I love water. I always have. I easily drink 60-70 ounces of water a day without trying.Nothing hits the spot like a glass of ice cold water. Yum-meh.
But, I love so many other beverages! Orange juice is my all time favorite drink. I could, and would drink a carton of Grovestand orange juice with lots of pulp everyday! The more pulp the better. But, alas, orange juice is now taboo.
My soft drink of choice is the most divine IBC root beer. It must come in a glass bottle or I shun it like the plague. (root beer is only good in glass bottles…) Although it has no caffeine, the sugar content is horrific. Another favorite drink that I must stay away from.
And then, because I’m a good southern, Mississippi, country girl, there’s the sweet tea. Oh. Can I make some great sweet tea. Well, once again…three cups of sugar per gallon of tea is a bit more than South Beach calls for (try three cups too much!)
So, what’s a girl to do? I still drink plenty water. I still drink plenty milk (I’m nursing you know!) But I never realized how many liquids I consumed in a day!! I think I will start letting myself have a glass of OJ once a week. Maybe a Saturday morning treat? And I’m thinking of trying hot tea.
So, what I need from you guys is some suggestions about teas to try. Like I said, I’m a good southern girl, and tea to me means lots of ice and lots of sugar. But I’m willing to work on changing my taste buds. The problem is I’ve never drank hot tea. It doesn’t sound that appealing…but I’m gonna give it a shot. What I don’t know is what kinds taste good and what kinds are South Beach friendly. I thought I’d see what kind of tea you guys like and try a few different kinds.
Any suggestions? Cause I’m getting thirsty!
hehe I have the exact same problem with my tea — I can’t drink carbonated beverages — but I want my tea and I want it sweet — I have done two things — one Splenda — yeah I know it isn’t good for you either and the other is to begin to wean myself down on the sugar.
Comment by Maria — January 14, 2007 @ 8:38 pm
Hi there — I’ve been following OWOA here since it’s inception.
I just wanted to comment that I learned to like unsweetened iced tea when I had gestational diabetes with my second pregnancy. The first time I tried it, I thought, man, that just takes all the life out of tea. But I didn’t want to use artificial sweeteners while pregnant, so I persevered — and did grow to actually like it after a while. After I delivered and my blood sugar went back to normal I stayed with the unsweetened. Now I have to go decaf, too, because of a heart rhythm problem, so it is pretty much just flavored water. But it hits the spot.
Comment by Barbara H. — January 14, 2007 @ 8:54 pm
Yeah, switching to hot tea can be a problem if you’re used to iced, which I was. I have now trained myself to like hot tea, but it took some trying around.
My two favorites are 1)Pomegranate Red by Celestial Seasonings (though I am sure other companies make it too). It is made from Rooibus (Roy-bus) red tea from South Africa and some studies show it to be healthier than green teas. With the pomegranate flavor, it is nicely sweet. 2)Black Chai Tea which every company seems to make. It is a spiced tea so has lots of flavor. I don’t know much else about it but that I like it.
Comment by lady laura — January 14, 2007 @ 9:47 pm
Try lots of different herbal teas. I love Rooibus tea, (sometimes called Redbush tea here in the UK), fruit teas, especially the berry ones. My housemate has some gorgeous lotus and orange tea which smells delicious and tastes great. They’re all teas that taste best without milk, apart from Rooibus, which is good with or without. Admitedly I’ve never been a fan of sugar in tea, so my tastes aren’t that sweet.
Comment by Pigwotflies — January 15, 2007 @ 3:53 am
Do you have a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf near you? They make some great teas, and you could always order a cup in the store to try it out!
Also, natural or health food stores, and even Cost Plus usually have a really good variety besides the regular grocery store brands.
Comment by Christy — January 15, 2007 @ 6:46 am
I’m currently hooked on Stash brand teas at Wal Mart. The decaf Vanilla Spice Chai is marvelous! And once you get deprogrammed from sugar - it tastes sweet all by itself! I keep checking the label going “Is there sugar in here somewhere?!”
Comment by blestwithsons — January 15, 2007 @ 6:51 am
This isn’t maybe isn’t that helpful since I don’ t drink tea, however I just wanted to say that I used to drink lots of fruit juice (before I started south beach), but having stayed off them at the beginning I now find that if I do drink them I would need to water them down cos they’re too sweet, and to be honest I just don’t really bother with them at all. So, I guess I’m trying to say although it’s tough at the start, it will get easier!
Comment by Debs — January 15, 2007 @ 11:14 am