To those who drink lots of sodas every day, the thought of giving them up is — well — unthinkable! What could possibly replace those cold, frosty, sweet beverages?

This was my situation some time ago. I drank regular, sugared sodas (actually, most soda companies stopped using sugar years ago. Now they use high fructose corn syrup, which is a whole ’nother story!).

When I decided to give up sugar, I switched to diet sodas (only the ones with Splenda, as I avoid aspartame and several other sugar substitutes). These were somewhat satisfying, in regard to being a lot like the "regular" sodas, although since there are still very few Splenda-sweetened ones, my choices were few.

Gradually, I switched to water. At first, I added flavorings and sweetener to mask the "plain" taste. Flavored stevia drops are nice, although I have yet to find a brand of stevia (flavored or otherwise) that does not have a noticeable aftertaste (some people don't seem to mind it, or don't notice it). Lemon powder and lime powder add a nice bit of zing to water, and these are even satisfying without any sweetener!

At this point in my healthy adventures, I like plain water — preferably bottled, or at least filtered, because I don't like the taste of most tap water (New York City water is one exception).

A bottle of water, kept in the freezer until partly-icy, is a frosty treat!

Oh, I still like a portion of sugar-free ice cream now and then, but some nice ice water is not a guilty pleasure — it's a healthy pleasure!