To wish there was a decent alternative to aspartame/ sweetener drinks

[Coffeeandajigsaw]

Or is there and I just don't know about it?

I just don't like drinking water, I know, I know, but it bores me and I never drink enough then become dehydrated.

So instead I alternate diet coke with sugar free squash, but I am quite worried about the aspartame risks, even if they are unproven. I know I could drink the normal sugared versions but there's a history of diabetes in my family so I try to avoid where possible.

So are there any other alternatives??

Freshly squeezed lime in water?

Fruit tea? you could make up a batch in the morning and keep it in the fridge, then it tastes basically like unsweetened squash.

You can flavour water yourself. Add a sliced strawberry or slice of lemon? I don't really trust the vitamin waters too much.

Buy a juicer and make your own.

Most vegetable juice recipes are pretty low in sugar.

Carrot and ginger juice is really nice, and cucumber and mint juice is very refreshing.

do you like milk?
sparkling water is nicer than tap water

you'll get used to water if you stop drinking the sweetened stuff though - it's much nicer chilled than from the tap as well

Sparkling water with lemon or lime.

Oo, how about a vanilla pod?

Iced tea? Green tea is quite nice chilled

Ice tea is a great idea!!

marking my place cause I could have written the op except I am diabetic

I love drinking water, but hate it room temperature (fortunately I live in Scotland, so that's not an issue most of the year)

Anyway, I make my own ice cubes with things like mint leaves, lemon, cucumber etc. - it really jazzes it up and no sugar

I bought a Soda Stream. Everything is nicer fizzy. Cucumber water is lovely.

I can easily drink 12 diet cokes in a day, so I need something fizzy and sweet as an alternative. I juice about 12 lemons at a time and make sparkling lemonade with Splenda. This is the best alternative I've found.

learn not to need sweet
fizzy water
water and lemon
tea
coffee

You can also try:

• coconut sugar (still sugar, but better for you)

or

• stevia (plant) no calories and, even better, no glycemic impact, so it doesn't raise your blood sugar and it's suitable for diabetics

If you look up effects of aspartame you will probqbly be stunned into suddenly really liking tqp an sparkling water, i dont drink sweetened drinks, but fortunately dont have diabetes, i sometimes have eldeflower cordial and sparkling water or appletiser, but rewalise these all contain sugar, so not much help to you. I do think after a while yu miss the sweetness less.

There is evidence accruing that artificial sweeteners make you gain weight.
Sugar and sweet things are the one part of the diet that is not "needed"
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweeteners

I use a water filter jug; the difference it makes to the taste of the water is quite radical actually. you can make your own sugar free with stevia or fructose (not corn syrup fructose though) elderflower cordial (in the spring obviously) and then add it to sparkling water which is lovely in the summer.

I'vd used Stevia, works great. That with lemon makes nice still lemonade.

Artificial sweeteners, as I understand, are no better for you in relation to diabetes than sugar, they have the same effect on your insulin levels, but worse because they leave your body confused...due to the sweet taste, it expected sugar (to process which it produces insulin) and didn't get it...so you have excess insulin hanging around and crave even more sweet stuff. Disregarding diabetes and focusing on weight, excess insulin = stored fat.

Stevia is a possible solution but much better would be to put some serious effort into changing your taste for water etc.

There is an alternative:I really like the Feel Good range and you can get it in Asda. Totally natural-no artificial sweeteners. Also, Orangina and the San Pellegrino fizzy drinks don't contain aspartame.

And whoever said easily 12 diet cokes in a day that kind of proves my point about more making you crave more...that's nearly 4 litres of coke and goodness knows how much caffeine, aren't you a jittery wreck ? I would be!!

do you not even like water if its from a filter with ice?i always find it easier to rink like that.

Orangina contains sugar.
Orangina light contains aspartame
www.agbarr.co.uk/ces_brands.nsf/brands/brands-orangina_light.html

San pellegrino contains sugar
www.beveragesdirect.com/San-Pellegrino-Limonata.aspx

drink milk - semi skim milk is really good for you

How about drinks with sucralose in, if you need to avoid sugar? It's less nasty tasting than aspartame and people seem to have fewer after effects from it. M&S and Sainsburys sell squashes and soft drinks with sucralose in.

Also worth trying herbal teas for a bit of variety.