Spend Smart. Eat Smart. ? Thirsty?

As the weather starts getting warmer, having something cold and tasty to drink is on my mind a lot.? After taking my dog for a walk, playing with my son at the park, or working in the yard, I am thirsty for something cold.? The water that comes out of the tap is just not cold enough, so what is a girl to do?

When we are thirsty, water really is the perfect choice.? It keeps us hydrated and healthy, it has no calories, and it is inexpensive.? Here is a comparison of some drinks I found (costs are from Central Iowa, April 2012):

Beverage	Calories Per 8 ounces	Grams of Sugar per 8 ounces	Cost Per Gallon
Tap Water	0	0	$0.00435
Bottled Water	0	0	$1.57
Sugar-Free Drink Mix	2	0	$2.59
Sports Drink	50	14	$4.19
Regular Soda	100	27	$4.44
Diet Soda	0	0	$4.44
Bottled Tea	0-90	0-23	$8.32
Energy Drink	0-140	0-31	$13.48
Orange Juice	110	24	$7.61
100% Fruit Juice	120	29	$7.64
Lemonade (from mix)	60	16	$1.50
Juice Boxes	90	21	$4.80
Reduced Fat Chocolate Milk	180	24	$4.17

If plain water is not for you, here are a few ideas to try:

• Freeze juice in ice cube trays and cool down your glass of water with flavored ice cubes.
• Put cut up fruit in a pitcher of water in the refrigerator ? the flavor of the fruit will flavor the water.? Oranges, lemons, limes, kiwi and berries work really well for this.
• Put water in a special cup or water bottle and store it in the refrigerator so it is easy to grab in a hurry.? Sometimes water tastes great plain when it is in a special cup.
• Add low-calorie drink mixes (such as Crystal Light) to your water.

Check out choosemyplate.gov this May through August to see what the USDA is doing to promote drinking water instead of sugary drinks.

Justine Hoover, MS, RD, LD

eat, food preparation, resources berries, chocolate milk, fresh fruit, fruit juice, juice boxes, kiwi, lemonade, lemons, limes, orange juice, oranges, soda, sugar-free drink, tea, thirsty, water

air jordan 11 concord unemployment extension the thin man republic wireless space ball drops on namibia matt barkley melanie amaro x factor