Any ideas on how I could train myself to drink water? I grew up drinking juice and now can't get used to the taste of water. I try to drink water and just can't get it down because it tastes so bland to me.

What can I do?

Add a spritz of lemon or lime.

If you're drinking b/c you're thirsty, what does it matter if you like it or not ?

Where to start..first of all, there's nothing wrong with not loving the taste of water. You just grew up conditioned for something sweeter.

Try making a half-half mixture of water/juice. Every 2 days decrease the juice content and increase the water. Once you're drinking mostly water, try the following:

if you're trying to stay off sugar (and artificial sweeteners) try
- a tea bag steeped in a bottle of water.
-few wedges of lemon in a pitcher of water. It may takes afew days to grow on you, but after that it's incredibly refreshing to drink on its own. If you're brave, try adding a wedge of lime to it or just the lime alone.

If you need the above sweeter add stevia (natural, no-calorie, low GI sweetener) or agave nectar (low GI too); both found in natural food aisles in the grocery.

or try a natural drink mix such as Clif Kid™ Splashers (kof-k parve, 3 flavors, all natural, 1/2 the sugar of apple juice, vitamins etc.).

Take a walk through your nearest Whole Foods Market/Wild Oats/comparable for more ideas.

Put a bottle or large mug of water on your desk. Sip it every now and again, even if it takes all day to finish. If you finish it up before the end of the day, refill it. Eventually, you may find yourself drinking more and more.

Also, stop buying juice. Put a pitcher of water on the table when you serve lunch or dinner. If you cannot stand that thought, make your own herbal iced teas (no caffeine). They'll have more flavor than water but are much healthier than juice.

If you need motivation, consider the calories. I know someone who was making a concerted effort to lose weight and eventually hit a plateau. He typically drank apple juice instead of water. When he cut down on the juice, he started losing weight again. What is it, 120 calories per 8 oz. of juice? Or something like that? And HFCS is really bad for you because, unlike sugar, it doesn't make your body feel satisfied.

I can't drink water either, but I CAN drink seltzer and now Coke Zero.....

This really helped me when I was trying to train myself to drink more water. I would fill a bottle with about 3/4 of water and 1/4 lemon juice or lime juice. Like that I had some sort of taste with the water.

Drink it from a flask. Pretend it's vodka.

Chugga chugga. (Great idea!)

i don't have any ideas (besides drinking diluted apple juice - i tried it because that's what i give to my daughter), but how do i understand you...

Also, try not to resuse plastic water bottles too often (aside from BPA) chemicals start to leach off into the water as the bottle gets older and breaks down microscopically, things start to grow in it (even when washed well). Try a bottle with a 'high' recycling code or aluminum bottle.

I hate drinking plain water, too. I got a free sample of these little packets you put in water called True Lemon, True Lime, True Orange. They're OU and really good. I put them in diet coke too and it makes it fizz up - exciting!

From their site:
True Lemon, True Lime, & True Orange are low carb, vitamin rich products made from fresh lemons, limes & oranges. 100% Natural. These free fruit packets samples of 100% natural crystallized citrus can be used for cooking as a great salt alternative, as part of a lemon recipe or to mix into drinks such as lemonade, lemon water, limeade, lime juice & orange juice. Adding to drinking water will encourage increased water intake and decrease the need for artificially sweetened drinks.

they look interesting, rachel

Thanks everyone- Rachel and bigtoe: where do you get those clif/packets?

Yeah juice has a ton of calories. I'm not really trying to lose weight, but I think if i keep drinking juice like this I'll eventually gain weight!

Unfortunately, I hate seltzer, and I don't want to get hooked on diet drinks, because they're not great for you either.

Can't win!

There was a recent article in a British newspaper about health myths. One of them was that some drinks dehydrate you, eg coffee, tea, coke etc. The myth buster said that any liquid provides hydration so there's no problem with drinking tea and coffee, and calorie free sodas if you are watching your weight. The article said that even a grilled steak is 60% water.

On their (Clif bar) site.. Amazon- seems like it'll be in stock soon. Trader Joe's might have too. Basically, check any health food store near you.

Follow the link I posted for free samples. Otherwise, you can order online from their website.