Once upon a time, I had a soda addiction. My addiction was pretty bad. I would drink at a minimum 4 20-oz. Mt. Dews a day, most times 5, for about 5 years. I don’t think it was the caffeine because I can get caffeine anywhere (coffee, for instance). It could’ve been the sugar, but then again, most ‘experts’ say that sugar isn’t addictive. I don’t know, but what I do know is I loved, loved, loved how it tasted! Then I realized what soda was doing not only to my teeth, but to my entire body. If you drink soda, you know how you feel afterwards. Yeah, you may get a sugar rush, which feels great at the time, and then BAM, you just feel hung over, so then you need another soda to perk up, right? It’s a vicious cycle.
I stopped drinking soda over a year ago now and I cannot tell you what an improvement I saw in my energy levels almost immediately. Within 3 days, my energy was through the roof, and I lost around 5 lbs. the first week alone when I gave it up.
To stop drinking soda, I at first tried weaning. I’m just not the type of person that weaning works for me. When I do something (or not do something), it’s either all or nothing. So I just stopped completely after trying the weaning routine for a couple of days, BUT I needed a healthy alternative. Yes, I love ice water, and I drink water all day long, but sometimes I need a drink that actually has some taste to it.
So if you’re trying to stop drinking soda and need some healthy replacements for soda, try these:
Green Tea: I love green tea! There are so many benefits to drinking green tea that will have to be another post here, but what I love about it is I can drink it hot or cold and it speeds up my metabolism. Several studies have shown that drinking green tea helps promote weight loss by not only speeding up the metabolism, but suppressing appetite and helping to balance blood sugar.
Real Fruit Juice: I’m not talking about those sugary fruit juices, but 100% real juice either I squeeze myself or use a juicer for. It’s a great way to get in those recommended 5 to 6 servings of fruits and vegetables a day too!
Milk: I recently tried some iced almond milk. I know that probably sounds gross, but really, it’s great! Soy milk and rice milk are also healthy alternatives to soda.
Water: Yeah, I know, water has no taste, but I flavor my water once in a while with a wedge of lemon or lime or a little lemon juice.
Do you have a healthy soda alternative? Leave a comment and share it with us!
I am falling in love with my morning cup of green tea w/a bit of agave; it has replaced my coffee w/a very unclean creamer.
I also have a new sweet drink that I love: unsweetened chocolate almond milk with a bit of agave. I get a chocolatey drink for about 100 cals and much fewer grams of sugar than the choc milk I used to drink.
Oh, chocolate almond milk sounds wonderful! I haven’t seen that in any store I shop at, but hopefully they’ll start carrying it soon – YUM!
I tried a great recipe from Tosca’s book several months ago and can’t wait to have it this summer sitting on my deck. You sqeeze several limes, add to ice water, and add agave or honey to taste. This is so refreshing and has a nice crisp taste. I even added some mashed strawberries once to give it a strawberry/limeade taste.
When I crave a soda I drink an IZZE. It’s all natural pure fruit juice & sparkling water. They taste good and are an alternative to a soda. 120 calories for 12 oz.
That sounds good! There was a strawberry lemonade recipe in Clean Eating Magazines monthly newsletter I want to try, too.
Oh, these all sound soooo good! You all are making me….thirsty! LOL!
Thanks for the tips. I find that when I crave soda, it is really part carbonation, part sweetness I miss, so I make myself a natural soda with juice and soda water and it is much better!
jen
Boda Weight Loss Blog
My first attempt at “clean eating” herbal soda adapted from a recipe I ran across. The Brain & Memory tonic I added to take the edge off of caffeine withdrawals. Unlike crazy high-fructose corn syrup based sodas, the agave nectar doesn’t send your blood sugar spiking into the treetops and then crashing to the ground.
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cooking Time: 10-12 Minutes
Yield: 4-5 Servings
Ingredients:
1/2 tap water
½ Cup Agave Nectar
¼ Cup Fresh Mint and Lavender Leaves, roughly chopped
Sparkling Water
Fresh Lemon Slices, optional
40 drops HerbPharm brain and memory tonic (gotu kola herb, ginkgo leaf, skullcap flowering herb, sage leaf, rosemary leafy branch)
Directions
In a small saucepan, heat agave nectar and mint leaves with tap water over medium heat. Simmer until liquid is reduced by about a half. Stir in Brain & Memory tonic. Let cool slightly and about stir 1 generous tablespoon or more of mixture into each 8 oz. serving of sparkling water and serve over ice. Garnish with lemon or mint, if desired.
Thanks for all these tips… I am just beginning the clean eating and have had a really hard time leaving the soda behind because water doesn’t touch the gravings. I hope the farther I get from the sugar, the easier it will be.
I usually mix some Apple & Eve juice with Seltzer. Speaking of Apple & Eve I just noticed this on their site: http://fizz-ed.appleandeve.com/ haven’t seen it in stores though and not sure if it is clean since they list ‘natural flavors’ on the label.
My favorite “pop” substitute is hands down a beverage called “La Croix”. I am not sure if it is available in markets nationwide, as it is made in Michigan. I find mine at Kroger’s by the tonic and soda waters. But it is plain sparkling water with natural flavors added– available in orange, lemon, lime, cran-raspberry, and plain. Excellent! No calories, no added artificial sweeteners. Just plain water carbonated with a delicious flavor kick. It always satisfies my soda craving while hydrating at the same time. Check it out!
I’ve never had an addiction to soda so much as the carbonated goodness of a gin and tonic. These days if I feel the urge for either one I pour myself some cucumber flavored water and add a squeeze of lime. Sometime it is the ritual of the snack that we miss. I find that this allows me to stay clean and add another glass of life giving H2O to my day.
Well, Summer, a gin and tonic sounds good right about now…kidding…sorta
) I think you’re right; I think that soda was such a huge part of my daily routine that it was the habit that was the hard part to give up. And cucumber flavored water? I’ve never heard of it, but now you’ve got me interested…lol. Thanks for taking a moment to leave a comment!
Green Tea Soda
1 cup brewed green tea (2 teabags), cooled
1/2 cup mineral water
Agave syrup (to taste-I probably use 1/2 tsp)
Juice of half lemon
Mix & pour over ice–very refreshing!
I am a soda addict. STILL. I love it. I love the sugar, I love the fizz, I love the cold bottle in my hand. It’s sick. I am trying to beat it. I did the cold turkey thing for about 10 days before I caved. It’s sad. Anyhow, I like lots of different drinks along with my soda (which I drink 1 bottle a day). Izze is one of my fav’s. But at home I mix equal parts of white grape juice with Club Soda (is that clean??) and throw in frozen berries instead of ice cubes. I love it. I drank that a lot through my pregnancies when I was caffeine free. So recently I got to thinking that club soda must make all kinds of juices taste sort of like soda. My favorite soda is Sunkist or Livewire Mt Dew (orange). So, I’m thinking of mixing OJ and Club Soda… There’s something about a bottle of orange pop that keeps me it’s prisoner. LOL!
Oogave agave Sweetened Root Beer: So good and the only rootbeer i let my kids drink.
Synergy Organic Raw Kombucha: Great for you and gives a nice kick of energy.
Juice Squeeze: Fruit juice with carbonated water. It’s delicious.
Chocolate Almond milk
Iced green tea. Twinnings makes a great cold-brew green tea with mint. It’s so refreshing!
Oogave also has a really great cola. They get the caffeine from green tea, so everything in it is natural. When I am really missing soda, this is what I drink. I still make sure I limit it because it tastes so good I could end up drinking it like I used to drink Diet Coke. I usually allow myself one or two Oogave sodas each week. This also helps with the fact that they are kind of expensive.
It helps me to switch the flavors around a lot. I bought an ice tea maker, and I throw in random teabags when I make a pot. For example, right now my tea has chocolate green tea, chocolate mate, and raspberry leaf (which is really yummy, and makes me energetic). Many times I’ll throw in one or two bags that help me with a particular issue (the raspberry leaf is for pms/hormones). Another favorite is chamomile, raspberry leaf, dong quai, and rose hips. Chamomile really helps with stress, pain, cramps, and sleeplessness, dong quai also helps with pms, and rose hips are not only tasty, but really high in vitamin C. I also switch how I sweeten it between unsweetened, agave, and stevia.
When I bought the tea maker, the lady at the counter said that instead of following the directions of using ice to fill the rest of the pitcher, just run another 3 cups of water through the tea maker, leaving the tea bags in it. This works very well. I just have the cheap Hamilton Beach ice tea maker, and we use it constantly.
I used to drink 4-5 diet cokes a day (allergic to corn syrup, so always been a diet drinker), but now I have a diet coke once in awhile.
I too am addicted to diet soda. I have tried just drinking carbonated water, and that does it for me most of the time. I just discovered that you can buy liquid stevia in a variety of flavors, so I am going to add some to the sparkling water to see if that will take care of the “craving something with flavor” part of the addiction. Also, for those of you who are drinking tonic water, beware of the high sodium content. Too much will lead to an increase in your blood pressure. It is much better to use carbonated water (no sodium).
Hi Sandra,
Thanks for commenting! And it’s so weird that you just commented today because for some strange reason…I am craving soda. I have no idea why and I’m honestly shocked that it’s been this long since I’ve had one and yet here I am. I’ve heard that smokers will crave cigarettes decades after they quit. Maybe soda addiction is the same way?? Ugh.
Well I had this same problem when I started eating clean. I didn’t want to gain weight from putting honey in everything I drank so I started putting a tea bag in my bottled water. There are so many flavors available now. That helped me to break my soda habit.
I love. love. LOVE. the carbonation! I am 3 weeks from my daily habit and enjoy one once a week now, almost all gone!!
Good for you, Julie!
I have noticed that sparkling water naturally flavored with lime satisfies my craving for soda. I love the carbonation in soda and with sparkling water I still get that carbonation. Sparkling water is 0 calories, 0 fat, and about 40 mg of sodium in a 1 liter. I love it! I hope I lose weight after this change in habit.
Oh, and in my opinion, the natural lemon lime flavor makes it taste just like 7 UP!
It can definitely be difficult to quit soda and find something good as an alternative. Most of the traditional alternatives just don’t cut it. We quit soda a while back and have found 4 great soda alternatives: http://www.greenlivingeco.com/soda-alternatives-top-4/