Great soda alternatives offer all the flavor of your favorite carbonated drinks without heaps of sugar or fake sweeteners.
After all, a can of Cola contains 39 grams of sugar, which equals almost 10 spoonfuls of sugar. Yikes!
That’s why you’ve probably ditched soda in favor of sparkling water, naturally-flavored seltzer, unsweet tea, etc.
But when you want a soda, nothing will satisfy that craving like a soda.
From an afternoon pick-me-up to cocktails during happy hour, great soda alternatives deliver on guilt-free taste. And the top three on our list aren’t just major upgrades from regular and diet soda; they’re actually better for you.
None of them have these:
Things To Avoid When Choosing a Soda Alternative
On top of all that sugar, soda is also loaded with chemical ingredients, artificial colors, and other harmful additives.
So even though diet or sugar-free versions of the classic sodas you love don’t officially contain cane sugar, they’re still pretty crummy.
Sugar-free versions like Coca-Cola Zero Sugar or Dr. Pepper Zero Sugar, for example, are packed with chemical sugar sweeteners, artificial flavors, and preservatives.
Just take a look at the ingredient labels to see for yourself:
[Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Ingredient List]
[Dr. Pepper Zero Sugar Ingredient List]
It doesn’t make much sense to have a clean diet and actively reduce your sugar intake just to put chemicals into your system.
In that case, you’re just exchanging one problem for another.
Fortunately, there are plenty of great soda alternatives that taste good and have better-for-you ingredients (that actually come from the real world, not a lab).
3 Great Soda Alternatives To Try Next Time a Craving Strikes
Swap out your old sodas for these three healthier alternatives, and you won’t feel like you’re missing out on the flavors you love. Plus, you’ll be able to ditch your sugary fix once and for all:
1. Zevia
Zevia is a Non-GMO verified (i.e., no bioengineered ingredients) soda alternative. Instead of sugar, it’s 100% sweetened by stevia, a natural plant extract that won’t spike your blood sugar levels.
Zevia comes in 15 delicious flavors, including these classic soda options:
- Black Cherry
- Caffeine-Free Cola
- Cherry Cola
- Cola
- Cream Soda
- Creamy Root Beer
- Dr. Zevia
- Ginger Ale
- Ginger Root Beer
- Grape
- Lemon Lime Twist
- Mountain Zevia
- Orange
You can even check out the Zevia website for fun recipe ideas like a Black Cherry Hibiscus Mojito, Crock-Pot Root Beer Barbeque Chicken, and vegan milkshakes.
2. Virgil’s
Virgil’s Zero line is a keto-certified soda alternative that’s fantastic whether you’re following a low-carb lifestyle or not. Their motto? Soda smarter.
Their sodas are certified Non-GMO and don’t contain any aspartame, high-fructose corn syrup, or artificial preservatives. Sodas in the Zero line are sugar-free and use a proprietary sweetener blend of stevia and erythritol, an organic, naturally-occurring sugar alcohol.
Virgil’s Zero Sugar sodas come in better-than-the-real-thing soda flavors such as:
- Ginger Ale
- Lemon Lime
- Cola
- Vanilla Cream
- Dr. Better
- Orange Cream
- Root Beer
- Black Cherry
Virgil’s even hand-crafts their sodas in small batches, which most soda companies can’t say. They also pride themselves on bold flavors; the Ginger Ale actually has pressed organic ginger that more than lives up to their slogan.
3. OLIPOP
The team behind OLIPOP, another great soda alternative, created what they like to call “a new kind of soda.”
OLIPOP sodas only clock in 2 to 5 grams of sugar, a fraction of what’s in a standard can of Cola. But here’s the really interesting part: each can contains 9 grams of fiber.
Yes, you read that right.
You can up your daily fiber intake simply by drinking this soda alternative!
OLIPOP also contains probiotics, plant fiber, and botanicals to support digestion. So you may be helping your gut with this soda alternative (rather than destroying it with sugary soft drinks).
Did you ever think you’d find a soda brand that makes it easy peasy to increase your fiber intake and support better digestive health? #multitasking
OLIPOP comes in nostalgic flavors like Vintage Cola, Classic Root Beer, Dr. Goodwin’s, and more.
Try These Great Soda Alternatives To Find One You Love
With so many great soda alternatives on the market, there’s no reason to ever go back to the junky stuff.
These better-for-you alternatives cut the sugar, ditch the harmful ingredients found in standard and diet soda, and taste better. One might even boost your gut health.
So give a few flavors and brands a try to see which one satisfies your soda craving best. We promise you’ll never look back. Cheers!
Author: Devan Ciccarelli
Email: devan@behappynothangry.com
Instagram/Facebook Group: @behappynothangry/Be Happy Not Hangry
Website: www.behappynothangry.com
