I rarely drink just plain ol' water. It tastes just way too bland to me. On occassion I will drink it at the gym or at work. I was running around the supermarket and found that Crytal Light makes DELICIOUS mixes you can add to water. I looked at the packaging and it says 0g of sugar and somewhere around 5 calories depending on the flavoring. How healthy are these drink mixes really? Am I road blocking myself by using this product?

Healthy? No, in that they contain little or no nutrients that plain water doesn't provide.

Unhealthy? Depends on your point of view. Artificial sweeteners are controversial. Some of the arguments against artificial sweeteners are compelling, and some of them are a whole lot of bull hooey. A lot of the negative information is actually misinformation, either false or misleading. For example aspartame does indeed break down into trace amounts of formaldehyde - but this isn't unusual or harmful. Many very healthy foods produce higher (though still safe) concentrations of formaldehyde.

Personally, I've dieted with artificial sweeteners, and I've dieted without them, and for me I didn't see any difference (and no apparent ill effects). I have far worse effects from sugar.

If you like Crystal Light, Walmart has a storebrand (Great Value) that is half the price and comes in many of the same flavors as Crystal Light (I suspect they're actually the same product, made in the same facility - because until recently the inner packaging was identical, down to the print on the foil lids. Crystal Light has switched to packets, and the Great Value still uses foil sealed plastic tubs).

They are fine as long as you don't care about consuming nothing but chemicals. You could lean to drink plain water by putting the Crystal Light in you water and adding more water every few days.

I go back and forth on the artificial sweeteners. I use them sometimes, but try not to too much. What bugs me even more about Crystal Light, etc is the obscene amount of food coloring they use! Ugh. WHY?! I try to guess which flavors might have less, like lemonade, haha

I sometimes put Torani/DaVinci sugarfree syrups in seltzer water. Splenda, but no coloring, at least in the vanilla flavor.

Mostly I drink plain water (don't love it - but I can drink the most if it is chilled, without ice) and seltzer water (plain or with a squirt of lemon/lime juice) and lots of diluted teas.

I drink water 80% of the time, the rest is milk, crystal light and my occasional ice coffee. Water gets boring after a while. There is no direct health benefit to drinking crystal light, BUT if it keeps you from drinking something that high calorie or not good for you (soda, sugary drinks) Then I say do it. Just do it in moderation. I have a glass every couple of days.

A healthy alternative would be to use fresh lemon, orange, or lime slices. Maybe you could even try adding in a strawberry or some raspberries to it. Personally, I enjoy plain water, and never really cared for crystal light.

If you really don't like drinking water, which I can relate to, flavored waters might be ok for you. I can't do it because the more artificial sweeteners I have the more bad stuff I crave. It may be totally in my head, or some chemical reaction, but if I have artificial sweeteners at all, even in diet pop, I end up having cravings for starches and sugar and it takes me a couple of days to get back on track. That's just me though.

My husband loves the Crystal Light stuff and drinks it regularly. Some of the dyes will stain plastic and counter tops, though, so be forewarned. Red is the worst!

I went to a spa once that had pitchers of water sitting out. In it they had orange, lemon and lime slices floating in it. It tasted SO good! I ended up having 3 glasses while I waited for my hair appointment. I made some at home and had a 2 quart pitcher completely drained in 2 days.

I say go for it! If it keeps you hydrated, that's all that matters!

I doubt I have 2 glasses of plain water a month. I mostly drink generic diluted crystal lite (twice the water) but I started out drinking diet sodas all the time. I only dilute it because in the summer I was drinking a gallon a day, and the calories were adding up. I've lost weight fine on it.

Yeah I don't like drinking plain water either. I drink crystal lite, or diet coke, or tea with splenda. So far so good - I haven't noticed any ill effects at all on me or my weight loss efforts. I'm not going to say all those chemicals are healthy, but oh well!

the aspartame in crystal light gives me the worst headaches- i had to swear off artificial sweetners years ago- and have not looked back. i agree- adding some fruit juice to your water, a small amount, is a great solution- or just put your water in a fancy glass with ice and make it a treat. t hat's what i do!

I drink water all the time. But every now & then, I like to mix it up with Crystal Light. Especially the peach one, it tastes really good. I see no harm in it really.

I am a crystal light drinker. It helps when I need a taste of something and it is off mealtimes. I think it is better for me then being fat or diet sodas and I consume alot more "water" when it is mixed with crystal light.