12 Healthy Alternatives To Diet Soda Drinks

 

Key points

• Soda consumption is harmful to your health and can cause a wide range of different dangerous diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
• Both diet soda and regular soda change our brain’s reward system and the way it perceives different signals, meaning the more we drink soda, the more we crave sugary foods. This often causes people to consume way more calories than they intended, which results in obesity.
• Healthy diet soda alternatives include sparkling water, flavoured waters, and sparkling flavoured waters, such as sparkling spirulina drinks by FUL®. You can also try coffee, tea, kombucha, vegetable juices, and homemade lemon-lime soda.

It’s not a secret that drinking soda does more harm than good for your body. Countless studies have found a link between soda consumption and increased risk of many diseases, including obesity, heart disease, diabetes, colorectal cancer, and stroke. 

Is Diet Soda Bad For You? 

Many studies conducted on this subject have concluded that diet soda isn’t better than regular pop. Regular consumption of both soda and diet soda changes our sensitivity to sweet foods and alters dopamine responses in the brain, which then triggers sweet cravings. Essentially, when you choose diet soda over regular pop in an attempt to avoid consuming extra calories, you make your brain want to eat even more sweet and sugary foods. This can easily cause you to exceed your daily calorie intake limit. This is why diet soda is commonly associated with abdominal obesity. So why not choose healthier alternatives that will not hurt your health but instead bring nutritional benefits?

 

Scientific research also suggests that people who consume diet pop tend to have other unhealthy behaviours. Plus, people addicted to diet beverages often end up developing other dependencies or making poor choices in life. But even if you simply kick diet soda out of your diet, you can still significantly help your health. However, it’s important to ensure that you choose healthy soda substitutes and don’t replace it with other sugary drinks. Keep on reading and discover the best soda alternatives that will satisfy your cravings but also be beneficial for your health.

Best Diet Pop Alternatives

FUL® Sparkling Spirulina Drinks 

FUL® sparkling spirulina drinks are the best option if you are looking for a healthy and delicious soda alternative. Many people switch from soda to carbonated flavoured waters but forget to check whether these drinks contain sugar or artificial sweeteners. FUL® sparkling spirulina drinks are low-calorie soft drinks that offer all of the spirulina’s health benefits without any of its unpleasant taste.

 

Spirulina is a superfood known for its rich nutritional profile. This algae is a great source of vital vitamins B1, B2, B3, and minerals such as potassium, copper, iron, magnesium, and manganese. It’s also a sustainable plant protein and, at the same time, one of the best sources of antioxidants you can add to your diet. In addition, it helps to normalize blood lipid levels, sugar levels, and blood pressure, which usually spike because of soda consumption. 

 

Flavoured Waters 

Flavoured waters are among the most popular drinks nowadays, but not all of them are healthy. If you’re looking for a healthy soda alternative, opt for flavoured waters with no added sugar or sweeteners. The best option is to add natural flavouring to plain water yourself. Good choices of flavourings include citrus fruits such as lemons, oranges, or limes. You can also try flavouring your water with watermelon, cucumber, and mint. Alternatively, try chopping up the fruits, putting them in an ice cube tray, pouring some water into the tray, and freezing it. Adding these cubes to your regular water will help give the beverage instant flavour and colour.

 

Sparkling Water

Of course, one of the healthiest soda alternatives is plain water. However, it’s not that easy to switch directly from drinking soda to water, which is why you can try sipping on seltzer whenever you get a craving for pop. This way, you’ll be hydrated without consuming any unnecessary sugar or chemicals, and you will satisfy your craving for a carbonated drink. 

 

Mix Juice and Seltzer

If drinking only carbonated water isn’t working for you, you can try mixing it with 100% juice with no added sugars. Mixing one part of juice with three parts of selzer will give your drink a sweet taste and boost its nutritional profile. Some great healthy and tasty options include pomegranate and grape juices, but you can mix whatever juices you like. 

 

Both pomegranates and grapes are good sources of antioxidants, and scientific studies have found that nutrients contained in these fruits can potentially help protect the brain and blood vessels. However, it’s essential to consume these juices in moderation since they are high in natural sugar and calories.

Coffee 

Numerous studies have found that coffee isn’t only a healthy soda alternative, but moderate coffee consumption can also bring a lot of health benefits. Scientific research has shown that consuming coffee in moderation can decrease the risk of many lethal diseases, including heart disease, endometrial cancer, and prostate cancer.

 

Opt for unsweetened black coffee for maximum health benefits. But if you don’t like drinking black coffee, you can mix the beverage with a little nonfat or low-fat milk. Soda contains caffeine, which explains why people might get addicted to it. Drinking coffee instead of soda is a much healthier option that will give you a caffeine boost without harming your health. 

 

Green Tea

Green tea is also at the top of the list of best soda alternatives. This natural antioxidant beverage contains no calories. It has also been studied for its many health benefits, including its ability to lower the risk of some types of cancer, obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and liver disease. If you like your beverages to be at least a little sweet, you can add a few drops of honey to your tea. Green tea also contains caffeine, so it’s great for those who don’t like coffee.

Kombucha

Kombucha is a fermented black tea made with a live culture of bacteria, also known as scoby. Kombucha is another great beverage option you can drink every day instead of a sugary carbonated drink. Because of the fermentation process used in its preparation, kombucha is quite beneficial, and it contains lots of gut-friendly probiotic bacteria. This means that kombucha can potentially help improve your gut health. 

 

However, keep in mind that the fermentation process also results in a small amount of alcohol production, so be careful with kombucha if you are sensitive to alcohol or can’t consume it.

 

Make a Lemon-Lime Soda

Homemade lemon-lime soda is a healthy alternative to regular soda. Just mix the juice of a lemon, lime, or both with seltzer and add a few drops of a stevia-based sweetener. This healthy sweetener is low in carbohydrates and calorie-free, but it will give your drink a slightly sweet taste. 

 

Vegetable Juice 

Vegetable juice is a healthy drink that can give you a great nutritional boost. It’s low in calories and high in vital vitamins and minerals. However, vegetable juice doesn’t contain any fibre, so you shouldn’t use it to replace all vegetables in your diet. It contains less sugar than fruit juice, which makes it a healthier option. However, it can be high in sodium, so it’s best to choose low-sodium juices. 

 

You can also make your own vegetable juice at home by simply slicing your favourite vegetable and putting them in the juicer. If you want to add a touch of sweetness to your juice, you can mix some fruits in it as well. On the other hand, if you prefer a little spice, add some black pepper, paprika, or hot sauce to the beverage.

 

Wine 

If you enjoy drinking soda with spirits, consider swapping it out for a glass of wine, especially the red variety. Red wine has been proven to have antioxidative properties and may even improve heart health as well as lower the risk of certain types of cancer. 

 

It’s important to understand that these health benefits can be achieved only with moderate wine consumption, and if you don’t consume alcohol, to begin with, it’s better not to start drinking wine only for its benefits. If, however, you do drink a glass of wine occasionally, follow the recommended dosage, which is one drink per day (120 ml or 4 fl.oz.). 

 

Milk

Some people love milk, some people hate it, blaming the beverage for causing acne and other health problems. But while milk is not a necessary part of an adult diet, this beverage is still packed with essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium. Plus, there’s no scientific evidence that milk is harmful to human health. Unless, of course, you’re suffering from lactose intolerance. But even then, you can opt for lactose-free milk varieties. 

 

Soy Milk

Soy milk is a great source of calcium and vitamin D, and it’s a great plant-based alternative for those who don’t consume dairy. Soy milk comes in a variety of flavours, and this drink offers some great health benefits, such as helping control blood pressure and lowering LDL cholesterol. Opt for low-fat and unsweetened soy milk that has been fortified with calcium and vitamin D.

 

Nut milk

Nut milk has become especially popular in the last few years due to its terrific nutrient profile and taste. Many people are now swearing off regular milk and switching to almond, cashew, and other types of nut milk. Some people even opt to make this beverage themselves instead of buying it at a grocery store.

 

Coconut Water 

Coconut water is packed with vital minerals and nutrients, and it’s also low in sugar. Additionally, coconut water contains electrolytes that help to maintain the fluid and salt balance in our bodies. Scientific research has also shown that coconut water is just as effective as sports drinks at helping rehydrate the body after exercise. It also causes less stress for the stomach. 

 

Coconut water is not the same as coconut milk, though. Coconut water can be consumed directly to hydrate the body, while coconut milk is typically used as a substitute for dairy when cooking. Coconut water contains almost 94% water and comes directly from the coconut, while coconut milk is produced by grating and processing coconut flesh.

How To Quit Drinking Soda?

When removing soda from your diet, you have two options: slowly cut back on this drink or switch to a better alternative. The first approach will help you to minimize your fizzy drink cravings while reducing the amount of soda you drink every day. Of course, the second method is more enjoyable if you find a drink you like such as FUL® Sparkling Spirulina drinks.

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