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My one goal for the month of January was to drink less Dr. Pepper and more water. I’ve managed to cut way back on the Dr. Pepper….I’ve been averaging less than two a week, down from 1-2 a day…but I haven’t increased my water intake. Instead I’ve switched to coffee.
I realize that part of the problem is that I have a serious caffeine addiction. But beyond that, I just don’t like water, except on a really hot day. Even then I usually prefer iced tea.
So now I need to cut down on my coffee consumption. And I still need to increase the amount of water I drink. I hate buying bottled water, but I’m beginning to think that might be the way to go. I love convenience, and having a cold bottle of water in the fridge ready and waiting for me might encourage me to drink more. But I hate spending money on water.
On a related note, a women’s group I’m a part of at church has been discussing the book The Cure by Timothy Brantley. While a lot of his suggestions are too extreme for me (eating a raw diet, etc), there are some good suggestions for healthy changes to make in your diet.
One of the suggestions is to drink only structured-clustered water. Yeah, I didn’t know what that was either. Apparently it’s the most pure form of water, found in deep springs that aren’t exposed to outside air. I’m a skeptic, but the leader of our group brought along samples of Fiji water, which is one of the brands Brantley recommends. I have to tell you, that was some good water! I couldn’t believe the difference between that and tap, or even the cheap bottled water.
Unfortunately Fiji water is also expensive, so I won’t be stocking up on it anytime soon. But if I had the money, it would be tempting. I really do think I would drink a lot more water if it tasted that good. If you don’t believe me, head to Target and buy a bottle…just one, because it’s expensive. Then let me know if you taste a difference. Who knew? I always thought water was water.
Do you get enough water? Do you prefer bottled or tap? Do you even like water? Feel free to share!
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Mindy @ She Said says:
I find that when I go back to trying to drink more water, I almost have to drink it exclusively until I develop a “taste” for it again. I really like only Dasani or Aquafina. (Of course, I still have to drink at least 1 cup of tea or coffee for my caffeine fix.)
My daughter, she’s 8, loves Fiji water. She had it the first time at her Grandma’s house. It’s her first choice, but it is expensive, so she only gets it as a treat.
January 18th, 2008 at 5:55 am
Kristi says:
My husband and I just had this same conversation about two nights ago. He doesn’t understand why I don’t like to drink tap water and I don’t either. About 4 months ago I was seriously addicted to diet coke and got hit with a BAD case of IBS. I dropped the caffeinated diet cokes but it is really hard to find de-caf diet coke when you’re out and about. I think if I tried to get hooked on water, it would better all around. Maybe we should try together.
January 18th, 2008 at 6:07 am
Lynnae says:
@Mindy - I’m considering trying to drop coffee, because I have such an addiction. Maybe I’ll switch to herbal tea.
@Kristi - I suffer from IBS, too, and caffeine is really bad. And yet I still drink it. *sigh*
Ok, I’m in this with you. I’m going to get hooked on water!
January 18th, 2008 at 6:27 am
stacey says:
i agree. i have to have it cold and it at least has to have lemon juice in it. usually drink it from a straw which makes it go quicker. i also add a bit of some juice to liven it up.
January 18th, 2008 at 6:56 am
Liza's Eyeview says:
I am so like you about not wanting to drink water or not drinking enough water as I should. I really want to be better at it. Thanks for the post.
January 18th, 2008 at 7:41 am
Lee says:
I just buy the Sam’s Choice purified water and keep it cold in the fridge. We like the convenience and we don’t like tap water. To me, at $4.00 a 24 pk case, it’s not too bad of an expense, considering if we didn’t buy the water, we’d all be drinking more coke or root beer or juices or flavored waters, which are all more expensive than the water.
I just limit the kids to 1 soft drink a day, and they usually don’t have a problem getting water when they need something to drink.
As for me, the more water I drink the more I like it. I don’t drink coffee, but I imagine if you’d limit yourself to one cup in the morning, you’d be able to stick with it…and still get the caffeine and also enough water.
January 18th, 2008 at 8:48 am
Elisa says:
I have begun a conscious daily effort to drink more water, too. The individual bottles are helping me keep track of how much I’m drinking. I buy whatever is on sale and cash in the empty bottles at a recycling center.
January 18th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Kim says:
I won’t drink tap water. I can’t stand the taste, plus I have seen the reservoir our water supply comes from and I am NOT drinking that. I don’t even let the kids drink the tap water.
I usually just have Dasani or Aquafina which is just purified tap water, but it is purified and I can taste a difference. For me water has to be really, really cold or I can’t drink it. So I will actually put a bottle in the freezer for an hour or so before I drink it. Then it is good and slushy. You should try it, it really works for me.
I have had Fiji water and it is very clean and crisp tasting (if that makes any sense). I had no idea it was supposed to be so good for you though. I may have to splurge more often on a bottle. My 11yo son asks for it all the time but usually gets a Gatorade since it is cheaper… I think I might have to start letting him get the Fiji.
Drinking more water is part of my diet/health plan right now too. I always have a hard time drinking as much as I am supposed to because it makes my belly feel all sloshy and I have to use the bathroom way too much. I have noticed that I really do feel better when I drink a lot of water though. As far as dieting… well, who wants to eat when your belly is sloshy!
January 18th, 2008 at 10:52 am
Shay says:
I drink flavored water every day especially at work I can drink up to 5 bottles a day…but when I am away from work I tend not to drink water…it is expensive buying bottled water here in Australia with the flavored water (I prefer lemon) going for around 3.40 per bottle. this add’s up quickly I will drink normal water that cost around $2.50 per bottle. We buy our water in 15 litre containers for home as we are on tank water and if we have to pump from the river (and god only knows what is in there) there is no way I would drink it at all I don’t even give it to the dogs they get the brought stuff as well.
I used to drink up to 8 litres of diet coke a day before I stopped cold turkey and went to water..It is definatley better for you and if you sip it you don’t have to go to the toilet as much!!!!
SHay
January 18th, 2008 at 11:33 am
Carrie says:
I buy the cheapest water bottles and add the koolaid packets to them OR crystal lite packets
January 18th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Lynnae says:
Thanks for the ideas, everyone. I think maybe I will invest in bottled water. I’ll look for a good deal.
I wish Oregon had a recycling program for bottled water, but so far we can only recycle pop cans and bottles at the recycling centers. I’ll have to check and see if we can throw water bottles into the curbside recycling bins.
January 18th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Jennifer Partin says:
I’m a Dr.Pepper fan too.
I prefer bottled H2O. They (Nikken) make water filters for bottles—-great for when you need to refill when you are out and about. The company started in Japan but I think they are Stateside now.
January 19th, 2008 at 6:42 am
Lynnae says:
Well, I broke down and bought some bottled water this morning. We’ll see if it helps!
January 19th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
English Major says:
http://www.chem1.com/CQ/clusqk.html
Have you tried drinking filtered water with a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime? Delicious!
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:07 am
Lynnae says:
@ English Major - Thanks for the link. I always like to hear opposing viewpoints. And like I say, I know nothing about structured/clustered water, and whether it’s legitimate or not (your link sways me toward not…), but I do know that Fiji water tastes REALLY good!
I will try the lemon. I’ve been doing better with bottled water, just because it tastes better than the tap water around here.
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:11 am
Sonyia says:
LOVE Fiji water! I thought my Mom was nuts when she told me how wonderful it was but after one bottle, I knew what she was talking about. I too have a hard time getting the water in daily. Almost one year ago I started a Diet Coke fast. I LOVE McD’s Diet Coke especially. I was addicted. At least 2 - 3 larges a day. I thought fasting it (I’m fasting it until I’m out of credit card debt) would push me to drink more water but instead I’ve just switched to Iced Tea. In order to get my daily water in, I have to fill up my 32 ounce water bottle in the morning (filtered tap) and have it out on the kitchen counter.
January 29th, 2008 at 6:53 pm