Because I grew up on well water that tasted like sulphur, I have never had a taste for water. It just bothers me!

So natch,there are plenty of flavored waters out there, but I don't want the calories and the high fructose corn syrup I also refuse to drink anything containing aspartame, and haven't since I was 15 when they blamed my aunt's love of diet coke for speeding her cancer growth (I've since gone on to do several speeches about the dangers of it).

So I was shopping at Target yesterday (not coincidentally, I was there for a food journal and food scale!) I came across Archer Farms bottled water. Completely unsweetened (ie, no fake sugar or real sugar), 0 cals, and nothing in it that creeps me out.

I got a few bottles of the Spearmint and I love it! Its just a touch of flavor, not like eating toothpaste or anything...drinking healthy and getting fresh breath at the same time.

Anywho...I just wanted to mention it.

Enjoy, but it might be more economical to invest in a water filter (Brita or other brand), a reusable water bottle (I <3 my SIGG) and Crystal Light?

As for your concerns about aspartame, you might check this link from the National Cancer Institute: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/f...AspartameQandA

thats pretty cool, i am always disappointed when i go to get a bottle of the unflavoured mizone water, and look at the label to see that it has just as many chemicals and preservatives as the flavoured water! I guess im lucky in that our tap water is perfectly drinkable, so i really have no excuse :P

Have you ever tried that True Lemon (or Lime or Orange) stuff? It's basically crystallized juice that you can add to water or whatever. It's very convenient! I've tried the lemon and lime, in the little individual packets, both taste just like adding a splash of lemon or lime juice to your water.

I second getting a good water bottle.. having something fun (and cute) to drink my water out of helps so much. I have a Sigg... they aren't selling them online right now, but I found the one I wanted at a grocery store (of all places!).

Flabby,

I am right there with you in refusing to eat or drink anything with artificial sugar (Splenda included). Although, my refusal is more of a health issue for me. Myself, my oldest son, and my father are allergic to them. ALL of them. We get severe migraines from them. I bought 6 cases of Kirkland water from Costco at $4.50 a case. There's 35 bottles in each case. Between hubby and I, we've gone through 4 cases in 2 weeks. This amazes me because I NEVER drank water before I started dieting. I hate water. Hate it hate it hate it! But I'm drinking it. I was a total soda junky and I bought a case of Cokes 2 days before I started dieting and there's 18 of them still in my fridge. I'm really proud of myself for choosing the water over the soda.

I recently cut out all artificial sweeteners from my diet and it was HARD...haha. I used to love a diet coke or two a day and crystal light and I would use sugar free cranberry juice as my mixer when I (very rarely) went drinking with friends. I'm more concerned with its effects as an excitotoxin than anything else...

My new thing is Knudsen's Just Cranberry. It's kind of pricey but I put a splash in my water for flavor. It's very potent and too bitter to drink on its own but it's great because you need so little to make your water taste better. I'm always looking for new things to replace artificial sweeteners and sometimes it's so hard to get my water in.

man i guess i am the rare person who just likes the flavor of plain water

my brita/puree pitcher was one of the best things i have ever bought

though i will say, unfiltered water ( from the tap) that i drink at this point taste almost metallic sort of weird.

I also discovered that artificial sweeteners were a trigger for cluster headaches for me (imagine being stabbed in the side of the head every 5 to 10 minutes for days to weeks at a time). Since I cut them out of my life, my headaches have virtually disappeared.

I lovelovelovelovelovelovelovelove

Did I mention LOVE

the taste of filtered plain jane water.

Mmhmm

I never drank water before i got my Brita water filter and pur water filter for the tap. Our tap water is city water and it tastes and smells like pool water!! WAAAAAAY too much chlorine in it! Seriously I'm not exaggerating when I say it smells and tastes like pool water. We filled our pool and had to put less than a gallon of chlorine in it because our tap water is so chlorinated. I should write the water company or something... that can't be healthy!

I tolerate artificial sweeteners without any problem, but I have heard that they can hinder weight loss? Does anyone know anything about that? Because if that's true, I'm gonna have to wean myself off the caffeine-free diet sodas. I like water fine, but I like to have something OTHER than water about once a day.

i havent heard anything about artificial sweetners being bad for weightloss, just that the chemicals they are made out of are bad for you in general

I do have the big cases of bottled water also, and I do use lemon or lime or other natural flavorings in them, but even with brita filters and the rest, I cannot drink plain water. Even when the smell of sulphur isn't there, I imagine it to be, and I can barely force myself to drink it.

As for aspartame - I've read three full studies and wrote two (published!) compositions on it myself. While I'll never be clear on whether the doctors guiding my aunt's cancer treatment were correct or not, I found more than enough information in my research to completely turn me off of every artificial sweetener except sucralose, and even that I'm extremely hesitant to use.

I have started to drink water with half a lemon squeezed in. I really like the taste and I have noticed it takes away a lot of my bloat (aka - I pee a lot) I just squeeze the lemon into my water bottle in the morning and leave it there when I refill with water.

I am also a HUGE fan of ice water. I adore the taste of ice cold water!!!

Just curious...
Why is it that sucralose seems less harmful or safer to you?

I am sorry you lost your Aunt.