# How do I free myself from my Crystal Light addiction?



## GruppieGirl (Feb 19, 2002)

OK, I'm totally serious. I am addicted to Crystal Light Pink Lemonade and can't find an alternative.

I started drinking pink lemonade crystal light drink mix in middle school. Every day a thermos of it would appear in my lunch box and then I would drink more when I got home from school. Back then I had no idea that it was laden with fake sweeteners and other chemicals that I ccouldn't/can't pronounce. I still drink aprox. 1 large pitcher/day. I love the stuff!

In addition to the crystal light I drink a few glasses of water and a soda or two each day. I am what you would probably call a big drinker.

Everyone here has been talking about how bad artificial sweeteners are for years. Now the news has hit the mainstream media. I don't want to give myself cancer by my large sweetener consumption. But here is the thing; it's cheap, easy and tastes good.

As for food my diet is rich in whole, natural and organic foods.

Can anyone help???









PS I cannot stand the taste of coffee or tea.


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## EricaLeigh (Apr 25, 2005)

I have a couple suggestions. First is squeezing a wedge of fresh lemon into your water. I like to do this once in a while instead of just plain old water. I do weight watchers so I'm always drinking water! The other thing I like is "flavored seltzer". It is not sweetened with anything. I don't drink it everyday but it is nice a change. My favorite is vanilla, I also really like wild cherry. I have only seen the vanilla made by polar. If you really don't like seltzer you can try mixing it with juice & try to wean yourself slowly off the juice.








Hi Averysmom! I hope to see you on Wednesday!


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## momto l&a (Jul 31, 2002)

We drink sweet lemon green rooibos tea from www.specialteas.com

Rooibos tea is good for us and the flavor of the above mentioned is sooooooo good

Its not your typical tea taste.


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## The4OfUs (May 23, 2005)

I would start to make the drink mix weaker and weaker (less and less powder) until you're down to plain water.

Ditto on the flavored seltzer, if you like it - It tastes "salty" to me though, so I'm not into it. I'm a cold tea drinker, myself.

After you get to the plain water, you could try making a pitcher of homemade lemonade, and see if you can get hooked on that instead







! I don't know much about alternative natural sweeteners (I use regular old sugar, which I know makes many here shudder, or honey) but I'm sure some mama out there must have a "real" lemonade recipe that uses a natural sweetener!!


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## 2babybees (May 7, 2005)

I am an artificial sweetener junkie in rehab right now. The two things that are helping me make it through are flavored(not the fake sweetened kind)seltzer water/sparkling mineral water and rooibos tea. I am not a big ice tea fan at all but rooibos is definitely different. Very light, not bitter at all with a hint of sweetness.

You can do it mama. The first weeks are the hardest. Just keep it out of the house. Use some honey or sucanat for the tea if you need a flavor boost. Your tastebuds will adjust. A few months from now you will not be able to stand the artificial stuff.


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## ~pi (May 4, 2005)

I second the ideas about homemade lemonade or lemon squeezed in water.

Other ideas:

- lemon or lime slices in water (or, since it's pink lemonade you like, what about red grapefruit?)

- ice cubes with fresh cranberries, fresh mint leaves, etc. frozen into them

- if you're OK with sparkling water, what about sparkling mineral water?

Quote:


Originally Posted by *averysmom*
I don't want to give myself cancer by my large sweetener consumption.

I don't know what you've seen that makes you think this is a concern, but FWIW, I do medical research and did a huge lit review on this once when my mom was concerned about aspartame. She got one of those hoax emails that went on and on about all the diseases that are mimicked by aspartame and it freaked her out.









There is a ton of research on the stuff (since I was doing it in my spare time, it took me weeks to get through it all!) and the bottom line is that unless you have PKU or have migraines that are triggered by aspartame, there is no credible evidence to suggest that it's harmful. It's certainly not carcinogenic at human consumption levels.

Personally, I'm all for avoiding it, but only because it is an artificial chemical that provides no nutrients. So if you're aiming for a natural, whole foods diet, it just makes sense to stay away from the chemicals!


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## Bia (Oct 21, 2004)

Read the book Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills by Russell Blaylock, M.D.


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## member (Apr 15, 2002)

Actually, a new and very thorough study out of Italy has linked aspartame to blood cancers.

Quote:

The rats in the study were fed various doses of aspartame throughout their lives. In female but not male rats, lymphoma and leukemia were significantly associated with daily aspartame doses as low as 20 milligrams (mg) per kilogram (kg) of body weight. And there was a trend toward these cancers at doses as low as 4 mg/kg of body weight.

To reach a dose of 20 mg/kg, a 140-pound woman would need to drink three cans of diet soda a day. A 180-pound man would need to drink four cans of diet soda a day.
From: WebMD

Even those who say "we have nothing to worry about" (ha!) say that the study was thorough and the USA should do more testing.


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## ~pi (May 4, 2005)

Selu Gigage, my understanding was that the results of that Italian study were not repeatable. I could be wrong, though. I didn't follow that issue in detail.









In any case, I think there are good reasons to avoid artificial sweeteners, namely, that they are artificial.


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## member (Apr 15, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *~pi*
Selu Gigage, my understanding was that the results of that Italian study were not repeatable. I could be wrong, though. I didn't follow that issue in detail.









In any case, I think there are good reasons to avoid artificial sweeteners, namely, that they are artificial.









It's definitely possible. One of my favorite blogging scientists tore it up, I found, because it was not great science even though he agrees with the results.

Definitely. Splenda was my weakness for several years and I am so glad that I never use it now, as many of my gastric issues just disappeared.


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## annekevdbroek (Jun 5, 2005)

I"m very interested to read this thread - I thought I was the only one with a Crystal Light addiction. Serious, addiction- to the Pineapple Orange flavor. It tastes sooooo good. I try getting unsweetened fizzy water (which I also love) but it is so darn expensive...... I'll look into the teas. At least I don't particularly like soda so I've avoided that trap thus far.


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## mamatosage (Apr 4, 2004)

I just wanted to add that I've been in the same boat on and off for years.
I just read a study in a health mag that says aspartame consumption is linked to depression due to the messing with your insulin and how the body recognizes the aspartame.
I've been trying to switch to cold berry tea that I leave in the fridge with a bit of agave nectar for sweetner.
Believe me I understand the addiction!


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## EnviroBecca (Jun 5, 2002)

Even easier than squeezing a wedge of lemon into your water is adding a slosh of bottled lemon juice.

Try herbal teas in citrus-type flavors. You can brew a big batch in a stainless steel mixing bowl and pour it into a pitcher when it cools. If you must sweeten it, use a small amount of honey or sugar and dissolve it in while the tea is hot.

Quote:

the bottom line is that unless you have PKU or have migraines that are triggered by aspartame, there is no credible evidence to suggest that it's harmful.
I have a reaction to aspartame that's sort of simultaneous hunger and nausea with dizziness and ringing in the ears. I'm not sure if it's an allergy or a metabolic reaction (body expecting calories when there are none to be digested) but I've talked to several other people who've had it. Anyway, if you don't have that, it's not a concern....


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