I have a real addiction to soda and I desperately need to cut back at least on the sugar.
My problem is, is that the zero sugar ones - whatever sweetener is used hurts my throat (and tastes awful), and same goes for the diet versions. I could force myself to drink bubbly or La Croix, but knowing myself, that’s only going to cause an awful rebound soon enough. So I’ve been trying to find alternatives that don’t break the bank. Poppi is fine and I’ve tried other low sugar bottles from online stores here and there. That’s expensive, though.
So I guess has anyone tried to cut sugar in other ways? I have tried watering things down and I’ve tried using just sparkling water to keep the carbonation but water things down. I have also tried sparkling water and powdered drink mixes and that is truly awful, imo. I haven’t tried mixing a Soda Zero with a Soda (regular) and I wonder if that would help? At least to begin sort of a transition?
I dunno. I’m babbling at this point. I know it’s mostly a test of will for addictions, but this is literally my only vice because I don’t smoke and won’t drink. So soda is the way, hahaha.
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Others have mentioned it but I want to double down! I was addicted to soda from 13-25 and I have lost a lot of teeth because of it. Sodastream helped me kick it. It’s much cheaper to maintain and using less acidic waters since you can just use your tap water (or whatever water you want) and has zero sugar. I buy liquid water flavors from Aldi that use stevia for sweetening. 100% the bubbles and they can taste a lot more than the la croix stuff. Put in as much or little flavor as you want. Combine dark cherry and vanilla for a pretty good cola taste too. Zero calories, no gunk on teeth, cost about $22 USD to maintain carbonation of the sodastream and I drink like 2-5 liters of the stuff a day. Good luck! Sugar is one of the hardest addictions out there and big cola makes sure the alternatives are expensive or taste bad. You can do this! The effects of that acidic soda and water on your body overtime does nothing but DAMAGE. love yourself!
Probably not helpful, but for me I made a few changes to cut back on Cokes.
I keep the house stocked with overpriced waters and teas, and they’re in the front of the fridge so I see them first. I found I particularly like Snapple’s sugar free line. This took a lot of experimenting - be ready to spend a few months buying until you find ones you like. Don’t be shy about tossing the shitty ones either - there’s an amazing ‘variety’ of tastes here.
I also learned to make a few drinks I actually like. Right now I’m on a shaken iced tea - much like how a bartender shakes a mixed drink. Mostly just iced tea, but with a healthy splash of lemon juice, 4-6 frozen strawberries instead of ice, and sugar/sugar substitute to taste (about 1 teaspoon), then shake. Gives it a fruity-sweet flavor. And you get to eat strawberry slushies afterwards.
I do still keep Cokes in the house, but it’s the fancy glass bottle ones. They’re small and expensive, so I drink them in moderation. But simply having them in the house and knowing I can have one if the cravings really hit, somehow makes the cravings less frequent.
Try Sparkling Ice water! Very low sugar, but tastes just as sweet as soda to me. They also make energy drinks if that’s your vibe
sodastream + mio really helped me kick the habit. i still have a soft drink every now and then when i’m out, but at home i stick to fizzy.
i didn’t enjoy any of the sugarfree soda mixes i tried (powder and syrup). i also can’t stand diet/zero sodas.
You said you tried powdered drink mixes, have you tried the liquid? I cannot stand the powdered variety, either. I feel like you have more control over the flavor and the mix with the liquid varieties.
They’ve really helped me kick my soda habit.
ETA: Just some recommendations, avoid the Crystal Light brand, they taste like artificial sweetener. I personally go for generic store brands(Laura Lynn, Great Value), but Mio is a solid choice with a wide range of flavors. Just avoid their Iced Tea unless you really like canned tea. That’s exactly what it tastes like.
Seconding this. A lot of the flavors have food dyes but you can also find stevia and more “natural” colored flavors at aldis and other stores, as well!
Have you tried getting flavored syrups and making your own? That would let you fully control the amount.
Eh, tbf the best luck I’ve had with any addiction is cold turkey, and not touching it again for months, weeks, years. And warning anyone I care about I may be bitchy for a bit, please have mercy but keep me in check.
Have you tried Zevia before? I’m currently drinking a Zevia root beer. Stevia is used as the sweetener instead of sugar or aspartame, so zero calories and no artificial sweetener.
Stevia tastes like poison to me, I don’t know how people can stand it. But it seems like a decent option if you can tolerate it.
Although I’d still consider it an artificial sweetener, and it still has some health risks, albeit fewer and less severe than other sweeteners like aspartame.
I tried stevia in certain forms and discovered that many companies use nasty fillers. Do your best to notice and avoid. It takes a lot of searching to find the right sweetener/brand of choice but I’ve noticed they can vary wildly in taste. If you get burnt by one, try a totally different brand or two before swearing it off (annoying but worth it in the long run once one hits right)
Are you able to find any soda in glass bottles? Companies that do that, along with Coke that comes from other countries, are sweetened with cane sugar instead of refined sugar, which people say is better for you in comparison. It’s not much but it could be a step in the right direction
Honestly you’re just going to have to stop. It’ll suck at first but after 1-2 weeks it should be easy, and from there you won’t even want soda anymore.
Source: I’m a former soda addict
