{"id":11,"date":"2025-01-29T14:24:26","date_gmt":"2025-01-29T22:24:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ketolivingcoach.com\/?p=11"},"modified":"2025-02-07T14:35:57","modified_gmt":"2025-02-07T22:35:57","slug":"what-to-drink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ketolivingcoach.com\/?p=11","title":{"rendered":"What to Drink"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_75 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/ketolivingcoach.com\/?p=11\/#The_Challenge_of_Avoiding_Sugary_Drinks\" >The Challenge of Avoiding Sugary Drinks<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/ketolivingcoach.com\/?p=11\/#Coffee\" >Coffee<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/ketolivingcoach.com\/?p=11\/#Tea\" >Tea<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/ketolivingcoach.com\/?p=11\/#Vodka\" >Vodka<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/ketolivingcoach.com\/?p=11\/#Beverages\" >Beverages<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Challenge_of_Avoiding_Sugary_Drinks\"><\/span>The Challenge of Avoiding Sugary Drinks<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the biggest challenges in eating well is avoiding sugary drinks, which dominate the beverage market. Personally, I steer clear of beverages with sugar, aspartame, sucralose, or any artificial sweeteners that aren\u2019t natural. Instead, I gravitate toward drinks and desserts sweetened with stevia or monk fruit. While stevia isn\u2019t perfect, it doesn\u2019t spike my blood sugar or contribute to weight gain, and it\u2019s natural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Below are my top picks for budget-friendly beverages, based on everyday prices (not sale prices).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Coffee\"><\/span>Coffee<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Buying ground coffee is the most cost-effective option, averaging just $0.04 per cup. Avoid Keurig K-Cups, which can range from $0.25 to over $1 per cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A little background: I owned a retail coffee and dessert business for over 20 years, grossing $750K annually in the late \u201990s\u2014comparable to popular name-brand coffee chains. Knowing what I do about the industry, I find it hard to justify paying coffee shop prices. Their gross margins per cup are likely over 95%! Yes, you&#8217;re paying for convenience and ambiance, but consider this: the cup alone costs around $0.05\u2013$0.10, and the lid another $0.10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For bulk coffee, I recommend <strong>Seattle\u2019s Best Coffee<\/strong> from Sam\u2019s Club at about <strong>$6.50 per pound<\/strong>. If you love Starbucks lattes, buy <strong>Starbucks espresso beans<\/strong> and invest in an espresso machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tea\"><\/span>Tea<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Loose-leaf green tea is much cheaper than bagged tea. The best deals are at Asian grocery stores like <strong>99 Ranch Market<\/strong>. If you&#8217;re looking for a premium name-brand option, <strong>Republic of Tea<\/strong> on Amazon makes a great gift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Vodka\"><\/span>Vodka<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Kirkland American Vodka (1.75L) for $17<\/strong> is a steal. While Grey Goose and Ketel One are excellent, Kirkland offers a similar experience for <strong>a fraction of the price<\/strong>. As a diabetic, I find grain alcohols to be a better choice than many other options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Beverages\"><\/span>Beverages<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ocean Spray Zero Sugar (Stevia) Tropical Punch (64 oz for $2.97 at Walmart)<\/strong> \u2013 A refreshing, low-sugar drink that\u2019s affordable and tasty.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>By making smarter choices, you can enjoy quality beverages without breaking the bank or compromising your health!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Challenge of Avoiding Sugary Drinks One of the biggest challenges in eating well is avoiding sugary drinks, which dominate the beverage market. Personally, I steer clear of beverages with sugar, aspartame, sucralose, or any artificial sweeteners that aren\u2019t natural. Instead, I gravitate toward drinks and desserts sweetened with stevia or monk fruit. While stevia&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[15,5,14],"class_list":["post-11","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-drink","tag-beverage","tag-drink","tag-sugar-free"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ketolivingcoach.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ketolivingcoach.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ketolivingcoach.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ketolivingcoach.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ketolivingcoach.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/ketolivingcoach.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89,"href":"https:\/\/ketolivingcoach.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11\/revisions\/89"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ketolivingcoach.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/43"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ketolivingcoach.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ketolivingcoach.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ketolivingcoach.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}