Walking down the drink
aisle in my local supermarket, I noted that there were more than four
different brands of flavored waters for sell in a multitude of
flavors. Some are slightly carbonated, others are not. So why are
there so many different flavored water options? Heck when I was
growing up, we didn't have bottled water, we simply drank out of the
tap or the water fountain. However, we know that keeping hydrated is
very important, especially when you are first starting out on a LCHF
/ Ketogenic diet. In the induction phase of this way of eating (WOE)
you will experience some diuresis (increased urination) which will
cause you to have some sodium, potassium, and other mineral losses.
It is this diuresis and
loss of electrolytes that contribute to the symptoms known as 'Keto
Flu'. Obviously, one of the things you can do to help minimize these
symptoms is to make sure that you are properly hydrated. Simple water
is your best choice, commercially prepared fluids like Gatorade and
or Powerade can help with the electrolyte replacement, but they are
loaded with sugars, which of course are carbohydrates so these are
not a good choice. Gatorade brand does make a low carbohydrate
version known as 'G2', but even this so-called low carbohydrate
version of Gatorade has 12 grams of carbohydrates per 20 ounce
(591ml) bottle. So as you can see, even the so-called low
carbohydrate version is not an option for those of us on a strict or
even moderate LCHF / Keto diet. Have no fear, If you are active, or
work outside a lot in the heat in which you perspire, you can make
your own zero carbohydrate electrolyte replacement drinks that taste
great and are LCHF / Keto friendly. You can find recipes for these
drinks in my article 'Make Your Own Sports Drink' that I wrote in
2012. Five years later, I am still making and drinking these
electrolyte drinks and not only are they zero carbohydrate, they
taste great, and save me a whole lot of money.
So, let's get back on
topic and talk about day to day hydration. Before embarking on this
way of eating twelve months ago, I had switched from diet soft drinks
to 'sweetened' tea made with Splenda low calorie sweetener. Although,
I did drink some water, and no caffeine after 4 PM, tea was still my
primary form of fluid intake throughout the day. One problem with
consuming this much tea, coffee, diet soft drinks, and the plethora
of energy drinks (Monster, Red Bull, NOS, Full Throttle,etc...) that
many of us consume on a daily basis, is that they contain a lot of
caffeine. Caffeine which acts as a mild stimulant also contributes to
the diuretic effects of the induction phase of the LCHF / Keto diet.
Let me be brutally honest,
pure unadulterated water is the best fluid choice you can make for
re-hydrating your body, but I will be honest, it is the most boring,
at least for me. And it appears that I am not the only one who finds
this to be true as hundreds of thousands of bottles of flavored
waters or flavored water enhancers in the little squirt bottles are
sold each month in the United States. The problem is that these
flavored water options are often expensive and or in some cases
contain hidden carbohydrates. So what is a bored with plain water
LCHF / Keto dieter supposed to do when they need to keep up with
their hydration, and still not spend a fortune on flavored bottled
waters or flavored water bottle additives so that they have something
to drink throughout the day?
For me, the solution was
simple. I went back to my childhood experiences and those of my
experimentation with making my own electrolyte replacement drink
'Frugalade' and began making my own flavored waters from...wait for
it...Kool aid. I am not sure why more adults do not drink Kool aid,
maybe it is because of the color in the package that turns the water
red, orange, pink etc... But the flavors are the same as those clear
bottled 'fruit' flavored waters and it is way cheaper to make your
own than it is to buy flavored bottle water. Now, I will say this,
the flavor palate of an adult can be quite different than that of a
child, so I had to make some slight adjustments in order to get the
specific flavor(s) that I liked. So in this article, I am going to
share with you the flavors and or the combinations of Kool aid that
my family and I enjoy and drink on a daily basis.
The
Recipes
As I mentioned, Kool aid
was developed as a powdered flavored drink in the late 1920's. Yes,
it is that old. By removing the water content, and producing a
powdered form of 'fruit' flavored concentrate it could be shipped
across the United States at quite a reduced price making it more
affordable for American families. The rest is shall we say...history.
Now, the only problem I found with Kool aid is that using the
recommended two packages for a gallon of flavored Kool Aid left it's
flavor profile a little weak for my liking. However, I found that
using three packages of Kool Aid per gallon of water gave me the
depth of flavor that I enjoyed. If two packets per gallon works for
you, then by all means use two packets, but for my family, three
packets per gallon works best. We generally have two different one
gallon flavors of Kool Aid in our refrigerator at a time. Primarily
because I am a heavy drinker...[GRIN]... So the following recipes are
the flavors and or flavor combinations that we make on a daily basis.
Now, if you have read any of my articles, you know I use liquid
sucralose as my sweetener of choice, but any zero calorie sweetener
you want to use will work. One-half teaspoon of sucralose has the
sweetening power of 1 cup of granulated sugar, so if you are using
any other sweetener, this would be the conversion you are looking
for.
3 packets of unsweetened
Kool aid mix 0.13 oz, (3.6 grams)
½ teaspoon liquid
sucralose (25% concentration)
1 gallon of water
Total Recipe (128 ounces)
Calories 0, fat 0 grams,
protein 0 grams, carbohydrates 0 grams
Flavor Variations
Obviously, there are a
wide variety of flavor combinations available from Kool aid, and I
encourage you to experiment on your own to see what flavors you might
come up with that you and your family enjoy. BTW, any of these flavor
combinations can be used to make your own sports drink (Gatorade
clone) as mentioned earlier in this article. For my sports drinks, I
only use 2 packets of Kool Aid as I like a slightly weaker flavor
profile for them. Again you can check out my article 'Make Your Own Sports Drink' on our blog.
Black Cherry – This is a
combination flavor for me (1 pkt Black Cherry, 2 pkt's Cherry).
Cherry Limeade - This is a
combination flavor for me (1 pkt Cherry, 2 pkt's Lemonade, 1
tablespoon
lime juice).
Grape - Three packets of
'Grape' Kool aid.
Lemonade – Three packets
of 'Lemonade' Kool aid.
Orange - Three packets of
'Orange' Kool aid.
Peach Mango - Three
packets of 'Peach Mango' Kool aid.
Pink Lemonade – Three
packets of 'Pink Lemonade' Kool aid.
Strawberry Lemonade –
This is a combination flavor for me (1 pkt Strawberry, 2 pkt's
Lemonade).
Tropical Punch – Three
packets of 'Tropical Punch' Kool aid.
Watermelon Lemonade –
This is a combination flavor for me (1 pkt Watermelon, 2 pkt's
Lemonade).
Why Kool Aid Versus Other
Drink Mix Brands?
Initially, I tried other
store brands of flavored drink mixes from Aldi (Mixade Kids),
Save-A-Lot (Flavor Aid), and even Great Value, but to be honest, I
found the Kool aid brand flavors to be the “cleanest” tasting.
This may sound like an odd statement, but maybe it is because some of
the other brands contain a greater amount of dextrose (Flavor Aid)
and or maltodextrin (Mixade Kids), which in my opinion gives a slight
off taste to the final product. Having said that, some, but not all
of the unsweetened Kool Aid flavors contain some maltodextrin as
well. Anyway, I purchase the Kool Aid brand because I like the flavor
better, but use which ever brand you like as long as it is
unsweetened and you use an zero calorie sweetener, your drinks will
be LCHF / Keto friendly.
The Cost Factor
If you are on a budget as
many of us are, then making your own flavored waters from drink mixes
is a great way to save money keeping you on budget. On average, one
gallon of prepared Kool Aid is about $0.74 cents ($0.72 for 3 packets
of Kool Aid, about $0.02 for the liquid sucralose). Now finding the
same quantities in other powdered drink mixes for price comparison is
not too difficult, but I kept it to a minimum and attempted to list
them in similar amount of quantity that the drink mix produced for a
more accurate price comparison.
Kool Aid Powdered Drink
Mixes
3 packets (4 quarts, 1
gallon, or 128 ounces) $0.72, $0.005 cents per ounce.
Bulk Comparison Prices
Crystal Light Powdered
Drink Mixes
5 packets (10 quarts, 2 ½
gallons, 320 ounces), $5.98, $0.018 per ounce
Fit & Active Powdered
Drink Mixes
6 packets (12 quarts, 3
gallons, or 384 ounces), $1.89, $0.005 per ounce.
Great Value Powdered Drink
Mixes
6 packets (12 quarts, 3
gallons, or 384 ounces), $4.28, $0.011 per ounce.
Kool Aid Powdered Drink
Mixes
9 packets (12 quarts, 3
gallons, or 384 ounces) $2.16, $0.005 cents per ounce.
Remember that using store
brands or 'no name' brands of powdered drink mixes can lower the cost
even more. As an example, a package of 6 packets of Aldi's Mixade
sells for $0.84 or $0.14 per packet which is about 42% cheaper than
the Kool-Aid brand which sells for $0.24 per packet at my local
Walmart. So check out your local supermarket store brands of powdered
drink mixes for even more savings.
Conclusion
Water is always the best
liquid for re-hydrating, and while life sustaining, it is kinda
boring. This is why many people who embark on a LCHF / Keto WOE
consume flavored and or 'smart' waters as their primary form of fluid
intake. Popular commercially prepared fluid replacement drink mixes
such as 'Crystal Light', 'Fit&Active', and Walmart's 'Great
Value' contain maltodextrin and aspartame as their primary sweetener
unlike powdered Kool Aid mixes. They also tend to be a bit more
expensive with the exception of Aldi's 'Fit & Active' brand,
which is actually slightly cheaper than the Kool-Aid that I prefer.
The only problem for me is that the 'Fit & Active' drink mixes
are pre-sweetened using maltodextrin and aspartame which I do not
like. So given the difference of 1/10th of a penny in
difference between Kool-Aid and 'Fit & Active', I choose to use
the Kool-Aid brand as I can control not only the flavor profile, the
overall sweetness of the drink, and finally because I do not like the
taste of aspartame. So while store brands of powdered drink mixes and
pre-sweetened drink mixes such as Aldi's 'Fit & Active' are
cheaper alternatives than Kool-Aid, at the end of the day, I still
prefer the taste of the Kool-Aid brand powdered drink mixes.
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