Dollar General" and at "Aldi's".

If I never set foot in WM again, it would be too soon! I won't come right out and say that I 'hate' WM, but I will say that I highly dislike them immensely to the extreme!

[freebird5825]

I'm not an artificial sweetener consumer. the taste is just awful to my palate.
just for fun, go here Center for Science in the Public Interest and do a search on "Crystal Light" and "artificial sweeteners".
these links should prove to be enlightening
http://www.cspinet.org/new/200804291.html
Food Additives ~ CSPI’s Food Safety

[Bestwifeever]

I try not to drink artificial sweeteners but I do love CL lemonade and its Aldi equivalent. I pour half a glass of CL and then add half a glass of tap water and enjoy it just as much (and of course you save $$ by stretching it ).

I don't know if the other flavors would be good diluted.

[FinanceDude]

I got a Mr. Coffee iced tea maker from Wally World. I have made all kinds of iced tea flavors in it. Thirst quenching and cheap. The only sweetener I trust is Stevia, but it's expensive........

[Rustic23]

Kroger brand Kiwi-Strawberry and Orange-Banana-Strawberry. Also cheap.

[kowski]

Try the APPLE flavor, it's great.

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 73ss454 Try some seltzer with lemon, should quench your thirst.

+1 I just can't stand sweet drinks ('artificial' or not). I didn't look the other studies posted yet, but I have read that the 'artificial' sweeteners just cause people to consume more calories from other sources - they still trigger a hunger or something. Just think - smelling food cooking sure can make you hungry, and I think you will eat more, even thought the smell has zero calories.

I think if people get themselves away from expecting drinks to taste so sweet, they just don't crave it anymore, and prefer less sweet stuff. Just like people who use a lot of salt need a lot of salt on everything.

Water, Black Coffee, occasional tea, very occasional fruit juice, and of course the daily recommended nutritional doses of beer or wine.

-ERD50

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 Just think - smelling food cooking sure can make you hungry, and I think you will eat more, even thought the smell has zero calories. -ERD50

What I have found is that I tend to eat less when I am the cook. With a glass of wine in hand, after standing at the stove stirring that bolognese meat sauce, or tending to that chicken marsala, I feel less hunger. No cheating by sampling here. The smell may not have calories, but along with the wine, it is filling.

[W2R]

Love Crystal Light in the kiwi-strawberry flavor. That is the only flavor for me, since I don't like most of the other flavors. I don't drink it all the time, but sometimes drink it instead of plain water at home. I don't buy soda at all at the grocery store.

I'll have to look for some of the generics people have been discussing, above!

[Goonie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 Water, Black Coffee, occasional tea, very occasional fruit juice, and of course the daily recommended nutritional doses of beer or wine. -ERD50

Yep, pretty much the same here....water, black coffee (especially in cooler weather), more-than-occasional iced tea ('un-sweet' of course...can't stand sugar in tea!), fruit juice (preferably grape....sometimes orange...also apple cider), and milk....gotta have my milk!!!

Normally, I drink just shy of a gallon of water a day....plus the other stuff. When I'm working outside, I drink a lot more! So I usually use the CL knock-offs about twice a day in those instances....preferably the more tart ones like lemonade....just to break the monotony some.

[bright eyed]

hmm, no artificial sweeteners here either...i can taste it and i don't like it! other than the thought of it.

My new lower cal alternative is iced green tea (that I make at home, why buy a jug?) and add a dash of juice - i like cran-rasberry (100% juice). A few glasses of green or black tea is GOOD for you and cranberry is too...

It's about 4/5's tea, 1/5 juice. You can make a pitcher in advance and keep in the fridge.

try it, you'll like it!

[freebird5825]

I just bought an iced tea maker at Amazon.
Amazon.com: Back to Basics Ice Tea Maker: Kitchen & Dining
i liked the glass decanter and simplicity of the brewer unit, and small countertop footprint.

I had been making tea the ol' fashioned way on the stove - boil in a 2 Qt pot, cool and transfer to glass decanter jug. The jug I use has a rubber covered push button spigot, which is wearing out. I cleaned it all out with a mild bleach solution. It was pretty gross inside the spigot area.