Drink water not soda!

[chefmel]

I just saw on the news that a major study of children and young adults both showed that if you drink water with dinner you'll eat more veggies than soda. This is because there is an association in the brain between the soda and junk foods, so even if you have diet soda, you won't want your healthy food as much

[bruceH]

That's a really interesting study! I found it here, in case anyone wants to see more about it Study: Glass Of Water Might Get Kids To Eat Veggies OPB News

I guess it's because of the association between pop and junk food, but also, I find that after drinking pop, you want something to counteract the sweetness, and vegetables are rarely enough to do that. Veggies do taste great and fresh when you're drinking something like water, though, because water is obviously not overpowering.

[bigbobby]

Does the same thing count with flavored water? Is it the flavor and sweetness or is it the actual soda itself with the carbonation, etc?

[bonniekins]

If you really like the fizz from pop, you can always just try drinking club soda. That way, you get all of the fizzy without the calories and the sugar that you'd get from cola, root beer, etc.

Just like with water, I like to flavor my club soda with a slice of a citrus fruit like lemon or lime. It's pleasant and refreshing and I don't have to feel guilty about it.

[PaulLo]

If you really like the fizz from pop, you can always just try drinking club soda. That way, you get all of the fizzy without the calories and the sugar that you'd get from cola, root beer, etc.

Just like with water, I like to flavor my club soda with a slice of a citrus fruit like lemon or lime. It's pleasant and refreshing and I don't have to feel guilty about it.

This is a good idea. The only thing I would caution people about is that club soda and all of those other types of carbonated water have a surprisingly high salt content. If you are on a low sodium diet or if you are trying to reduce your sodium intake, then this could present a problem.

Also, does anyone know if those vitamin waters have a lot of calories in them or if they're actually good for you?

[ffviifan]

This is a good idea. The only thing I would caution people about is that club soda and all of those other types of carbonated water have a surprisingly high salt content. If you are on a low sodium diet or if you are trying to reduce your sodium intake, then this could present a problem.

Club soda can't possibly have THAT much salt in it, does it? Why would they put that in there? If all you want is carbonated water, is there an option?

[tobetinytina]

Different brands of club soda have different amounts of sodium. Check the bottle nutrition facts to find out how much each one has before you buy it.

Here's what I've seen per serving at my grocery store for club soda brands:
Canada Dry - 90 mg
Schweppes - 65 mg
Hansen's - 40 mg
Seagram's - 25 mg

But if you want to avoid that whole mess, just get seltzer. It doesn't have any sodium at all.

Neither one has any calories, in case anyone was wondering.

[kellykatt]

Different brands of club soda have different amounts of sodium. Check the bottle nutrition facts to find out how much each one has before you buy it.

Here's what I've seen per serving at my grocery store for club soda brands:
Canada Dry - 90 mg
Schweppes - 65 mg
Hansen's - 40 mg
Seagram's - 25 mg

But if you want to avoid that whole mess, just get seltzer. It doesn't have any sodium at all.

Neither one has any calories, in case anyone was wondering.

Thanks Tobetinytina! This is really helpful. I think I"ll just skip the entire mess and drink seltzer if I want something a little fizzy. To tell you the truth, though, as long as it's cold, I really don't mind drinking just water. I know that room temperature water is better for you, but I really like it cold, so I figure whatever works for me is better than having to flavor it, right!

[jenny25]

Different brands of club soda have different amounts of sodium. Check the bottle nutrition facts to find out how much each one has before you buy it.

Here's what I've seen per serving at my grocery store for club soda brands:
Canada Dry - 90 mg
Schweppes - 65 mg
Hansen's - 40 mg
Seagram's - 25 mg

But if you want to avoid that whole mess, just get seltzer. It doesn't have any sodium at all.

Neither one has any calories, in case anyone was wondering.

I wonder why there's such a big difference between them when they all pretty much taste the same!

[Mike]

I wonder why there's such a big difference between them when they all pretty much taste the same!

I think it just all depends on the end result that the particular brand wants to achieve. They probably taste test with people depending on the level of sodium and carbonation, and it's whatever wins for their target market.

[ChristySmiles]

I think it just all depends on the end result that the particular brand wants to achieve. They probably taste test with people depending on the level of sodium and carbonation, and it's whatever wins for their target market.

That's probably it