Flavored Water vs. Diet Soda

[Q.]

My wife has been buying flavored water lately to help her increase her fluid intake. I was reading the label and it has carbonated water, aspartame, "natural" flavor and some other potassium compounds. I said that it doesn't seem to me that it's any better than drinking diet soda (except that it's cheaper). She disagrees because she's read that soda can't rehydrate you as well as water can. However, soda has water in it, too, so I really don't see much difference.

What you folks think?

[RipStone]

IMO rhe flavored water is probabaly the lesser of the two evils cus it has less chemicals, etc then the diet soda. I tried drinking flavored water for the same reason(increased fluid intake) but found that it was just giving me a headache due to the concentrated artifical sweetners in them. Plus, if the flavored water has sodium in it that kinda negates the reason for drinking it in the first place.

[Q.]

I don't have a label in front of me but I don't remember any Na in it... just K compounds that I think were preservatives. Soda does, of course, have caffiene but that doesn't bother me. After about my second sip, the flavored water was just too swwet. I drink tons of tap water and a couple of sodas a day so I'm not going to change what I do... I was just curious about the comparison.

[Lost Dog]

Soda is just flavored water, too. Caffeine free soda is about the same, other chemicals aside.