They’re still high in sugar relative to how much you are likely to consume, and don’t offer the fiber or unprocessed-ness of entire fruit. It would usually be better to either eat a piece of fruit or drink water. (I ignore this advice because I hate water, so when I thirst between meals I drink juice.)
Incidentally, the lack of fiber is important for diabetics to consider. My grandmother is diabetic and is prone to insulin shock. She was told to drink fruit juice if she feels woozy. Well, she prefers fresh fruit, and she felt woozy one day and ate a peach. That pushed into full blown shock and another trip to the hospital. I had to explain to her that the fiber in fruit is like plant-based insulin—it prevents sugar from being used quickly. That’s why it’s important for healthy eating, but exactly the reason she needs to drink fruit juice to prevent diabetic shock.
I don’t like water myself. In my part of the world (a corner of India) we generally drink water boiled with a herbal powder and then cooled.
When the herbal powder is not available we just boil water with a pinch of cumin seeds. Not sure if you’ll like the taste any better than plain water though..
Ok—well on a related note… I find that I only like the taste of water if I’m actually thirsty… if I’m just drinking as a kind of fidgeting (or when some diet-book had told me I should “drink 8 cups a day”) I hate the taste too.
YMMV, of course, but worth considering.
As to the “8 cups a day”—my aunt’s a dietician and she says that the 8-cups is inclusive of the water that you consume via other sources (eg in your food or your morning cuppa joe)… whereas most diet books assume it’s 8-cups on top of all your other dietary sources.
There’s no evidence that 8 cups a day does any good—I can’t find a link, but when the debunking first came out, it turned out that there was no source for the idea that 8 cups a day was worthwhile.
I’ve found that drinking until it’s no longer a pleasure (I generally don’t mind the taste of water, though I think Aquafina tastes of plastic) leaves me feeling better than just drinking until I’m not thirsty, and the former takes a good bit more water.
Yup—I also recall that the human sense of thirst is particularly unreliable (though cannot remember the source).
It’s definitely less reliable than the sense of hunger—and we all know that that can be faulty.
There’s a “dieting trick” that I’ve heard of whereby if you feel a little like snacking—you should first try drinking a glass of water… because your body can often mistake one for the other.
Around here, Chinese restaurants tend towards jasmine tea
Jasmine oolong specifically? (I read once that oolong was the traditional kind of tea to drink after/during a Chinese meal, but haven’t seen any sources for it.)
Light-colored? Probably a kind of green, then; oolongs are usually pretty dark-colored (but on the other hand, greens can get bitter if they sit for a while).
You hate water? That seems like a very odd thing to hate.
Try learning to gulp rather than drink water. Or, what is the minimally flavored liquid you can consume that isn’t water? Are you already drinking 3:1 water:juice or something? Or why not drink low calorie liquids?
I’ve watered down some juices in the past, though usually thick ones that contain purées instead of just juice. I can drink water without hating it too much if I am really thirsty and if it’s really cold. I will tend to drink water automatically if there is some nearby (and wind up drinking a whole lot of it at restaurants). With meals (that do not take place at restaurants) I drink skim milk.
Though, like you, I really dislike water. Unfortunately, I’m trying to cut back on my Dr. Pepper intake and the only other thing I find convenient is water.
Yeah, I do. The water in my grandma’s house is less pleasant than most others (she lives in a suburb of Buffalo). I live in Durham, NC now and the water here is about as good as it gets.
Everyone in my area (Lincoln NE) hates the local tap water, but I think that it’s fine. They think that I’m going to die or something, while I think that they’re all chumps.
Having lived in Lincoln and enjoyed the nicely watery tap water, I think they’re just looking for something to grouse about. You often see groups of people start to dislike something because the rest of the group speaks ill of it, in a positive feedback loop.
Water is mostly tasteless, so people’s perceptions of its taste are especially sensitive to weird psychological stuff.
I think you’re mistaken, or at least I find—without discussing it with anyone—that the taste of Philadelphia tap water varies a lot—from good to nasty.
Not unless your tap water really sucks. (e.g. Adelaide levels of suck, rather than mere London levels of suck.) Given this is a matter of taste, do whatever tastes nice to you—first-world tap water is unlikely to harm you.
They’re still high in sugar relative to how much you are likely to consume, and don’t offer the fiber or unprocessed-ness of entire fruit. It would usually be better to either eat a piece of fruit or drink water. (I ignore this advice because I hate water, so when I thirst between meals I drink juice.)
Incidentally, the lack of fiber is important for diabetics to consider. My grandmother is diabetic and is prone to insulin shock. She was told to drink fruit juice if she feels woozy. Well, she prefers fresh fruit, and she felt woozy one day and ate a peach. That pushed into full blown shock and another trip to the hospital. I had to explain to her that the fiber in fruit is like plant-based insulin—it prevents sugar from being used quickly. That’s why it’s important for healthy eating, but exactly the reason she needs to drink fruit juice to prevent diabetic shock.
I don’t like water myself. In my part of the world (a corner of India) we generally drink water boiled with a herbal powder and then cooled.
When the herbal powder is not available we just boil water with a pinch of cumin seeds. Not sure if you’ll like the taste any better than plain water though..
Cumin seeds are an interesting possibility. I might try that sometime.
Try tea—works for the English (among others) :)
I don’t like tea, except the kind they serve at Chinese restaurants, and that I only like with two or three little packets of sugar per teacup.
Ok—well on a related note… I find that I only like the taste of water if I’m actually thirsty… if I’m just drinking as a kind of fidgeting (or when some diet-book had told me I should “drink 8 cups a day”) I hate the taste too.
YMMV, of course, but worth considering.
As to the “8 cups a day”—my aunt’s a dietician and she says that the 8-cups is inclusive of the water that you consume via other sources (eg in your food or your morning cuppa joe)… whereas most diet books assume it’s 8-cups on top of all your other dietary sources.
There’s no evidence that 8 cups a day does any good—I can’t find a link, but when the debunking first came out, it turned out that there was no source for the idea that 8 cups a day was worthwhile.
I’ve found that drinking until it’s no longer a pleasure (I generally don’t mind the taste of water, though I think Aquafina tastes of plastic) leaves me feeling better than just drinking until I’m not thirsty, and the former takes a good bit more water.
Yup—I also recall that the human sense of thirst is particularly unreliable (though cannot remember the source).
It’s definitely less reliable than the sense of hunger—and we all know that that can be faulty.
There’s a “dieting trick” that I’ve heard of whereby if you feel a little like snacking—you should first try drinking a glass of water… because your body can often mistake one for the other.
Around here, Chinese restaurants tend towards jasmine tea. If you care, you could ask someone who knows about tea what’s typical in your area.
Jasmine oolong specifically? (I read once that oolong was the traditional kind of tea to drink after/during a Chinese meal, but haven’t seen any sources for it.)
I don’t know. It tastes flowery, is light-colored, and doesn’t get bitter if it sits for a while.
Light-colored? Probably a kind of green, then; oolongs are usually pretty dark-colored (but on the other hand, greens can get bitter if they sit for a while).
It’s possible that I don’t leave jasmine tea that long.
You hate water? That seems like a very odd thing to hate.
Try learning to gulp rather than drink water. Or, what is the minimally flavored liquid you can consume that isn’t water? Are you already drinking 3:1 water:juice or something? Or why not drink low calorie liquids?
I’ve watered down some juices in the past, though usually thick ones that contain purées instead of just juice. I can drink water without hating it too much if I am really thirsty and if it’s really cold. I will tend to drink water automatically if there is some nearby (and wind up drinking a whole lot of it at restaurants). With meals (that do not take place at restaurants) I drink skim milk.
Does the quality of the water matter? Tap vs. filtered vs. various brands of bottled?
It matters, but not the way you’d think—I prefer tap water to filtered (have successfully distinguished them in a blind test) and hate bottled.
Same for me.
Though, like you, I really dislike water. Unfortunately, I’m trying to cut back on my Dr. Pepper intake and the only other thing I find convenient is water.
Do you have preferences (or at least lower distaste levels) about tap water from different areas?
Yeah, I do. The water in my grandma’s house is less pleasant than most others (she lives in a suburb of Buffalo). I live in Durham, NC now and the water here is about as good as it gets.
Everyone in my area (Lincoln NE) hates the local tap water, but I think that it’s fine. They think that I’m going to die or something, while I think that they’re all chumps.
Having lived in Lincoln and enjoyed the nicely watery tap water, I think they’re just looking for something to grouse about. You often see groups of people start to dislike something because the rest of the group speaks ill of it, in a positive feedback loop.
Water is mostly tasteless, so people’s perceptions of its taste are especially sensitive to weird psychological stuff.
I think you’re mistaken, or at least I find—without discussing it with anyone—that the taste of Philadelphia tap water varies a lot—from good to nasty.
Not unless your tap water really sucks. (e.g. Adelaide levels of suck, rather than mere London levels of suck.) Given this is a matter of taste, do whatever tastes nice to you—first-world tap water is unlikely to harm you.