We all have our addictions, habits, and preferences when it comes to our beverages, and diet sodas seem to have an especially loyal following. But you do have to wonder what years (and years) of chemicals are doing to you body. At least I do. I was faithful to my one can a day of Diet Coke. Love it. Satisfied my never-ending sweet tooth, the bubbles perked me up, and it went well with whatever I was eating. I have since switched to caffeine-free Diet Coke, but have felt the need to wean down the amount I consume, trying to cut down on chemicals, preservatives, and additives in my diet. So what to replace it with? There certainly are a number of beverages on the market that can be had, depending on your tastes; drinks that qualify as no-cal/low-cal healthy alternatives. Some are relatively cheap, others are downright expensive, but all are worth a try. Which is what I spent a day doing. (One cannot do shots of 16 different drinks in one sitting.)
I conducted a personal taste test on a variety of beverages, primarily teas and waters, as well as one dry soda and two Kombucha beverages. I looked high and low for Zevia, a stevia-sweeteened soda, but had absolutely no luck in finding it at any local Safeway, Whole Foods, or Trader Joes. Zevia comes in four flavors: cola, ginger root beer, orange, and a lemon-lime flavor called Natural Twist. The interesting thing about this soda is that it is called a "carbonated dietary supplement." Soda as a dietary supplement? It's all in the semantics. Stevia, a low-calorie natural sweetener, is approved only as a dietary supplement in the U.S. and Europe; governmental regulators have yet to approve it as a food additive. Ahh, but I digress....
First off, there are more beverages and varieties out on the market than I could possibly try. I randomly picked the brands and flavors for this taste test. Ultimately, not all the beverages I chose pleased my palate, and most were significantly more than a can of soda. (If cost is an issue, then I do offer several alternatives at the end of the column.) But here were my favorites:
Tejava Tea: This is a simple, plain brewed tea. No additives, no flavors, no sweetening, which is really the way I like my tea, hot or cold and it is two thumbs up for me. Tejava is microbrewed from Java tea and comes in 12-ounce and 1-liter bottles and has zero (0) calories. $1.49/liter
Tazo Tea: The tagline for Tazo is "The reincarnation of tea" and this company does a good job in all regards. In addition to loose-leaf and bagged tea, they make 14 different varieties of bottled tea. Fresh brewed, it comes in black, green, and herbal selections. I chose the Organic Iced Green Tea (with spearmint and Lemongrass). The tea is lightly sweetened with cane sugar, with a subtle hint of the mint and lemongrass. There was a slight aftertaste, but overall very satisfying on a hot day. 70 calories per serving. 13.8-ounce bottles = $1
Cha Dao Tea: This company, based in Seattle, prides itself on having "distinctively fresh" teas, and recently won two first-place awards at the 2008 World Tea Expo. They have five flavors, of which I sampled two. Yin Yang (one of the award winners) is a black tea and coffee mixture, lightly sweetened with organic cane sugar. I'd call this "coffee light" and was impressed by its flavor. It also has 96 mgs of caffeine per bottle, about 2/3 less than the same amount of coffee. Also good is their Chinese Green Jasmine Tea with lemon, also lightly sweetened. This one has an ever-so-slightly bitter taste, almost as though the tea was overbrewed, but I loved the clear flavor of the jasmine that came through. 36-48 calories per serving. 16.9 ounces = $1.99
POM Light Tea: POM has been brewing up pomegranate-based products and touting their anti-oxidant effects for some time now. They recently started marketing 3 flavors of light iced tea, sweetened with fructose and all containing the POM antioxident extract. I tried out Orange Blossom Red Tea and Hibsicus Green Tea (Wildberry White is the 3rd flavor). The Orange Blossom was fruity and full-flavored but definitely tasted more like fruit than tea. The Hibiscus Green made my mouth pucker a bit and had a drier taste. If you like fruitier flavors and want to counteract those free radicals, these just might do the trick. 35 calories per serving. 16 ounces = $1.79
Hint Water: "Drink Water, Not Sugar" is this company's motto and what they offer is good-tasting pure water with a hint of all-natural fruit flavor. No sugar or sweeteners grace their beverages. Based out of San Francisco, this company has come up with some ingenious flavors, such as pear, honeydew hibiscus, and cucumber. I tried a bottle of their Pomegranate-Tangerine and was pleasantly surprised. The flavor was not overwhelming or fake-tasting. I kind of wanted to make it fizzy and throw it over ice with a few slices of orange. 0 calories. 16 ounces = $1.49
Purity Organic: While this Bay Area company may be better known for its juice drinks, it also has a line called "functional drinks." These are enhanced hydration drinks that are low in sugar and contain vitamins and antioxidants. I tried the Orange Mango Water (restore) and loved it. I'm a sucker for mango, what can I say...but the flavor is good, not too sweet, and you can't taste the electrolytes that can make some drinks have an off-taste. Also tested was the pomegranate blueberry (memory), also a big hit. Although these products are called water, they are full-flavored and taste more like juice. 60 calories per serving. 16 ounces = $1.49-1.79.
Dry Soda: Another product out of Seattle, Dry sodas, the "Modern Alternative," come in 4 very unusual flavors: kumquat, lavender, lemongrass, and rhubarb. Because I love to cook and eat Thai food, I chose the Lemongrass to sample. Lightly carbonated and lightly sweetened with cane sugar, this soda is very sophisticated, something I can see mixologists trying to incorporate into fancy cocktails. I, personally, loved it. Whether or not that would hold true for the other flavors, I am not so sure, but serve this with your sate and pad thai...you won't be disappointed. 50 calories/bottle. 4/pack of 12 ounce bottles = $6.99 ($1.74/bottle)
Soda Alternatives That Are Light on the Wallet
Home-brewed Ice Tea: Iced tea doesn't have to be bland and there is a large selection of caffeinated, decaf, or herbal. You can buy flavored tea bags from Jasmine Green, Peach Black (Twinings), African Honeybush, Mandarin Orange Spice (Celestial Seasonings), or even Good Earth's Sweet and Spicy teabags to bring more flavor to the table. They are easy to make either by cold-brew, sun tea, or the old-fashioned hot-brewed variety (which is the best way for herbal teas). You can add agave syrup or a pinch of the aforementioned stevia (sold at Trader Joes and health food stores) to sweeten the pot, or mix half and half with a fruit juice or lemonade. Always a refreshing treat and the varieties are endless.
Sparkling Water/Seltzer: We always have an abundance of lemons and limes, and make use of them in sparkling water or plain seltzer. Pellegrino, Crystal Geyser, even the generic seltzer is refreshing, and all have the carbonation to send bubbles down your throat, just like soda. Try to avoid the flavored varieties, as they usually taste a bit fake, even if essential oils are used.
Check out my recent post "Summer Soda Substitute," which provides easy recipes for flavored syrups to add to your brewed tea or sparkling water.
What didn't make the cut? Metromint Orangemint Water, Metromint Spearmint Water, Metromint Chocolate Water, Owater Infused, Synergy Mystic Mango Kombucha, Kombucha Botanica Ginger Tulsi.
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