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As the weather starts getting warmer, having something cold and tasty to drink is on my mind a lot. After taking my dog for a walk, playing with my son at the park, or working in the yard, I am thirsty for something cold. The water that comes out of the tap is just not cold enough, so what is a girl to do?
When we are thirsty, water really is the perfect choice. It keeps us hydrated and healthy, it has no calories, and it is inexpensive. Here is a comparison of some drinks I found (costs are from Central Iowa, April 2012):
| Beverage | Calories Per 8 ounces | Grams of Sugar per 8 ounces | Cost Per Gallon |
| Tap Water | 0 | 0 | $0.00435 |
| Bottled Water | 0 | 0 | $1.57 |
| Sugar-Free Drink Mix | 2 | 0 | $2.59 |
| Sports Drink | 50 | 14 | $4.19 |
| Regular Soda | 100 | 27 | $4.44 |
| Diet Soda | 0 | 0 | $4.44 |
| Bottled Tea | 0-90 | 0-23 | $8.32 |
| Energy Drink | 0-140 | 0-31 | $13.48 |
| Orange Juice | 110 | 24 | $7.61 |
| 100% Fruit Juice | 120 | 29 | $7.64 |
| Lemonade (from mix) | 60 | 16 | $1.50 |
| Juice Boxes | 90 | 21 | $4.80 |
| Reduced Fat Chocolate Milk | 180 | 24 | $4.17 |
If plain water is not for you, here are a few ideas to try:
- Freeze juice in ice cube trays and cool down your glass of water with flavored ice cubes.
- Put cut up fruit in a pitcher of water in the refrigerator – the flavor of the fruit will flavor the water. Oranges, lemons, limes, kiwi and berries work really well for this.
- Put water in a special cup or water bottle and store it in the refrigerator so it is easy to grab in a hurry. Sometimes water tastes great plain when it is in a special cup.
- Add low-calorie drink mixes (such as Crystal Light) to your water.
Check out choosemyplate.gov this May through August to see what the USDA is doing to promote drinking water instead of sugary drinks.
Justine Hoover, MS, RD, LD
