Healthy drinks/beverages...

So this morning, on my way to work, I was thinking to myself that it's about time I made a couple of small changes to my health. So I have been doing a bit of reading and asking around.

First thing that came to mind was stuff I drink. I am so totally addicted to black tea, this would be a good beverage if i didn't overdo the sugar - but I can't do without the sugar (I know I use it as an excuse not to eat consistently or plan my meals ahead of time, the sugar gives me a quick energy boost and i come down "crashing" I just drink some more). Tea in excess also is necessarily always a good thing, I understand that it contains tannins which can inhibit your iron absorption - then again nothing in excess is ever good!

Another drink I'm addicted to is flavoured water... we all know just how much sugar is in there, not only do large quantities run the risk of one developing type 2 diabetes, but the weight gain that goes with it is ummm... yeah... no comment! I know there is a sugar free version of flavoured water, but have you tasted that stuff?!

So... the alternatives I saw were as follows:

• water (a given, we all know about this, but it tastes like medicine when i drink it - I have seen a lot of variations as to how best to get the water down eg. lemon, cucumber slice etc..)
• teas and coffees (without the high sugar factor)
• 100% fruit juice (in small quantities or diluted, the sugar content is very high in these too)
• ice tea (look for the "light" version, I understand that has little to no sugar)
• if you must have a soda good options would be sprite zero, tab etc..

In all honesty when I look at the above list, I still don't see too many options other than the water, I  wake up thirsty and go to bed thirsty for some reason, so not too many options on what I could start with early in the morning and it remains "healthy" to the end of the day...

What are you guys drinking out there? Do you manage to drink 8 glasses of water a day and if you do please tell me how? Any ideas on what else could be a good beverage one could drink throughout the day?