Ten Readily Available Healthy and Refreshing Alternatives to Soda

The need to remove soda from your daily diet cannot be emphasized enough. Many people are now cutting down or cutting out soda from their go-to source of refreshment as many now call it the sip of death. Soda has been singled out as the biggest source of excessive sugar consumption for many around the world with some families discovered to be drinking more soda than water every day and that is a dangerous trend by all health standards; And no, diet soda is not an option because it has artificial sweeteners that still trigger insulin production in your body.

Soda also numbs your taste for sugar causing you to crave and eat more sugary foods with empty calories that only cause liver fat disease, kidney diseases, diabetes, heart disease and many other diseases that ruin your everyday life. It is hard to cut soda out of your diet after drinking it for so long because the culture of popping a soda has been deeply ingrained. You can still try by adopting these 10 alternatives which are readily available and healthier than soda.

Sparkling Water

If it is the bubbles that drive you to buy a can of soda, then a glass of sparkling water, whether bought at the store or homemade will do you more good. You should avoid the flavoured sparkling water from the stores that still contain lots of sweeteners because that will be just swapping one dangerous drink for another. You can buy pure sparkling bottled water or get your own sparkling water dispenser and make your own sparkle at home to soothe your thirst without ruining your health and that of your family. You can also invest in a countertop carbonating machine such as SodaStream and enjoy your bubbles in every glass with no sugar.

Green Tea

Green tea has no calories if you drink it without sugar, and if you crave some calories, then you can add milk or honey instead. Green tea is safer than soda in whatever form you drink it, whether hot or iced so you don’t have to worry about your sugar intake. Green tea is also rich in antioxidants and the other properties you need to mitigate or avoid the negative impacts of soda on your body.

A Cup Of Coffee

Your cup of coffee can be very healthy if you treat it right, but it can also turn into a soda of sorts if you put in too much sugar or drink too many of them in a day. Soda contains caffeine as well, but it is lower than what your cup of coffee contains. AS long as you keep your daily coffee consumption within three to four cups, you will be safe and avoid all the health complications associated with drinking soda. You can sweeten it up with honey if you have a sweet tooth but if you can avoid the sugar then it will be healthier.

Kombucha

Kombucha is really nothing more than fermented tea and the fermentation process also creates a flavour and probiotics that may be beneficial to your digestive tract. You can either buy Kombucha drinks made available by brands like Brew Dr. or make your own Kombucha at home with the many recipes available online now. You can use Kombucha powder that is ready to go and make your own sugar-free alternative to soda at home.

Home-Flavoured Water

As we said earlier, most flavoured water sold in stores are full of preservatives and added sweeteners that are no better than a can of coke. You are always safe drinking clean and clear water in the good old way, but if you crave something tastier and flavoured, then you can get health flavoured bottled water on the shelves but you need to examine the ingredients. You can still make your own flavoured water at home by infusing it with delicious fruit flavours right from your fruit basket. You can add diced or frozen fruits into your water or flavour it up with oranges, lime, mint or lemons and have a version of your favourite soda without all that sugar.

Smoothies And Fresh Fruit Juice

After buying a blender, the least you can do is put it to good use to put healthier drinks in your refrigerator. You can never go wrong with a smoothie because you have full control of what goes into it and how it tastes. Just make it refreshing enough so that it doesn’t give you second thoughts after taking a sip. Most fruits and vegetables have few calories and lots of vitamins and minerals that your body just can’t have enough of. You will also enjoy the filling of being actually food without all the side effects of soda such as acid refluxes and inflammation.

Milk

You can never go wrong with milk nowadays since there is a version that suits everyone including those who are lactose intolerant and those doing a dairy-free diet. Almond and soy milk contains nearly as much calcium as regular dairy milk so you shouldn’t be afraid to drink them. While milk won’t taste as sweet as soda, it will still soothe your thirst and give your body lots of nourishing minerals and vitamins without giving you excessive empty calories.

Make Your Own Lime Soda

If citrus-flavoured soda is your favourite, then you may still recreate yours at home with a tiny touch of a sweetener that you consider safe such as honey or stevia-based sweeteners. All you need is to drop slices of dried or diced lime or lemon into your carbonated water and enjoy your own soda at home. You can choose to use sugar, but keep it in check so that you don’t take the same harmful quantities you are trying to avoid.

Drink Coconut Water

If you wake up feeling like enjoying a tropical refreshment, then coconut water will always do the trick. Coconut water is over 94% water which is as hydrating as any glass of water you will ever drink. The rest is mostly minerals and electrolytes that help with your general health. You should avoid the sweetened coconut water though because it contains refined sugar and other flavours as well as preservatives.

Yoghurt

You don’t always have to scoop your yoghurt with a spoon, you can sip it down with all your heart and feel the flavour in every drop. There are more than sufficient versions of yoghurt to choose from but none are as toxic as the traditional can of soda. Drinking yoghurt is nourishing and refreshing as you load up on proteins and vitamins as well as healthy bacteria that improve your digestive health. You should always go for the version with the least added sugar whenever you can though.