I tried various things last year to get rid of the habit of buying what I like to call ‘the fast food of drinks’ – your standard cans of cola, bottles of soda, Dr Peppers, etc. This post is about why I picked water, but I am not giving up on the rest cold turkey.
They are obviously not healthy, but oh so tasty.
But so much sugar, chemicals, fake flavors, side effects like insulin-creating monsters, fats, calories, not-so-cheap, caffeine, and stuff like that.
Surely there are alternatives, without having to go cold turkey (I simply do not believe in switching from what you like a full 100%).
Nothing beats a nice, cool glass bottle of Coca-Cola on a 30-degree Celsius summer afternoon (or a beer). So trust me when I say this: I will not give up on that.
What I do want to give up is the behavior, the habit of drinking it regularly. As a primary drink. Not that I really do that, but I still do it too much.
I could switch to coffee, and I do drink coffee. Oh boy, do I like my good cappuccino with some froth or a black coffee with a splash of whipped cream? Or… yeah, well, you get the idea. The downsides are caffeine and sugar, and all that.
Of course, I could consider switching to juices like orange or apple juice, and the like. But I respond with an upset stomach once in a while with certain sugars (so it seems), and they just don’t always feel like a refreshing drink.
I really dig the homemade orange juice with a splash of lemon and lime, though, with added ice cubes in the summer. Yum yum. And I certainly do that. But to replace a daily or weekly soda drink with stuff like that just didn’t quite cut it. It’s like drinking beer and switching to wine. It just doesn’t cut it.
Tea is a certain winner here. It is easy to drink without sugar, and it certainly comes with amazing flavors. Imported Chinese teas are wonderful to blend and try. Tea also goes well as warm as well as cold during winter and summer days. So it can be relaxing as well as refreshing.
I have certainly switched to trying to drink tea every week. Sometimes in the morning. Sometimes in the evening. But at least once or twice a week.
So every sort of alternative to fast food or drinks has some pros and cons, and that’s ok. I will still have tea weekly, and have some juice in the summer, or with breakfast. Drink some coffee every so often.
But (see another blog post) I will have tea and water as much as possible, replacing these fast-food-styled drinks, hopefully resulting in a healthier body.
What do you drink, enjoy, can’t live without, or will never take a sip from?