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.
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)