I Drink Too Much Coke

[Chris L]

I'm sure other people here have that problem too, I drink way too much coke, since I was a teenager I've been an addict.:grr: It was easy for me to stop eating meat and Dairy products, but not so for soda. I was wondering if anyone has any good recipes for drinks using sparkling water, fruit juices or something else that might replace soda. Or maybe something from the store that you've tried that helps to quench your thirst. I can't stand lemonade , Just looking for ideas on recipes for natural sodas, some people like smoothies but they're not really a replacement for a soda.:)



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[janie]

You could always replace it with water. :)

[pgor72]

i used to drink a lot of sodas... pops, as Michiganers call it...

i switched to sugar free kool aid.

[froggythefrog]

Moved: I figured this thread was better off in the General Health section.

[Kelleee]

It might be the caffeine you are addicted to. I like Juicy Juice fruit punch. Lots of water is a good way to break addictions.

[hoodedclawjen]

my little bro used to be a complete coke (cola!) fiend. withdrawing from it did cause him to go through a bit of a struggle- he was way more horrible than his usual cranky little bro' self for a week or so- missing all the caffeine and sugar, but he did it!

while its still sugary, to get off the caffiene, (expect to be cranky tired and headachey for a bit while you do this!) you could try drinking a mix of applejuice and soda, or orange juice and soda, fivealive and soda, or any other fruit juice and soda that you like, as a substitute. i personally used to like orange and pineapple juice and soda water, raspberry and orange juice and perrier water (sometimes goes a bit weird and lumpy looking, but still tastes good!) and the horribly sugary mix of grenadine (a sort of cherry-ish cocktail syrup- but you could use a lime cordial instead if you wanted) and lemonade.

in the UK we have drinks like ame (like a vegan non alcoholic wine/cooler drink) orangina (fizzy orange juice) and appletise (fizzy apple juice) as well, which are worth a try if you can find something similar. i've also noticed they have lemon and lime flavoured perrier waters here in canada, i don't like them, but you might.

if you come across them in a store, also try blue sky sodas, they're soooo nice- cream sodas with vanilla, cherry, raspberry, etc! they do have natural sodas in stores too, they do cost more, but they taste the same to me- i think you can also get natural cola style drinks without the caffeine in them too.

a friend of mine really loves elderflower cordial too (dunno if you can get it where you are, but its worth a look in a healthfood store)- i bet that'd be nice made with soda water! keep trying different stuff, and i'm sure you'll find something new that you love!

[kpickell]

I used to be the same way, but then the Coke machine at work stopped carrying Mellow Yellow, so I totally switched to Pepsi and Mountain Dew.

[VegWithEdge]

I'm addicted to diet coke... my dad works for coke so im kind of surrounded by it 24/7

In addition to 70 ounce of water today i have had 4 cans of coke and two glasses at a restraunt. Its so bad for me but i really cant kick the habit.

I went cold turkey and lasted four days.

[MZCsmpsns]

I totally reccomend switching to diet coke, if you haven't already. Then maybe just slowly cut down, and go for tea w/lemon, or some kind of sugar free juice. I've got my pop cravings under control (used to be a mt.dew fanatic) Now when I get a craving, I go for a Diet Caffiene free Pepsi.
Maybe try drinking lots more water so you're not as thirsty.

[MrFalafel]

Homemade iced tea contains as little or as much sugar as you add to it. And is a fraction of the price and additive-free.

[IamJen]

Just mho, but I don't think the diet stuff is much better. You have all the carbonation, phosphoric acid, caffeine, etc. AND you get artificial sweetener.

I'm still struggling, but doing fairly well. I think cold turkey may be the only way to success though, at least for some. I honestly don't believe that I'll ever lose the "taste". Seriously, just sitting here thinking about diet Dr. Pepper...my tongue is wiggling. :D

[Tofu-N-Sprouts]

My kids just discovered the 'Natural Cola' 365 store brand from Whole Foods. (Their over-indulgent auntie gets it for them).

Not as horrid as Coke, me thinks, and I really like that it has no High Fructose Corn Syrup, though I'd really rather they didn't drink any sodas at all. Oh well...

[jenna]

i had to quit cold tofurkey. i finally got the whole family involved in quitting, too. it made it easier to not have it in the house at all. that stuff is so addictive.

so, i hadn't had it on months and months...and months. finally, today we decided to get some, just because. and my favorite, wild cherry pepsi, tastes... odd to me now.

[karenlovessnow]

No more soda for me. Mainly because I refuse to drink my calories. Not a big fan of diet. I used to love Coke. I might have some once/twice a year. I'm always surprised at just how good it still tastes to me everytime I do have it.

[Lothar M Kirsch]

The problem with coke and soda pops in general is the contents of phosphoric acid. Too much of it and you loose calcium, and loosing too much calcium results in osteoporosis.
Any tea or water would be better.

[prairie_girl]

Try making your own italian sodas. You know the flavoured syrups Starbucks puts in their coffee? Or any coffee place, they make them in fruit flavours, buy a bottle of your favourite (mine's Cherry or Grape) and put them in Club Soda.

[Banshee Beat!]

uhhh, i know how your feeling. I am addicted to coke zero. It tastes fantasic and has no calories, so i have a hard time telling myself not to drink it. Try replacing the soda with iced tea. I drink it w/o sugar, so its healthy, but still has a taste. I am down from 4 cokes a day to 1 or 2. Keep trying! :)

[Kataka]

When I was in plays in high school, I would get so addicted to coke! It was so easy to run through a drive-thru(pre-veg*n) before rehearsal. I would get so addicted, it was ridiculous! I would get so angry if my mom would tell me to make a sandwich instead of getting fast food! It takes time to kick the habit, but you can do it! It's easier for me, I think, because I don't like soda as much as most people(I prefer soda when it's mostly flat). I don't have any suggestions for replacements...but, I wish you luck! :)

[courgette]

I drink cranberry juice every day. I use the Just Cranberry variety, because it has no high fructose corn syrup....it has nothing but cranberry juice.

It is pretty tart, however, so I mix it with some steviaplus. Then I add 12 oz cold seltzer to 8 oz of my sweetened cranberry juice. It works best if the juice and seltzer are both cold.

You might be able to do this with any flavor juice you prefer.

[goettling]

I am just addicted to the carbonation in pop. It's not even the caffeine for me at all, cuz sometimes I drink the caffeine free. Tea will not cut it for me.

Oh well, I am sure there is worse stuff out there to be addicted too.

[Jinga]

I'm an insane Diet Coke addict myself. I'm sure I've had 4-5 today. I drank the last DC in my house tonight and don't plan on buying more. I've quit several times and restarted so I don't have any tips for the long term. However, I do have some ideas that have worked for me short term.

- If possible, don't keep soda in the house.
- Don't carry change if your work/school has soda machines that you frequent.
- Calculate the amount of money you spend on soda each month. Imagine what else you could buy instead.
- Think of a charity you'd like to help. Every time you're tempted, place your soda money in a jar. The guilt of 'stealing' money from someone who needs it more might be enough to kill the craving.
- When you have a craving, eat a mint. Mints and soda are a nasty combo.
- Do research on the negative aspects of Coke (environmental, physical, etc.).



Homemade iced tea contains as little or as much sugar as you add to it. And is a fraction of the price and additive-free.

I love to make iced tea, just not the typical sort. I used tea bags meant for hot tea. It adds just a little bit of flavor when I get tired of the plain stuff.

[sarahjayn1980]

Ah, another coke head. I'm a Diet Coke Head, myself. I gave it up for Lent this year, and the complete cut-off made me want it less. Now I drink one a day, if that.

[Jinga]

You're my hero.

[Fyvel]

Take out a bowl. Now go get your sugar. Take a teaspoon and measure out a teaspoon of sugar into the bowl. Now add another. And another. And another. And another. And another. And another. And another. And another. And another.

Ok, what you have in your bowl is 10 teaspoons of sugar. Just about the same as what is in one can of Coke (or Pepsi). Think about THAT every time you reach for a can. :spew: (It worked for me).

[KC_VeganVixen]

Izze (http://www.izze.com) is really good. I dunno if it'll help you get over regular soda, but it's worth a try. :)