Hi All,
So each night I get home after work and have a beer or 2. I like it cause it is cold and refreshing. I am going to stop drinking for a while and need to replace my after work drink with something.
I don't want to drink soft drink due to the sugar content, don't want to drink hot drinks so I guess I'm stuck with water or cordial.
Any suggestion from the people out there?
P. S I do not like ginger beer
Sparkling mineral water was what I switched to when I sobered up.
Stick with beer. Plenty of worse things you could be doing to yourself than to enjoy a beer after work
Never thought I would ever advise someone on this but how about non-alcoholic beer?
I've never tried it. Suggest a brand?
If you like wheat beers the Weihenstephaner alcohol free is up there amongst alcohol free stuff.
Yep, its one of the oldest breweries in the world.
There are many benefits to alcohol free beer
1. You can get it at Coles and Woolies (most stores in the cordial section)
2. Its relatively cheap ($10 for a 6 pack)
3. You can have a 6 pack and still drive home without any issues.
4. You can bring it to any event and most people won’t realise that its alcohol free (ie no stigma)
5. You get to enjoy the taste that you like without the negative side effects
Vodka? very very very cold, tastes…..yummy
Red Cordial
lemon lime bitters
soda lime and bitters, even better, not so sweet
I used to have water with a splash of lime juice. But now I prefer to spike my water with a dash of organic apple cider vinegar. Nice and tangy.
As some one who prefers to drink the pickle juice instead of eating the pickles, im definitely going to try this. Thanks
make sure to throughly rinse your mouth after though, or the acid will eat through enamel. Or wait at least 15 minutes before brushing your teeth :)
I like the ACV from Aldi.
Just cold water,the best :)
Cold still or sparkling is good to break the habit.
I have to agree - cold water all the way - and don't go back. Its just a habit, you really just do not need a couple of beers every day.
Most of my former vices before I lost 20kg were just repetitive habit, healthier and you save money.
I have found recently that as long as the drink is well cooled, we have had a bag of ice in the fridge, the water/cordial/soda water goes down a treat.
I drink Apple Cider Vinegar with ice and chilled water
This is very refreshing. Only need a drop of cider vinegar, and a tiny bit of honey. Big glass of ice cold water. mmmm
I add a little honey in mine.
I'll add blackcurrant juice and sometimes some mint to ACV and soda for a mini mocktail! love how the tang mixes with the fruity berry sweetness!
How about a spirit such as whisky on the rocks? its cold and refreshing or do you need to cease alcohol?
Alcohol is not the only issue. Just don't consider whisky a refreshing drink.
Or any spirit, but they contain alcohol…
Tonic water contain sugars.
Perhaps green tea steeped in a jug of water then add sugar/honey to taste as another ozbargainer does.
I drink this around dinner time and sleep well due to the fact it extracts less caffeine.
I always get diet tonic water. The normal stuff is over the top sweet, and as sugary as coke.
I generally have a red wine with my partner post work (shift work as a nurse).
Ice tea and ciders in summer has been good.
Sparkling water, bitters, sugarless lemon cordial, ice, and lime juice. Does the job.
Soda water and a dash of lemon lime bitters cordial for a hint of flavour.
Honey lemon tea, proply made with real lemons squeezed and a drizzle of honey.
Bercardi lime and soda.
Canadian club and dry.
Water.
Water with chopped summer fruit (strawberries, raspberries, etc) and let it sit in frisge to cool for a nice fruity punch.
Beer alch free.
Sugar-free soft drink. Changed my life
I love Coke. What do you suggest as a substitute sugar free? I also fear transferring real sugar for a chemical alternative isn't a great option.
Coke with no sugar sounds like a vegan trying to sell me soy based bacon 😉.
Up to you. Chemicals are neccessary. Artificial flavours probably won't make you fat - there's simply no carbs there. Woolies cola zero is great tasting. You can mix with water if it's too strong.
Coke standard, diet, has caffeine. which you say you don't want.
However you can get a caffeine free version if you look around
However a lot of stuff that tastes good isnt good. Drink manufacturers know that hence, high sugar, high stimulants.
Diet drinks have aspartame or other detrimental chemicals
One thing I try, that works for me is.
Soda water - for the fizz (or mineral water if you like being trendy)
Ice - adds refreshment
(all the above appears in every softdrink ad for the same reason)
a touch of lime or lemon, change to give variety.
The lime or lemon juice can be from a squeeze bottle for convenience and you store in the fridge
All the above is sourced from Aldi for cheapest ozbargain price, water 1.25L - 69c juice around $1
Coles/Woolies Water 75c and Juice $1.10
If you need it sweeter, get some liquid stevia and add a few drops (its from a plant so its more natural)
Start with stevia-based. I wouldn't used aspartame.
If you just stick to water for a while it becomes your favourite drink. I used to find it so boring, but now I hate even a hint of cordial/flavour. Water is delicious. So long as it's cold though, warm water taste shit.
Sodastream soda with ice lemon juice and bitters
Just some advice. Cut All the crap drinks. The cokes, the beer, the lot. If it taste good it's normally bad for you. Stick with water it is 0 calories and I guarantee you, you will lose weight cutting away soft drinks and alcohol. All my clients are surprised that just making that small adjustment is enough to drop a bit weight with no effort at all. Having said that a coke zero is good enough for me - 1 calorie with 90% coke taste.
I don't want to to lose weight. I have never had a weight problem and can eat and drink whatever i want. Been like this that for ever.
how old are you?
also what he/she said. Except for coke zero. Diet drinks are worse. Just stick to water/fizzy water and let your taste buds adjust. Most people drink/eat so much junk their tastebuds are shot and crave more sugar and salt. It only takes a few weeks to adjust.
Ahaha diet drinks are worse. Right. Those darn artificial colours!
@tomkun01: The artificial colours aren't half the problem. Diet drinks may not necessarily be worse, but they are still bad for you, yet give you the false impression they are okay. This making them potentially more dangerous to unsuspecting consumers.
Do some quick reading:
https://authoritynutrition.com/why-is-diet-soda-bad-for-you/
"In a study published in the journal Circulation in 2008, which followed 9,514 people for 9 years, drinking artificially sweetened beverages was associated with a 34% greater risk of developing the metabolic syndrome. Another study found a 36% increased risk of metabolic syndrome and a drastically increased risk of diabetes in diet soda drinkers."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/21/two-diet-drinks-a…
"Two fizzy drinks a day could double the risk of diabetes - even if they are diet versions - a Swedish study has found…. The artificial sweeteners in the diet drinks may stimulate and distort appetite, they said, increasing food intake, and encouraging a sweet tooth. Such sweeteners might also affect microbes in the gut leading to glucose intolerance. … Prof Christine Williams, Professor of Human Nutrition, University of Reading, said the findings were "very interesting" with both types of drinks appearing to have a large effect on diabetes risks…
http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20739512,00.html :
When taken at face value, diet soda seems like a health-conscious choice. It saves you the 140-plus calories you'd find in a sugary soft drink while still satisfying your urge for something sweet with artificial sweeteners like aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose. But there's more to this chemical cocktail than meets the eye.
It confuses your body. Artificial sweeteners have more intense flavor than real sugar, so over time products like diet soda dull our senses to naturally sweet foods like fruit, says Brooke Alpert, RD, author of The Sugar Detox. Even more troubling, these sugar stand-ins have been shown to have the same effect on your body as sugar. "Artificial sweeteners trigger insulin, which sends your body into fat storage mode and leads to weight gain," …
The way artificial sweeteners confuse the body may play a part, but another reason might be psychological, says Minnesota-based dietitian Cassie Bjork. When you know you're not consuming any liquid calories, it might be easier to justify that double cheeseburger or extra slice of pizza
Try non alcoholic beer - I've done that before.
my drinks
Champagne showers
Try japanese herbal teas or maccha.
Went to t2 they had a macha and cucumber tea. Quite refreshing actually
I am secretly hoping someone will point to some weird and wonderful Chinese drink that solves all my problems, alas no as yet.
You need to visit a Chinese tea shop to try all the different varieties out to find something to your taste. After you have found the one that you liked you could brew the tea the night before, let it cool down and store it in the fridge. The tea will be ready for you when you get home the next day after work. You can always add some ice if you want it colder.
I have literally had the exact same problem. I didn't want simply water but wanted something refreshing
I buy 4L containers of freshly squeezed OJ from the local fruit market (not expensive, it's $8 a container, and that lasts me 2 weeks) and that works a treat. There's literally no added sugar, it's entirely natural etc etc
Obviously there's a load of fruit sugars, so you maybe need to be careful not to go too nuts or you can start to put on weight (also started happening to me until I realized why), but it's fructose not sucrose/glucose sugars
yeah, too much is definitely bad for you.
"experts are so concerned about the dangers — some labelling it ‘as bad as Coca-Cola’ in terms of sugar content" …
"…juice is being held partly responsible for weight gain, the spread of type 2 diabetes, and even dental problems. What’s more, health advisers argue that so much damage is done to the goodness in fruit when you extract the juice or turn it into a smoothie in a blender, it’s far better to just eat the original apple, banana or orange. ‘The mechanism of consuming a whole piece of fruit is undoubtedly better for you on every level; weight loss, fibre absorption and nutrients,’
I know its not as good as just eating an apple but thats not what the question was.
I think the experts in the first comment are probably referring to "fruit juice" from the supermarket, which is full of preservatives and sugar. I'm literally just getting pulp-in orange juice from the fruit shop.
Never going to be as good as water or actual fruit slices
Its also a shit-load easier than making soda + lime + fruit ice cubes etc each time you want a drink
i used to think the same thing but remember sucrose = fructose and glucose
don't get comfortable consuming fructose because it is pretty much the same thing
I sometimes have soft drink mixed with soda water.
Soft drink is far too sugary. A quarter or less soft drink and the rest soda water.
Either that or sometimes watered down juice.
Fresh fruit pieces, citrus or herbs in water put in the fridge in the morning. E.g. variations of raspberries, strawberries, watermelon cubes, mint, cucumber, lemon, lime, orange, fresh ginger, black pepper, coconut
Maybe try a very light kambucha or some Apple cider vinegar for a sour and healthy hit
^^ this 100%. Cold water that's has passion-fruit sitting in it all day is amazing. Try cucumber too.
As for fizz…seems like the go is Soda Water with things added to it.
I like myself diet ginger beer as an alternative and use that for dry july - but you don't like ginger beer so what a bummer
Champagne comedy.
Soda water with fresh lime. I don't keep it in the fridge myself, as it can get a bit too cold (I just add ice if I want it cold).
I'm also a big fan of cranberry juice (I prefer the Ocean Spray). Mix about 40% cranberry juice with 60% water in a glass, and squeeze in some lemon. Very refreshing.
Sodastream your water. Add some citrus if you feel like it.
How about iced teas? T2 has a huge selection that you can go in and try (they do have some with sugar in them so be wary). There's some great fruit and herb blends that taste good and are refreshing.
make your own ice tea keep in the fridge in a bottle you dont need to add any sugar this way :) get creative with the types of tea you use or consider adding some lemon or something fun
A single plum, floating in perfume, served in a man's hat.
soy milk, i think it's making my boobs bigger
we need proof
This is something refreshing I make in summer for my family. Boil 50g dried chrysanthemum flowers ( from Asian grocery store) with yellow rock sugar (you can also buy ut from the same store) . Makes about 4 litres. How sweet it tastes depends on how much sugar you use. Strain and cool and store in fridge.
We also drink black grass jelly (canned jelly) chopped up and mixed with sugar syrup. Add water and refrigerate.
Keep trying Cold water , i had to give up soft drinks so i changed to just tap water in the fridge and now its my favourite drink " well 2nd to bourbon :-) " you will get used to it and frankly its the only thing that actually quenches my thirst.
Diet Decaf Coke
You can cold brew coffee or tea. Takes a while compared to brewing them in hot water, so you may have to make it in the morning (or even the night before). Caffeine might be an issue though.
cordial made up with soda water = flavour and fizz
There's this stuff called water. Did your mum never tell you about it?
Sheesh, can we start banning of pointless bs questions on here?
Gatorade not only quenches your thirst better, it tastes better too
No, you people are drinking the wrong water!
Yes she did.
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Not quite within scope of your question, but you might want to consider making your own icy poles.
Buy a bunch of these (they're big, easy to clean, stable in the freezer - the rest are crap) and just use straight orange juice. Make sure you underfill the mould. Coles/Aldi sell pretty good OJ for $4/2 litre. You can dilute the orange juice if it's too strong for you.
It's a cold hit, it lasts a while, the sugar is good, they're easy to make.
I find myself looking forward to them as i head home. Serious face.
Better than any drink i've come across.
Drink Cumin water, comes with lot of health benefits. http://familylifegoals.com/cumin-water-for-weight-loss/
Low sugar ice tea or Coke Zero.
I drink a glass of apple cider vinegar most days.
It came about as I used to have a couple of beers when I got home, but decided I needed to cut back, due to weight gain mostly. I don't like sweet drinks, and the apple cider vinegar, mixed with water, has an acidity like a bitey beer, so quite cleansing.
BUT Braggs is the best brand, a lot of the supermarket ones are just bitter. If you start on those you may wonder what the hell are people thinking.
I still really like my beer, but I drink a glass of the apple cider vinegar when I get home instead of the first beer. I was finding that I had programmed my mind to say: thirsty after working hard? Drink beer to quench the thirst! But I shouldn't drink beer when thirsty as you stay dehydrated.
Good luck.
Water, straight from the tap. I drink perhaps, a non-water drink maybe once a month when I'm out.
Saves so much money and time. Some people might debate the health part.
Well done. Couldn't image just drinking water. I consider drinking like eating, the taste buds should be tantalized.
Good work with no morning coffee, or a 3pm cup of tea!
Fair enough. I've got other sins though, for one. Although I try very hard not to buy it.
Yea as some have mentioned, maybe making juices would be nice but you might be not feel like actually "working" to make juice.
I don't know what you do but I do have some days where I come home and I just want to eat a pizza. Maybe your job is tougher and you have that everyday =)
I just couldn't imagine paying that fixed sum every day for a treat.
Treats are what i love
Hate the chlorine taste in the water. I go bottled or fill a pitcher and put it into the fridge and wait for that crap to dissipate
What about a cold lemon and honey ice tea? (not the bottled ones but the ones from china bar/Asian restaurants) I always grab one of those drinks whenever we eat out
From a sustainability standpoint, ask your neighbours within walking distance, whether they have any fruit you can buy from their trees. Then make homemade fruit juices from them.
I do drink water, I want to trade my after work beers in for a different beverage, drinking water is not going to cut it.
There are no fruit trees in my area, inner city Terrance houses.
I walk and ride everywhere, probably use it my car once a fortnight.
Low Sugar Ocean Spray Cranberry Varieties are fantastic. Really low in sugar and taste great, can be carbonated with a soda stream if carbonation makes the difference. The Cran-Mango and Cran-Pomegranate varieties are particularly good. Not cheap though, unfortunately.
Coconut water or Fresh watermelon juice.
I been in the same situation 2 months ago. I switched to soda water with some lemon in it. Tastes good and refreshing. In the beginning I felt like I am missing alcohal but after few days I was totally over it.
I'll call this a good switch. Cheaper and healthier.
Soda water with a slice of lemon. Lots of fizz without the calories.
Not Coopers.
Coconut water
Aloe vera juice
Fruit drink
Veggies juice
Flavoured water
Protein drink if work is physical
Indian cordial (red herbal drink to be mixed with water)
Iced tea
The Macallan 18
Get some Pepsi max and live life to the MAX!
I like to have orange juice and add soda water. Soda water has no preservative and has the potassium.
I've more or less stopped drinking beer n I get the same want for something refreshing so i drink either flavoured water kefir (but you have to brew it few days in advance), various kombuchas, flavoured sparkling mineral water or flavoured Yerba Mate (this has caf but for me it's fine).
Milk
Strange that this thread has become so popular. I will chip in with a suggestion: Almond milk.
Almond milk hot chocolate is delicious, probably a sometimes drink though and doesn't help OP.
I know. It was just a simple question. I think it has hit a cord. My mate os on Ozbargin as well as he told me it was a great question. Guess we are all drinking to much booze, maybe to take the edge off or maybe because of those Dan Murphy deals, who knows.
I have a chamomile tea every night before bed and have been doing so for 5 years or so