So, I'm a sweet tooth. I used to drink Soda a ton when I was younger. I've officially kicked that habit. But, I once in a while drink a can of pop. Only problem, is that I'm prone to getting kidney stones. It seems that everytime I drink anything with sugar, I get serious pains in my left side. I associate the pain with kidney stones because it's the exact pain I get when they start up on me. It's usually a pain in the left side under my below and shoots down a little to my left testicle.

Anyways, I've completely taken to water, but if I craze that once in a while taste of sweetness, what are some alternatives? Any drinks without sugar I should look into? Also, no diet soda either.

Thanks!

Flavored sparkling water

Become a tea aficionado! Iced tea has no calories and tastes good (albeit different) unsweetened or sweetened. It's also one of the few drinks in which I find artificial sweeteners tolerable (assuming you aren't allergic or otherwise sensitive to artificial sweeteners, that is).

It's also really tasty with a litle mint.

I really like mineral water (sparkling water) with lemon or orange squeezed in to it.

Thanks guys, I'll look into all of those.

I drink water 99.9% of the time. Sometimes I get a craving for something with flavor and love MetroMint water, particularly the peppermint. It's not sweet, but the blast of mint is really refreshing.

I do a 12 oz can of seltzer (sometimes plan, sometimes flavored) with about 4 oz (sometimes less) of 100% juice. (I like cranberry best) It will run you about 40 calories or so depending on the juice and the brand... and it makes a refreshing treat!

My main beverages are water, coffee, and tea. I sometimes squeeze a wedge of lemon, lime, or even orange into my water. I've also added fresh mint or a slice of cucumber to my water for a refreshing taste in the summer.

I've made regular kool-aid with Stevia before, and that tastes a little bit like Crystal Lite.

Try those seltzers that Knudsen makes (I think you can order them online too), much better for you than pop/soda. And I second the tea - especially green tea!

Cold coconut water. Yummy! Unless you also crave the fizzyness of a soda then I agree with the flavored sparkling water.

Fruit-infused water. Not the artificially sweetened kind, but just water with a little fruit flavor. You can make it yourself by adding a couple of pieces of fruit, like melon, mango, or berries, to a pitcher of water (fish the fruit out after a 1/2 day or so). You can even use just a few pieces of dried fruit, rather than fresh fruit. Or sometimes you can find it in pre-bottled at specialty or high-end grocery stores (like Whole Foods).

Trader Joe's also sometimes sells dried hibiscus flowers and I've thrown a couple of those into a pitcher of water. They add a nice, subtle flavor.