Getting off the juice

With a very prevalent family history of diabetes, I'm always very much aware that it's not un-likely for me to be diagnosed as diabetic at any time. When the doctor ran lab work last week, my blood sugar level was good. However, it was a 9:30am appointment and I can't eat until an hour after I take my medicine, so I was on an empty stomach when my blood was drawn. I figure it's good to keep an eye on my sugar intake even now, as I'm told that it can delay or reduce the onset of diabetes down the line.

Did you know that orange juice has 22 grams of sugar per 8oz serving? (Based on orange juice we'd normally get at the grocery store, a non-pulp calcium added Tropicana you can see here.) I'd imagine it's mostly natural sugar and not added sugar, but still not good! I picked up a half gallon of low-cal low-sugar (20 grams per serving) orange juice, without the calcium added, and it was edible.. umm.. drinkable? It wasn't great, however, and I decided that if I'm not getting the calcium out of it, it wasn't worthwhile. Especially since I've been so good about taking my vitamins and calcium lately.

So as my sister eloquently put it when I was on the phone with her today, I'm "getting off the juice."  I bought this today at Fry's:


(Click on picture takes you to Fry's product information page.)

This replaces my one-gallon capacity water cooler that I bought when I was living in a 10' x 20' studio apartment, also known as the birthday cake. It was too small, and getting louder, so loud that I couldn't stand to have it on all day long. I thought it best to upgrade, since the small one probably needed repair worth more than its value to run quietly again.

The new one has three temperatures of water, with separate on/off switches for hot and cold water. So if I don't plan to have it make soup/coffee for me, I can switch off the heated water and still have cold water.

I'd tell you how I like it, but it's in the back of the Explorer down in the basement still. I might get it today, it's actually about 2/3 the weight of the filled 5-gallon bottles that are also in the car. I have cleaning to do, though, which will hopefully also clear a good space for the water cooler. Where the little one is right now isn't a good spot for a bigger one.

But yes, we never have soda at the house, and now I don't plan to drink any orange juice at home. Go me!