ok, kinda scared to ask this but here goes....

At an early stage of my lifestyle change, I gave up sugar colas...
I would have the occasional lemonade...
Later, I gave up the lemonade because most of them held as much sugar as the pop....

A friend on weight watchers was always swearing about crystal light, so I tried it. The Natural Lemonade Flavor -- was/is the bomb!!! can't believe it's 5 calories / serving...

Here is the rub - I drink 2.2 litres (8 cups) minimum daily of water/crystal light.. I "get it in" easier when it is the crystal light...

A couple of times, I just fill up my 2.2 litre jug with crystal light natural lemonade... I drink the whole thing in one day (2.2 litres)...

I am wondering if I am overloading on something?

I love this stuff -
Let me know your thoughts, please

The Orange One

I just looked at the nutrition label on some of mine (mine aren't crystal light, but I have ocean spray and a generic). The only thing I can see that might be a problem would be the vitamin C. Obviously vitamin C is good for you, but these have 100% DV in each serving. I don't have enough posts yet to post any links, but I found some articles about getting too much vitamin C. If you google "too much vitamin C" several will come up. Read some of those and see what you think.

Other than that, I don't see anything else that could potentially be harmful. I'm by no means a nutritionist, though! If those articles make you double-think drinking so much of it, maybe try only using half of what you normally use (if you use the single packets, just use half a packet per bottle of water). That would still give the water some flavor, but will cut your Vitamin C intake by half.

I don't know about others, but I was avoiding the crystal light for ages. And then I started it, and it helped with the weight loss because I went from not drinking enough, to drinking more and more.

I think if you are concerned about the amount of crystal light you are drinking, but it really helps with getting down your liquids, I would dilute the drink so that you use less and less of the crystal light, but still have enough to get some flavour.

I think it is aspartame? You are probably getting a lot of that every day. It is hard to get too much vitamin C, it is good for you and you, ummm, get rid of whatever you don't need of it.

If you want another option, stevia is a natural sweetener made from a plant that you can use in tea and such, just like you would use Sweet n Low or something, but it does not have the artificial stuff in it. I had a huge soda habit which I kicked a while back and lost 30 pounds...but started it again and just recently stopped again. That alone is a great way to lose weight for someone who has been a heavy soda drinker.

I also like Coke Zero, although it has artificial sweeteners in it too, so I don't drink too much of it.

This is a good question. I think that you will get quite a few answers and it all depends on what you consider "good" and "bad".

It's low calories, and can even make your daily water intake feel like less of a chore. The flavors it comes in are amazing, and I, myself was a fan of the cherry pomegranate. It is definitely a better alternative that full calorie sodas/juices. I have a hard time justifying liquid calories, and at 10 calories a packet, It's hard to go wrong. I give it points for that.

However, it's main ingredient is aspartame. There are mixed feelings about aspartame, even on this board. I am currently kicking a diet coke habit, and posted on the forums, you can read others responses here.

After posting in the 3FC forum I decided to try cutting out all artificial sweeteners and see if it made a difference. It DOES! Like others posted, I have more energy, and I feel like my mind is clear. One person posted something that really struck a cord to me... Artificial sweeteners are a chemical made in a lab. Make sure you educate yourself about it, and make an informed decision on weather or not it's something you are okay putting in your body.

I really love this stuff! I know what they say about the asparatame, but I do drink so much more water when I add this. I forget to drink or don't even really look fowrad to drinking as much when is just water.

LOL!! This is true! I gave myself vitamin C "overdose" when I was pregnant. I was eating 1 or 2 FIVE POUND BAGS of oranges every day! I just couldn't get enough!!! The "overdose" symptoms are basically diarrhea, headache, fatigue, nausea... If you are feeling any of those symptoms, maybe cool it on the Crystal light.

i doubt the vitamin C would be an issue. some vitamin C pills have as much as 2500% the daily value, the fact is that your body doesnt absorb most of it. you'd have to drink a WHOLE lot of crystal light to get that much. 25 servings just to get as much as is in the supplements and at 8 oz a serving... well, you can see where im going.

aspartame gets a lot of bad press, but id recommend checking out this article in wikipedia about the controversy surrounding it. IMHO, its not anything to get too worried about. if its helping you drink your water, i say go for it. i drink it now and then myself.

durp, i didnt link the article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame#Controversy

I do drink Crystal Light and similar drinks fairly frequently I also buy regular "Kool-Aid" packets and make my own drink mix using Splenda, which I prefer to aspartame.

The Great Value (Walmart brand) of drink mix comes in nearly as many flavors as Crystal Light (I actually suspect they are made in the same plant, because the lemonade, peach, and peach tea - tasteidentical to me). The Walmart versions are usually about 1/2 the price or less compared to Crystal Light.

I agree that the artificial sweeteners are the main concern. Only a few of the flavors have the vitamin C (although I've heard that long-term mega-doses of vitamin C can contribute to kidney stones, but the risk is actually fairly low). The biggest risk of large doses of vitamin C in chewable tablets and in drinks, is errosion of tooth enamel. High acid food and drinks can erode the enamel (slowly, over years of daily overuse), so if you're going to drink alot of the acidic drinks, it wouldn't hurt to rinse your mouth between beverages, or at least a couple times a day.

I have always had thin tooth enamel (a congenital condition, my dentist says), so I tend to be a bit overcautious in that area.

I love this board !!!

Thanks for the wikepedia link, Julia

Thanks for the walmart tip, Kaplods

Thanks for the laugh, Kaybelle
As one who is prone to excesses, I know it wasn't an enjoyable experience
But It created a funny picture in my mind... got tickled seeing you surrounded
by oranges!

What a great team this board is!!

Current decision = based on information so far, no side effects noted. Just my fear that, and I think you all understand this,
most everything in my life that concerns food that I love.... Have all been shown to be bad for me - LOL.

I just think this stuff is the BOMB for an old pop junkie like myself.
I was just struggling in my mind, with something I love, not being bad for me ... ya know???

Love you all ---
The Orange One

Amen, sister, Amen to that... I resemble that remark!
Pop is the first best start to better health, drop it now.

The Coke Zero w/ Cherry is my vote
But hard to find and most excellent is Diet Dr. Pepper w/Cherry

Love the handle, I C me thinner, I see you too....
The Orange One

ocean spray diet cran pomegrante is also really good I don't drink tons of it but when I do I dilute it with water by half full strength it's 5 calories a serving.

When I first began, I weaned myself from my D Coke addiction, onto Crystal Light. Eventually, I did go to water with lemon or oranges in it. For me, the CL was a better alternative than the DC. I don't feel "right" after drinking lots of DC-I don't seem to have the reaction with CL.

Oh, and ditto what Julia said about the Vitamin C.