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UTUSN

(70,497 posts)
Thu Aug 25, 2016, 08:58 PM Aug 2016

Sparkling water? Mineral water? What's a GOOD TASTING thirst quencher for normal down time?

One of the remnants of my fringe-Hippie years is a tiny, pretend effort at "health foods". That is, after the Hippies died out, went on to become Street People, druggies, or guru followers of spiritual or exercise fads - it all sort of came down to a whimper, "Don't eat FRIED FOODS!1"

Health foods and vitamins were something to try. Not much. But back then I stopped whole milk totally - "milk fat is the WORST" - to this very day. All skim, what little I consume at all. Once I overheard an elderly, common sense couple in the the dairy department, and he said, with enviable moderation, "2 per cent. I like a LITTLE bit of taste..."

Anyway, I'm not consistent about much, but years ago stopped having soft drinks at home. I still occasionally have a "combo" fast food meal that includes a soft drink.

I don't use juices because of the sugar. In the past year I tried iced tea as the main beverage besides water. Plain water seems to bloat. But tea seems to give a carbohydrate type of bloat. (Yes, the Diet tea.)

I seem to want a bit of zip or zing. A couple of months ago, tried sparkling water, at first the "plain". Sort of like soda without the flavoring. It was fair. Then tried citrus flavored carbonated water. Sort of bitter.

Is carbonated the same as sparkling or mineral water? Does mineral water lead to MINERALS petrifying in the kidneys or somewhere?

What's a THIRST QUENCHING, FLAVORFUL, non-petrifying beverage?!1

57 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Sparkling water? Mineral water? What's a GOOD TASTING thirst quencher for normal down time? (Original Post) UTUSN Aug 2016 OP
La croix MissB Aug 2016 #1
It's still bad for your teeth, the carbonation. Laffy Kat Aug 2016 #4
Now, see, that's what I saw in like Wiki or someplace when I first bought the carbonated. UTUSN Aug 2016 #7
There's plenty of rinses around and if you go to a dollar store you can find cheaper. Laffy Kat Aug 2016 #8
I do lemonaide without the suger. Lochloosa Aug 2016 #2
Thanks for reminding me! elleng Aug 2016 #3
... pinboy3niner Aug 2016 #5
Navy coffee. Black. No milk, no sugar. But odd, during my working life, I drank 5 or more cups/day UTUSN Aug 2016 #6
Never had Navy coffee Major Nikon Aug 2016 #38
hey! irisblue Aug 2016 #35
Bai Generic Brad Aug 2016 #9
I drink mostly water. LWolf Aug 2016 #10
Same here - lucky to have great well water csziggy Aug 2016 #12
I like tonic water mixed with fresh lemonade or limeade, about half and half mixture Tom Kitten Aug 2016 #11
Second recommendation for tonic water Zorro Aug 2016 #18
Coconut water. If you're thirsty, your body needs potassium and magnesium. Coconut water can underahedgerow Aug 2016 #13
Firewater pinboy3niner Aug 2016 #14
Unsweetened iced tea with lemon. MicaelS Aug 2016 #15
Laphroig. malthaussen Aug 2016 #16
Must be healthy because it really leaves you feeling your oats! pinboy3niner Aug 2016 #17
Laphroaig! aidbo Aug 2016 #22
Unless there's at least a fifth in the deal, forget about it! pinboy3niner Aug 2016 #23
Hey neighbor! peacefreak Aug 2016 #42
Infused water? cyberswede Aug 2016 #19
Cucumber water? REAL men drink Tzatziki--straight! pinboy3niner Aug 2016 #21
You're my gyro. cyberswede Aug 2016 #24
Bazinga! pinboy3niner Aug 2016 #26
cucumber water is my fave. mopinko Aug 2016 #36
I usually just drink filtered water. But lately have been drinking Canada Dry Lemon/Lime Sparkling Fla Dem Aug 2016 #20
Squeeze a lime into a glass. Add a half squeeze of lemon. pinboy3niner Aug 2016 #25
i drink club soda Enrique Aug 2016 #27
Sparkling water is naturally carbonated Major Nikon Aug 2016 #39
Club soda also has sodium or potassium added to it. Frank Cannon Aug 2016 #41
It's pretty common for most bottled waters to have added minerals Major Nikon Aug 2016 #46
Lemon Barley Water MowCowWhoHow III Aug 2016 #28
Sun tea Mosby Aug 2016 #29
How about this? blogslut Aug 2016 #30
Darlin' - you should know by now that I don't get deep into recipes/effort/whatever. Too complicated UTUSN Aug 2016 #31
Try #25 pinboy3niner Aug 2016 #32
Okay blogslut Aug 2016 #33
Flavored seltzer water is good TuxedoKat Aug 2016 #34
All of the things you describe are carbonated water Major Nikon Aug 2016 #37
Thanks, this is great perspective. UTUSN Aug 2016 #43
If you really want to read up on the subject... Major Nikon Aug 2016 #47
Get a Sodastream and make your own seltzer/sparkling water. Frank Cannon Aug 2016 #40
You can also do it a lot more cheaply than with a Sodastream Major Nikon Aug 2016 #48
But that would require actual work... Frank Cannon Aug 2016 #50
True Major Nikon Aug 2016 #51
I thought about doing that, at first. Frank Cannon Aug 2016 #54
You have to get a regulator for your CO2 bottle Major Nikon Aug 2016 #56
Ice cold peppermint tea. Avalux Aug 2016 #44
Yerba Mate (or Mate) has not been mentioned in this thread. PufPuf23 Aug 2016 #45
save yourself headaches and money Kali Aug 2016 #49
My local tap water tastes great Major Nikon Aug 2016 #53
The only decent end for milk is... discntnt_irny_srcsm Aug 2016 #52
Depends on how late or early it is sakabatou Aug 2016 #55
Plain seltzer. ., buckets annabanana Aug 2016 #57

MissB

(15,800 posts)
1. La croix
Thu Aug 25, 2016, 09:12 PM
Aug 2016

No sugar
No sodium

Plenty of flavors. Coconut, lime, raspberry or grapefruit are ones that I prefer. You might even find the cola flavored one.

Laffy Kat

(16,356 posts)
4. It's still bad for your teeth, the carbonation.
Thu Aug 25, 2016, 09:34 PM
Aug 2016

But so what? I like La Croix, too. Go for it. Might want to use a fluoride rinse at night.

UTUSN

(70,497 posts)
7. Now, see, that's what I saw in like Wiki or someplace when I first bought the carbonated.
Thu Aug 25, 2016, 10:01 PM
Aug 2016

Plus it said that the citrus flavoring did that, too.

Where/what fluroide rinse? I also gave up "brightening, whitening" tooth paste, whatever specialized/peroxide/gritty products, and just use plain fluoride toothpaste. Will look for said fluoride rinse!1

Laffy Kat

(16,356 posts)
8. There's plenty of rinses around and if you go to a dollar store you can find cheaper.
Thu Aug 25, 2016, 10:07 PM
Aug 2016

Plus, I dilute my rinse with a little water before I swish, as it will last longer.

Lochloosa

(16,019 posts)
2. I do lemonaide without the suger.
Thu Aug 25, 2016, 09:15 PM
Aug 2016

Works for me. Sqeeze half a lemon in a glass of ice water and I'm good.

elleng

(130,156 posts)
3. Thanks for reminding me!
Thu Aug 25, 2016, 09:31 PM
Aug 2016

I/we rarely drink/drank 'soda.' Kids did drink apple juice. THEIR kids now drink water, as do I.

Years ago, after visiting Europe, I began drinking Aqua con gas, or carbonated water, went from the expensive versions to cheap store brands. I'd often add a twist of lemon. Think I'll pick some up tomorrow!

pinboy3niner

(53,339 posts)
5. ...
Thu Aug 25, 2016, 09:40 PM
Aug 2016
Coffee!


I also drink lots of straight tap water, though for coffee or cooking I filter it. And whole milk.

UTUSN

(70,497 posts)
6. Navy coffee. Black. No milk, no sugar. But odd, during my working life, I drank 5 or more cups/day
Thu Aug 25, 2016, 09:49 PM
Aug 2016

Since retirement lo these several years, it's only one cup size, only in the A.M. I use a mug, but only drink a half or less (that would be a CUP) in the morning. Very infrequently, a cup in the mid to late afternoon. But back in work days, FIVE - count'em, FIVE or more, keep'em coming down the hatch!1 And acid black, no sweetums about it!1

Major Nikon

(36,814 posts)
38. Never had Navy coffee
Sun Aug 28, 2016, 11:05 PM
Aug 2016

But all the Air Force and Army coffee tasted like Folgers filtered through a gym sock, and the instant stuff we drank in the field made the gym sock stuff taste like gourmet.

Generic Brad

(14,270 posts)
9. Bai
Thu Aug 25, 2016, 10:23 PM
Aug 2016

5 calories. I think it is sweetened with stevia. Carbonated and good flavors like orange, pineapple, coconut, passion fruit, grapefruit, black cherry. One can satisfies me.

LWolf

(46,179 posts)
10. I drink mostly water.
Thu Aug 25, 2016, 10:49 PM
Aug 2016

I have great water, sweet from a deep well filtered through 470 feet of rock and sand.

When I want something else, I have a few options:

I make my own lemonade using Stevia to slightly sweeten it. If I want more sparkle, I'll use some carbonated water for part of it.

I use stevia to sweeten my own tea.

I add a little bit of juice to carbonated water.

Finally, if I really, really want a soda, Blue Sky and Virgil's make a good soda sweetened with stevia; those are the two I like, but there are others out there.

csziggy

(34,120 posts)
12. Same here - lucky to have great well water
Fri Aug 26, 2016, 01:10 AM
Aug 2016

Coffee in the morning and instead of an afternoon snack, water the rest of the time.

Tom Kitten

(7,339 posts)
11. I like tonic water mixed with fresh lemonade or limeade, about half and half mixture
Thu Aug 25, 2016, 11:13 PM
Aug 2016

Add a jigger of grapefruit juice or sprigs of fresh mint for different tastes. The bitterness of the quinine adds a bite that I like. I'm not sure how much sugar or corn syrup is put in it. Or instead of tonic water I've also used seltzer (sparkling) water. It's good that way too.

Of course ice tea with lemon (I don't add sugar) works too. I generally don't drink carbonated drinks either but tonic water is an exception.

Zorro

(15,691 posts)
18. Second recommendation for tonic water
Fri Aug 26, 2016, 11:18 AM
Aug 2016

I like to mix it with tart cherry juice (~1/3 juice 2/3 tonic water). Very refreshing.

underahedgerow

(1,232 posts)
13. Coconut water. If you're thirsty, your body needs potassium and magnesium. Coconut water can
Fri Aug 26, 2016, 03:04 AM
Aug 2016

be flavored which adds a little sugar, and there's nothing wrong with that. Sugar isn't bad for you in moderate amounts, it's the processed crap it's cloaked in that does the damage.

Now that I think of it, maybe I'll start blending the coconut water with sparkling water and OJ.

Flavor your own sparkling waters! By allowing the giant corps to do it for you, you get chemicals and crap that are bad for you. Add lemon slices, orange and lime slices. I mix it with fresh squeezed juices of all sorts, mostly orange juice over ice, wow and major yummy. And hey, if you add a bit of gin or vodka, well yee hah!

In restaurants on a hot day, I'll order fresh squeezed orange juice and a bottle of sparkling water and ice. I put the juice over ice, and start adding the sparkling water as I drink it down and it's melting. Just wonderful!

All the commercially prepared juices benefit by adding sparkling water to them.

MicaelS

(8,747 posts)
15. Unsweetened iced tea with lemon.
Fri Aug 26, 2016, 08:18 AM
Aug 2016

Cuts your thirst like nothing else. Get a large bottle of lemon juice and keep in the fridge.

malthaussen

(17,066 posts)
16. Laphroig.
Fri Aug 26, 2016, 09:40 AM
Aug 2016

All though come to think of it, alcohol is a lousy thirst-quencher. But after a few drams of the malt, you won't care how thirsty you are.

-- Mal

 

aidbo

(2,328 posts)
22. Laphroaig!
Fri Aug 26, 2016, 05:22 PM
Aug 2016

They have this fun gimmick (friends of laphroaig) that lets you sign up to be the 'owner' of a 1 square foot piece of land at their distillery. If you ever visit them and bring your certificate, they will provide you with a map and boots so you can go check out your 'land'.

My plot of land's coordinates:

Location
Latitude: 55.6336574617025,
Longitude: -6.15147957106584

pinboy3niner

(53,339 posts)
23. Unless there's at least a fifth in the deal, forget about it!
Fri Aug 26, 2016, 05:38 PM
Aug 2016

A piece of dirt may have spirit, but it's not spirits. Have they not heard of premium marketing?

peacefreak

(2,939 posts)
42. Hey neighbor!
Mon Aug 29, 2016, 09:40 AM
Aug 2016

I've got one too! My friends have ajoining plots so we're going to put a chair on it!

cyberswede

(26,117 posts)
19. Infused water?
Fri Aug 26, 2016, 11:28 AM
Aug 2016

You can use anything - cucumbers, strawberries, lemons. My employer actually has lemon water dispensers in the cafeteria (for free) - it tastes great. I've made cucumber water at home (in a regular pitcher).

mopinko

(69,809 posts)
36. cucumber water is my fave.
Sun Aug 28, 2016, 11:27 AM
Aug 2016

used to make it when i was tired of the cukes coming in. but this year it was the first thing i did w them.
yum. so simple, but so refreshing.

i also like to make tea from wood sorrel, which is a very common weed on my farm. lemony, refreshing. a little lemon balm added to it adds to that.

Fla Dem

(23,352 posts)
20. I usually just drink filtered water. But lately have been drinking Canada Dry Lemon/Lime Sparkling
Fri Aug 26, 2016, 04:56 PM
Aug 2016

water. Nice kick, thirst quenching, and leaves a nice taste.

pinboy3niner

(53,339 posts)
25. Squeeze a lime into a glass. Add a half squeeze of lemon.
Fri Aug 26, 2016, 05:43 PM
Aug 2016

Fill another glass with Jameson.

Drink the second glass.

Major Nikon

(36,814 posts)
46. It's pretty common for most bottled waters to have added minerals
Mon Aug 29, 2016, 12:27 PM
Aug 2016

Sparkling water is either 100% natural or mostly natural, but most bottled water is produced by removing all the naturally occurring minerals and then adding a particular recipe of minerals to produce the desired result. That's why different brands have different tastes, but are consistent year to year within the same brand.

Mosby

(16,168 posts)
29. Sun tea
Fri Aug 26, 2016, 07:08 PM
Aug 2016

We usually use one iced green tea packet from Luzianne with other types of teas like Zen or iced Lemongrass by Tazo. We brew a pomegranate decaf green tea from the republic of teas that's really good also.

Lots of flavor, no sugar, we go through literally a quart or more a day.

eta soda water can taste bitter from the carbonation, the best ones imo are the Perrier orange/lemon and the Arrowheads like the black cherry.

blogslut

(37,955 posts)
30. How about this?
Fri Aug 26, 2016, 10:04 PM
Aug 2016

Buy some mint extract and pour a capful or two into a pitcher and chill in the fridge.

Of course you could also throw some fresh mint into a pitcher of water but the extract version will last longer.

UTUSN

(70,497 posts)
31. Darlin' - you should know by now that I don't get deep into recipes/effort/whatever. Too complicated
Fri Aug 26, 2016, 10:08 PM
Aug 2016

blogslut

(37,955 posts)
33. Okay
Fri Aug 26, 2016, 10:58 PM
Aug 2016

It's just that mint would add a refreshing kick without carbonation or acid. Mint extract is located in the spice aisle of almost any grocery store. It's not rocket science or even a culinary art to add a capful or two.

TuxedoKat

(3,818 posts)
34. Flavored seltzer water is good
Sat Aug 27, 2016, 10:33 AM
Aug 2016

Zero calories, zero sodium. I also like unsweetened Cranberry Juice (Knudson's has one, but my local grocery store has their own brand which is half the price and tastes pretty much the same to me). You can dilute it 1:4 (about 1/4 cup to 1 cup or slightly more) with water and add Stevia to taste - delicious, zippy, healthy and very low-calorie!

Major Nikon

(36,814 posts)
37. All of the things you describe are carbonated water
Sun Aug 28, 2016, 10:57 PM
Aug 2016

Carbonation can occur either naturally or artificially. Natural sources aren't necessarily better, but they do tend to be more expensive and they can be easily replicated by matching the mineral content and the same level of carbonation. People in Europe much more commonly drink plain carbonated water than those in the Americas. I love plain carbonated water after a good coffee.

Unless you are drinking true reverse osmosis or distilled water, all water you drink carbonated or not has some mineral content. You wouldn't want to drink either of the former anyway because it would taste very flat and be much less palatable. So all drinking water has minerals that are either naturally occurring or are added after the naturally occurring ones are removed.

I suppose if certain mineral contents were too high, it could cause health problems, but with pretty much all commercial drinking water, carbonated or not, this isn't a problem.

Major Nikon

(36,814 posts)
47. If you really want to read up on the subject...
Mon Aug 29, 2016, 12:32 PM
Aug 2016

This is an excellent primer on drinking water that's been passed around on the interwebs for many years. It's particularly aimed at water used for coffee production and goes pretty deeply into the geek aspect, but there's some pretty good tips even if all you're doing is running Folgers through a Mr. Coffee.

http://users.rcn.com/erics/Water%20Quality/Water%20FAQ.pdf

Frank Cannon

(7,570 posts)
40. Get a Sodastream and make your own seltzer/sparkling water.
Mon Aug 29, 2016, 07:54 AM
Aug 2016

Then put a little lemon/lime/cranberry juice in it.

Nothing store-bought even compares. For one thing, you can control exactly how much "fizz" and the type and amount of flavoring you want.

You can filter the water if you want or just use use it straight from the tap.

"Mineral" water is just a term, though a lot of store-bought mineral waters do have a lot of sodium in them.

Major Nikon

(36,814 posts)
48. You can also do it a lot more cheaply than with a Sodastream
Mon Aug 29, 2016, 12:35 PM
Aug 2016

I have a 20lb CO2 bottle along with some adapters that allow me to use standard PEP bottles, so nothing is proprietary. I get my bottle refilled at the local homebrew supply for a few bucks and it makes a shitload of fizzy water.

Frank Cannon

(7,570 posts)
50. But that would require actual work...
Mon Aug 29, 2016, 01:50 PM
Aug 2016

and/or the desire/time to shop around looking for all the necessary parts to put it together, not to mention finding a place for it in my miniscule abode.

The Sodastream didn't cost that much, and tank replacement is a lot cheaper than it used to be. It was also a system that was available immediately. Time is money, after all!

Major Nikon

(36,814 posts)
51. True
Mon Aug 29, 2016, 02:14 PM
Aug 2016

But some people are turned off by the perpetual costs of the Sodastream and lose interest after the novelty wears off. So I just thought it's worth pointing out there are other options.

Frank Cannon

(7,570 posts)
54. I thought about doing that, at first.
Mon Aug 29, 2016, 09:19 PM
Aug 2016

One question for you: How do you know when your bottle is "charged up" enough? I'd be afraid I'd overcharge it, it would explode, and two jagged pieces of PETE would lodge in both of my eyeballs, blinding me permanently. That's the kind of Charlie Brown luck I usually have with that sort of thing, and that also weighed on my decision.

Major Nikon

(36,814 posts)
56. You have to get a regulator for your CO2 bottle
Mon Aug 29, 2016, 09:38 PM
Aug 2016

You set the regulator for your desired carbonation level, usually 30-40 PSI. PEP bottles are good to at least 150 PSI, so there's a pretty good margin of error. It's basically exactly the same way Sodastream works and if anything I'd guess their regulators aren't as robust and reliable as the ones you typically get at homebrew supply stores for the CO2 tanks. The regulator is one of the most expensive parts out of the few items you need.

Not all the bottles are the same. The name brand bottles like coke are superior to the cheap store brand bottles, so I use bottles that have heavier construction and toss them about every 6 months or so.

Avalux

(35,015 posts)
44. Ice cold peppermint tea.
Mon Aug 29, 2016, 11:00 AM
Aug 2016

There's no fizz and no sugar but my gosh it's so good and incredibly refreshing on a hot day.

PufPuf23

(8,689 posts)
45. Yerba Mate (or Mate) has not been mentioned in this thread.
Mon Aug 29, 2016, 11:48 AM
Aug 2016

I drink black coffee, ice water, teas (occasionally mostly sun tea in summer), and mate. Virtually never drink soda or beer. I do drink orange juice on occasion and cherry juice (especially when think may have smidgeon of gout).

I make several types of sun teas in the summer with old Snapple bottles and tea bags and then remove tea bags and refrigerate: Lipton, green tea, herbal tea, and mate.

Here is wiki for mate: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_(beverage)

One can readily find places to buy mate online. Mate can be found in prepared bottles and cans many places but I like mate plain and unadulterated. Mate is caffeinated but not acid like coffee. I have had problems in the past with stomach ulcers and replaced coffee with mate. I have several bombillas and use loose leaf mate (repeatedly adding more crushed leaf and hot water rather than starting from scratch) but use mate tea bags for the cold sun tea preparation. I have also used a French press.

I really like mate but have an life long (since late teens) addiction to dark roast black coffee as did not discover mate until early 1990s.

I buy loose leaf and tea bag mate online at Guayaki: http://guayaki.com/category/12/Loose-Leaf-Mate.html (lots of info on mate at the Guayaki site)

I also buy mate on occasion when see at various specialty markets but have grown accustomed to the Guayaki product and live rural.

Mate gives a lift like coffee (or tea) but I find the lift more "gentle".

Here is more about mate: http://guayaki.com/mate/130/What-is-Yerba-Mate%3F.html

Kali

(54,990 posts)
49. save yourself headaches and money
Mon Aug 29, 2016, 12:40 PM
Aug 2016

tap water in the US is usually some of the safest in the world (and most bottled water is just expensive tap water anyway) drink it with ice - the colder it is the less likely you will pick up any off- flavors. put a squeeze of citrus or a shot of any fruit juice, really - or some mint or other herbs if you want to get fancy. If you like bubbles buy the cheapest store brand soda water or get a carbonation set up from a brew shop and do your own.

personally, I live on lightly sweetened (regular fucking SUGAR) sun tea. a fraction of the sugar of sodas, a little caffiene and it tastes good. and ice water after 5 so I can sleep.

Major Nikon

(36,814 posts)
53. My local tap water tastes great
Mon Aug 29, 2016, 04:36 PM
Aug 2016

That's because it has an almost ideal mineral content and there's little to no other substances that produce off flavors and odors. Not everyone has that luxury, but most of the taste problems can be fixed with a $20 under the sink charcoal filter kit that lasts a long time between filter changes.

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