GEAR LOVE: LACROIX SPARKLING WATER

Image taken by PKSenagore April 10, 2018. All rights reserved.

“IT RHYMES WITH ‘ENJOY’”Discovering LaCroix Sparkling Water years ago, before it surged in popularity, I found it a great way to slake my thirst after a long run while avoiding the artificial ingredients spiking up the sweetness of many zero-calorie carbonated beverages. Back then sucralose was not as widely used as today, which has since worsened the situation in my opinion. At the time I was taking in quite a bit of diet soda daily, mostly cola products.
 
Another worry was about the effect of phosphoric, citric, and carbolic acids in various non-alcoholic drinks on tooth enamel. Some flavors of LaCroix contain citric acid and two that did were my favorites: lime and grapefruit.  To avoid this category of ingredient I then switched to only drinking water, but lasted less than a year on that regimen.  I resumed drinking diet soda, but this time restricting myself to non-cola products.
 
Once again, I’ve turned back to LaCroix and water only.  There is research information suggesting artificial sweeteners can affect insulin levels just as real sugars do and potentially lead to insulin resistance.
 
Nowadays, LaCroix is easy to find because it enjoys almost a cult following among young consumers. However, it can be daunting to pick a flavor from the shelf if you are tasting this beverage for the first time. 
 
Help comes from an article updated in December 2017 by Pete Cottell for Thrillist.com reviews “all 21 flavors”.  I tend to mostly agree with his ranking but cannot fully endorse it because I haven’t sample each flavor.
 
For nutritional information, the wonderful FAQ section on the company website is worth checking out. This is where the correct name pronunciation is given and the helpful ‘it rhymes with enjoy” is found.
 
If you’re searching for an after-run drink alternative to plain water and diet soda, think about sparkling water, keeping in mind the advice of the NYT Blog AskWell article
 
RUN & MOVE HAPPY!

Full disclose: I am not a food purist, although I wish I had the self-control. I spend my artificial sweetener allowance on sugar-free gum mostly.
 
https://www.health.harvard.edu/diabetes/ask-the-doctor-do-artificial-sweeteners-cause-insulin-resistance
 
https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/la-croix-flavors-sparkling-water
 
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/08/magazine/letter-of-recommendation-lacroix-sparkling-water.html?_r=0
 
http://www.lacroixwater.com/nutritional-faqs/