Do you find yourself reaching for a can of soda during your lunch time hour? The crisp refreshing taste of soda is hard to quit, but of course we know soda is not the greatest for your health or waistline. When you think about 1 can of soda has roughly 150 calories, all coming for sugar, 40g to be exact. If you drink 3 cans a day, that’s 120g of sugar or about 6 full size snicker bars!
1. Sparkling Water
If you enjoy the carbonation or bubbles of soda, you might like the taste of carbonated water with natural flavorings. Products like La Croix is a popular sparking water company that calorie- free, sugar free, sodium free, and no artificial sweeteners. Sounds boring, but not so fast. La Croix is made with natural flavors that add a hint of flavor. If your a fan of sprite, flavors like lemon and lime will give you a similar taste but without the 20g of sugar. Other flavors include mango, cran-rasberry, and coconut.
2. Stevia Sweetened “Soda”
If your looking for a more soda inspired taste, try Zevia which is also a zero calorie carbonated water sweetened with stevia. Flavors include Cola, Ginger Ale, and Cherry Cola. Try switching out your regular soda for Zevia, but try to limit to no more than three a week. Although it is sweetened with stevia, it is always best to consume stevia in moderation.
Dr. Goglia is a fan of stevia because it’s a more natural zero-calorie sweetner, but with everything, consume it in moderation.
3. Fruit-Infused Water
Water may not be the most flavorful beverage choice, but you can flavor it up with your favorite fruit choice. If you don’t have an infuser, you can just used sliced fruits of your liking. Some of our favorites include:
- Sliced cucumber and lemon
- Watermelon and basil
- Rainbow citrus with lemon, orange, and lime
4. Start Small
We don’t expect you to drop this habit right away. Instead start small. If you drink a soda everyday, try to eliminate this once or twice a week. Have a back-up for when that soda urge kicks in, and try one of the suggestions in this blog. If you can complete a whole week, that’s great! Give yourself a new goal for eliminating soda at least three times a week, or only drinking a soda on Friday, Saturday, Sunday to start off with.