Drink Ideas (that are not plain water)

One thing I get asked about often is regarding drink ideas. People will say they really don’t enjoy drinking plain water (unless they’re really thirsty or hot), but they don’t know what else to drink. This also comes up when we’re talking about how to stop drinking soft drinks (soda, pop…whatever you call it in your neck of the woods!).

The suggestions I give to people may sound a little strange at first, but finding a strategy for increasing your fluid intake or avoiding not-so-healthy beverages is important so you don’t rely on forcing yourself to do something you don’t want to do or using willpower resisting something you want.

Here they are:

Apple Cider Vinegar Cinnamon Drink

Choose either tea or water (sometimes I use Cinnamon Orange tea)
Add:
1 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
a few dashes of cinnamon
2 drops of stevia

Drink this cold or warm

(you can buy a drink like this in the store, but they’re around $2 a piece–making it is much cheaper!)

 

Aloe Cooler

This one takes more prep–but you could prep it in the morning and take it with you.

3-inch chunk of Aloe Gel
Juice of 1 Lemon and 2 Limes
1 ½ cups Coconut Water
Stevia or Agave to taste

Blend with ice for a colder slushy drink, or without ice for a thinner drink.

 

Homemade “Pop”

Put a few drops of stevia into a glass. Pour in seltzer water, any flavor you like.

The fizz from pouring stirs the drink for you, and you can add other flavors if you like (cherry extract, orange extract, etc.)

 

Lemon Ginger Water

To hot water, add:

3-4 slices of ginger
the juice of half a lemon
1 tsp honey (or stevia to taste)
pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

 

Other homemade ideas: Smoothies (see tab above for recipes, and search smoothies for other ideas as well), juice (if you have a juicer)

Drinks you can buy that help you avoid “pop”:

Zevia – soft drinks sweetened with erythritol and stevia

Steaz 0 calorie drinks – sweetened with erythritol

Bragg’s Apple Cider drinks – similar to the cinnamon drink above

Kombucha – fermented probiotic drink (expensive)

KeVita – fermented coconut water (cheaper than kombucha, has beneficial probiotics, low calorie, low sugar)

 

A quick Elimination Diet Update: 

My skin cleared up. I feel good now, but last week, I was sad and had no energy…I’m glad that seems to be over. I’m slightly bored of what I’ve been eating, but I searched pinterest and found some good recipes to try. I’ve had several people ask me about what I’m eating (in more detail) so I’ll post a day’s worth of food and exercise sometime this week. The only thing that has been difficult for me is that when I’m hungry and need a snack, I don’t know what to eat–I would have always just eaten a piece of cheese or handful of nuts before. Now, I just kind of wander around the kitchen and hope something jumps out at me!

Are you a water drinker? I’m one of those people who only drinks it when I’m really thirsty. I do try and drink a whole glass when I wake up in the morning, and then when I take supplements.

How was your weekend? I had fun on Saturday at the re-gift party, but it was a little difficult being social while I’m on the elimination diet (side note: it wasn’t hard to resist the food I couldn’t eat because I didn’t want it, but apparently it was hard to remember that I should have eaten before hand—I drank too much wine on an empty stomach and had a headache yesterday). The lace-y outfits were funny, and we all had a good time—there were even a few gifts that people “fought” over.

Oh, also, the spice muffins were a big hit—I only shared them with my Mom and a friend, and they both liked them a lot.

Happy Monday! I got up at 6:00 this morning and started working then, so I’m happy to report that most of my To-Do list is complete for the day. In another 2 hours or so, I’m planning to call it quits and play in the kitchen or maybe even go outside–the sun is actually out! Did you jump back into your work today, or drag a little bit before  getting started?