alternative to crystal light?

Found it! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia It's actually NOT approved by the FDA because they consider it "unsafe"! No way I'd use it! But, to each their own!

Did you read the whole article? Here is a paragraph down the page that offers another side to the FDA ban...I find it interesting that they have approved aspartame but not stevia....but you are so right in that we each have to do our own research and make our own decisions based on what we have learned. As for me, I would rather use stevia than aspartame. Of course plain water is still the best...at least as far as we know today.

In 1991, at the request of an anonymous complaint, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) labeled stevia as an "unsafe food additive" and restricted its import. The FDA's stated reason was "toxicological information on stevia is inadequate to demonstrate its safety."^[33] This ruling was controversial, as stevia proponents pointed out that this designation violated the FDA's own guidelines under which any natural substance used prior to 1958 with no reported adverse effects should be generally recognized as safe (GRAS).

Stevia occurs naturally, requiring no patent to produce it. As a consequence, since the import ban in 1991, marketers and consumers of stevia have shared a belief that the FDA acted in response to industry pressure.^[12] Arizona congressman Jon Kyl, for example, called the FDA action against stevia "a restraint of trade to benefit the artificial sweetener industry."^[34] Citing privacy issues, the FDA has not revealed the source of the original complaint in its responses to requests filed under the Freedom of Information Act.^[12]

Yeah, I read that part. Of course, Stevia is going to point fingers about what products are approved or not. That only makes sense! :) However, I think if it was just due to pressures from the artificial sweeteners folks that in SEVENTEEN YEARS since that ruling it would have been reversed or something. i just know, for me, that I'm not putting anything in my body that the FDA considers an "unsafe food additive" regardless of WHY. I've just been given a second chance at life by this tool and am too chicken **** to screw it up! LOL What does your nutritionist think about it? I'd think they'd have some more unbiased and current info on artificial sweeteners. Maybe I'll shoot our own nutritionist, Corinne, an email and see what she has to say! I'm sure NONE of them are good for us ... but they sure are yummy! LOL

Great idea! I will email Dayna & Amanda at EMMC as well. I LOVE a good research project! LOL

HAHAHA, Me too Terri! Let me know what you find out!

when i get tired of crystal light ..I get the light or diet juice usually grape I really have a thing for grape drinks since surgery. but any ways I usually will fill a bottle half full of juice and then add the res****er. crystal lightis alot sweeter than the diet juice, the crystal light last longer than the juice in the summer, I have a real problem drinking plain water I just cant do it makes me sick.

Crayola (yes Crayola) has come out with Color Coolers it is made with splenda and very good. Comes in 8 ozs so you in the begginning of WL it is very good and many flavors. I got mine at Walmart.

I have been cutting down on DIet Pepsi, as of this coming Monday I am cutting out the caffine and drinking decaf for a few weeks, then it's gonna be over.  I had to ween myself off, my body and mind can't handle too many changes all at once, hehe  Not looking foward to the 3 day headache...  have any of you had to quit smoking?  I don't smoke but feel for those how did or do, that is a tough one i'm sure.

Good luck quiting the Diet Pepsi. It is tough. But you can do it. I stopped drinking Pepsi a year before I had surgery. I use to drink six 24oz bottles a day and I would have glasses with ice from a 2 liter at night when I was home. I don't think I ever drank plain water until I gave up the Pepsi. When I gave it up I had just started to think about having WLS and I knew if I could give up Pepsi (Pepsi was my drug)I could do anything. I had to do it cold turkey. Weening off of it didn't work for me. I had headaches for 2 weeks and I couldn't sleep at night, but I did lose 10 pounds when I stopped drinking it.  Now 2 1/2 years later I can't stand the smell of Pepsi. I never knew it had a "smell" to it until my daughters birthday and we bought a 2 liter for her party and my husband had a glass and I couldn't figure out what that "smell" was. I was sniffing every where to find it and my nose lead me to his glass and I gagged when I got a good whif of it. lol  I hope it's a lot easier for you than it was for me. ~dori~

wow Dori,  that was alot of Pepsi, and cold turkey, impressive.... I usually drank 5 cans of pepsi a day until I cut back,now I have 2 a day, 3 maybe.  but, i will go to caffine free next step.  I think it is mostley being lazy, and grabbing a pepsi is easier then mixing up a pitcher of crystal light, and I"m too cheap to buy it made.  my boarder, drinks soda and hates water, so he will switch over also, so I don't have it in the house.  So I just need to make a pitcher everyday so it is avail when I want one.  as for the aspertame, I need to read up on that.