Is there a “better” soda?

Dear Jess, I know soda isn’t a healthy option, but I really enjoy a can of pop each day and so do my kids. If our family is going to drink soda, do you have a recommendation for the “best” soda? Thanks, E.F

Hmmm…this is a tough one to answer. Instead of soda, can I, perhaps, encourage you to try making a gradual shift to sparkling mineral water with a splash of citrus juice?

No, you are not having any of that, are you?  Well, making a recommendation regarding the “best” soda (an oxymoron, you realize) to drink on a regular basis seems like I am condoning ingesting a fluid that I don’t really consider food at all. Many people say, “Everything in moderation”, and so a daily “Coke” isn’t such a bad thing. I beg to differ. There is absolutely nothing redeeming about “Coke” or soda, and it, in fact, contains several ingredients that are worth avoiding altogether. To name a few:
• High fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
• Phosphoric acid. This creates the bubbles you expect in a soda, but it can up your for risk of osteoporosis if your phosphoric acid intake is disproportionate to your calcium intake.
• Artificial sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose)
• Artificial colors and flavors
• Preservatives

While Jones Soda recently switched from HFCS back to sugar (inverted sugar), it still contains many of the ingredients listed above.

That said, healthy changes come about in small, incremental steps. If you are not ready to eliminate soda from your diet understand that when it comes to soda, there are bad choices and worse choices. So way short of some sparkling water with a splash of juice…I will make a reluctant plug for a less than worst soda choice.

A recent visitor introduced me to “San Pellegrino” sodas.  In addition to carbonated mineral water produced and bottled at its source in San Pellegrino Terme in Italy, San Pellegrino also produces, sodas: Aranciata – a sparkling orange beverage, as well as, Pomppelmo, a sparkling grapefruit drink, and Limonata, a sparkling lime drink. A bottle of these soda contains: water (that’s a good start), orange juice from concentrate (real fruit…12% by volume…not bad-in moderation), sugar (okay, bad, but better than HFCS or artificial sweetener), carbon dioxide (have to get the bubbles from somewhere and this is a much better choice than phosphorus), citric acid (to add the tangy citrus flavor), and natural flavors (always a mystery).

It even comes in a glass bottle. Which for health and environmental reasons I prefer over plastic or aluminum.

So, while not a good choice by healthy living standards, San Pellegrino soda is a better choice than the standard sodas out there. A serving still contains more carbohydrates than you would want to consume in an entire meal, and a lot of fossil fuels are used to transport it from Italy to your grocery store.

When you are ready to eliminate sodas altogether, do try a glass of iced, naturally-carbonated mineral water with a splash of juice and a twist of lime. Now that sounds refreshing!

Move towards good health-
Jess

Jessica Adlin, MS, CN