According to a new study published in the journal Nutrition, the lion’s share of calories, in American adult and adolescent diets, comes from — soda. Yes soda. Source
Let’s take a closer look at Americans’ beverage of choice.
An average 12 oz. can of soda has 150 empty calories. Empty, because all of those calories, derived from sugar, provide the body with no nutritional value and in fact actually deplete the body of vital nutrients. Just one can contains 39 grams of sugar, of which 70% or 22 g is fructose, the remaining is glucose.
Most sodas are sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup although there are some that are sweetened with cane sugar under the guise of being “healthier”. Doesn't matter to your body though, as both HFCS and cane sugar are about 50% glucose and 50% fructose and have to be metabolized the same way.
To learn more about the skinny on sugar, you can read my article Soda, Sweets & Sugar.
When giving up an unhealthy habit, like drinking soda, it is often recommended to replace it with a healthy habit. I don't recommend replacing regular soda with diet soda as artificial sweeteners like aspartame, ace-K and sucralose have metabolic consequences of their own. Although some would argue going from soda to diet soda is a move in the right direction.
Instead, I recommend you skip the middleman and replace your soda with sparkling water or club soda. And for those times you are needing some “flavor” you can liven it up with citrus fruits, low in sugar, like lemon and lime, then sweeten with a touch of stevia.
Admittedly, I was never a regular soda drinker, but, I did have quite the addiction to Diet Pepsi. I kicked the habit cold turkey and replaced the diet drinks with iced tea and this easy recipe for simple soda.
Ingredients
- 8 oz. Club Soda
- 1 small lemon
- 1 small lime
- Liquid Stevia (to taste)
Directions
- Using a juice press, squeeze the juice from both the lemon and lime.
- Fill a pint glass with ice.
- Add club soda, lemon juice & lime juice. Stir.
- Add stevia drops a few at a time until desired sweetness. Stir again.
- Enjoy!
I don’t think that change soda to diet soda a good option. I did make this change there is long years and still addict, and I really don’t know what it’s worst, sugar or Sodium cyclamate.
I like taking flavored mineral waters (La Croix, Talking Rain, etc.) that have no sweeteners in them and adding liquid stevia or flavored liquid stevia. Tangerine Talking Rain + vanilla stevia = creamsicle. Plain soda water + vanilla stevia = cream soda. Yum!
Your healthy simple soda looks refreshing!!! I’m going to have to try it. I replaced soda with zevia an all natural soda sweetened with stevia. Have you tried it before? If so what are your thoughts on it?
I have tried Zevia and it’s okay on my palette. I don’t like it enough to buy it on a regular basis and prefer my own iced tea, kombucha or the recipe in the post.
Hello Vanessa, I noticed that you make your own kombucha and I thought that this was illegal to make. I may be thinking of something else but I think one of my employers gave me some because I wasn’t feeling well and the next thing I know I’m in a state of euphoria and flying high with all kinds of energy. Did I have the same thing you’re talking about? He told me it was kombucha and he made his at home too,
It is not illegal to make kombucha. I don’t know what your employer gave you.