T Nation

Beverage Recommendations

Supplements and Nutrition
#1

Well I cut out sodas almost utterly out of my diet awhile ago, I hardly ever drink milk and if I do it’s skim, I’m basically down to only 2 beverages that I drink alot of all day…

Regular water, either tap or Crystal Springs Purified Bottled Water shit that my mom buys…

Or a glass of Lipton brewed (100% Natural is on the yellow box) iced tea.

Only problem with the iced tea I can think of, is sugar. I cant stand unsweetened iced tea and so I always sweeten it.

I’m guessing thats bad right? Sugar = bad generally. So I’m asking for advice, whats a better sweetener that wont sabotage my goals to use in regular iced tea? Lemon juice? I tried honey but I can barely taste it. Should I just force myself to enjoy it un-sweetened? I ain’t looking forwards to that, but whatever it takes… Lemon juice doesn’t sound like a bad idea though…

Also, I keep hearing the praises of green tea sung here, which is all good and well but do you guys drink it cold or are you talking about hot brewed green tea?

And what can you sweeten green tea with thats good (for you)?

Thanks guys, sooner I get my diet figured out, sooner I can start Rippetoes SS and get on the road to my goals.

#2

Splenda? Sucralose is heat stable and if you get the little tablet instead of the sachets - they are pretty much calorie free. Also has none of the negativities associated with aspartame.

Personally I love it unsweetened - green tea that is.

#3

[quote]benmoore wrote:

Personally I love it unsweetened - green tea that is.[/quote]

x2

I drink my green tea cold and unsweetened.
I’ m actually having some right now.

#4

If not for the cost, Snapple Diet Green Tea ia a nice drink (sweetened with sucralose.)

I like the sugar-free lemonades as well, e.g. Tropicana (also sweetened with sucralose.)

But the costs of those really add up.

These days what I do is buy some concentrates of especially-healthy fruits, namely a small bottle each of blueberry, pomegranate, and tart cherry, and a mixed product that’s mostly açai but also has other things. Plus sometimes some organic cranberry juice (not concentrated, just on account of what I can get.)

These all get added to a 2 liter bottle and then each day a little bit is added to as many 2 liter bottles of water as I consume. It takes a month to go through the entire 2 liter bottle of juice concentrates.

While admittedly this adds 150 calories a day or so of sugars from the juice concentrates, there’s never very much at any one time and so that’s not bad. And I get even more antioxidants than I would get from using just Superfood, I get them throughout the day and evening instead of just at one shot, it’s very tasty, and though the concentrates are expensive the total cost is less than a month’s worth of Snapples or sugar-free lemonade.

#5

why no milk?

milk is fantastic. (whole milk is my preferred drink)

#6

I’m with Bill. I buy big bottles of a quality pomegranate, acai, etc. and put a splash in my iced tea or water. A wedge of lemon or lime tops it off and there’s just enough sweetness.

You’ll get used to less sweet drinks and foods if you keep consuming them. I’m having my oatmeal right now with a sprinkle of dried cranberries and a dash of cinnamon. Tastes just right to me. Most packaged foods are so sweet now that they make my teeth hurt.

#7

Milk… is skim milk fine?

Btw, is capuccino mix bad?

Also, Kruiser that sounds awesome, but cinnamon isn’t bad for you? I woulda thought that’d count as sugar.

If its not I’m gonna be elated.

#8

start with skim if you must.
work your way up to whole.

more calories
more protien
more other things

more better.
more you.

#9

Has anybody ever used that instant green tea stuff (I think matcha is a really popular brand)? I really love iced green tea, unsweetened. But I’ve always hated the prep for making a shitload of iced tea…

#10

[quote]scanzler wrote:
Milk… is skim milk fine?

Btw, is capuccino mix bad?

Also, Kruiser that sounds awesome, but cinnamon isn’t bad for you? I woulda thought that’d count as sugar.

If its not I’m gonna be elated. [/quote]

Cinnamon isn’t bad for you and it isn’t sweet at all, you are probably thinking of cinnamon & sugar which isn’t ideal. I have seen that they make cinnamon & splenda that comes pre-mixed in a plastic shaker which could be argued is better for you than cinnamon & sugar.

#11

bodybuilding.com sells some liquid splenda. no dextrose or maltodextrin and you need like 3 drops per 16 oz of drink so it lasts forever. try that. yes making green tea sucks but i drink about a half gallon of green tea per day. so just make it.

#12

[quote]cpcloud wrote:
yes making green tea sucks but i drink about a half gallon of green tea per day. so just make it.
[/quote]

True, it’s not that hard or anything. But if I could do without the boiling of water, pouring over ice, wasting of tea bags, etc. It’d be nice. So if anybody has tried this stuff, speak up. They sell it at a Japanese grocery store near me.

#13

ummm, just a tip for some people. From what i’ve been told at least. Tea bags give practically no nutritional value for drinking tea. You need to get loose leaf tea to get the benefits. That comes from an owner of a Popeye’s

#14

I am in a generous mood with all the 19 year olds nipping at my appendages lately, so here it goes:

Go to Trader Joe’s and purchase their (dirt cheap) bottles of green tea flavored (but not sweetened) with bergamot and orange.

Buy a pack of Lipton’s Mango & Orange sugar free flavoring. Mix half a packet of this in about 16 oz of the green tea, shake it up and let it chill.

Form a single file line to kiss my right hand. No cutting.

#15

Too bad this Trader Joe place has yet to put any stores in Alabama or Florida. Y’know I’d think Florida would be high on their priority list but I guess their retarded. And I’m moving back to FL in Nov. if all things go well.

I’ll try getting some Splenda drops or tablets.