Ericka @Chef PickyKid and MeIn last week’s article about Why I Quit Drinking Soda, I talked about some of the health issues associated with drinking soda and shared why I decided to cut back.
Since I’ve been drinking soda for a long time, I needed to find some better alternatives that would still satisfy my cravings. I drink soda mainly for the fizziness and flavor (although caffeine is helpful too), so I wanted to find something that would still give me the fizziness I love. Here are some alternatives as well as some recipes I’ve found on Pinterest and other sites.
Club Soda: Club soda is a great way to add fizziness to any beverage you drink, and there are no calories, no sugar, and no sodium. It’s basically just carbonated water. Club soda can be mixed with any type of fruit juice to give flavor and soda-like consistency. I like to mix club soda with cranberry or pomegranate juice, orange and other citrus juices, or even with pureed watermelon and lime juice! And if you have a SodaStream or similar soda maker, you can make your own carbonated water to mix with anything you like!
Flavored Water/Sparkling Water: There are several brands on market shelves that offer flavored carbonated water that tastes good but doesn’t include sugar or sugar substitutes. One brand in particular that I like a lot is La Croix. La Croix is all natural sparkling water in lots of different great flavors. Just be sure to check the labels when you buy sparkling water; some varietals have added sugar and sugar substitutes that include aspartame.
Tea: If you like drinking soda for the caffeine, tea, especially iced tea, can be a good alternative to soda. There are lots of great flavors out there. I prefer to buy the bags of tea and make it myself, but there are also good pre-made tea that you can find as well; just be sure to get unsweetened tea. I found a passionfruit tea by Tazo that I like a lot, and this tea is specifically made to be an iced tea. This is a great option if you want a different flavor than just standard tea. I’ve even used my SodaStream to carbonate the passionfruit tea.
Make Your Own Flavored Water/Soda: There are a ton of great recipes out there for fruit infused waters that I love! I’ve tried all of them and they’re a great alternative to drinking soda. Pulse has a great article with instructions for making fruit infused water and a whole bunch of recipes! And if you need a bottle for making infused water, here’s a great Infused Water Pitcher.
If you’re thinking about cutting back on soda drinks, or cutting them out all together, these are some great alternatives to soda that have worked for me. Do you have any recipes or tips for cutting back on soda?
