What is a Good Soda Alternative

Soda is a beverage that many enjoy, but it is also a drinking habit that many would like to quit. Breaking this habit is possible, and it can be an enjoyable experience.

Soda was always in my life. I drank it with each meal, yes even breakfast some times. Really, is it any different from a grande coffee mocha frappé-ccino? The sodas in the tiny glass bottles tasted the best, and I had great skill for crushing an aluminium can with one smash of my foot. I must admit, there is still a soft spot for the sound an aluminium can makes when opening. It takes me back to being a child, sitting in the shade on a hot summer day, drinking a soda and eating a cookie. But as reminiscent as that is for the good ol’ kid days, my next thought when I hear that noise today is, “Wait! Don’t you know that stuff’s not good for you?”

 

HOW DID I STOP? Step one.

The reason and how I stopped drinking soda has a story. I didn’t just decide one day to abruptly quit. My interest in eating healthier foods led to examine the ingredients of my favorite soda, and it wasn’t good. So I decided to switch to organic soda to swap high-fructose corn syrup for cane sugar.

One sip of it’s syrupy-sugar goodness and I was a new customer! The increased value for organic soda compared to conventional soda, coupled with my fixed income created a small range of how much soda I could drink. By force, I was drinking less. Oddly enough, my high desire for drinking soda decreased after switching to organic soda. I suspect it was the different balance of ingredients, and how my body processed the two sweeteners.

 

STEP TWO.

The next step in improving my health involved counting calories. (I’ll insert here, I don’t calorie count anymore, and I’ll share why soon.) Anything that I regularly ate, and considered to be empty calories was out – if I didn’t really want to spend them. Special occasions, I’d have a soda. But on average, I replaced soda with drinking more water. It was easy to do, because at about the same time I began using a reverse osmosis water filter and this made the city tap water taste loads better. Just drinking water worked well for a long time. Months went by without having a soda. By drinking less soda, the cravings just naturally tapered off.

 

STEP THREE.

I don’t remember what triggered it, but I started desiring soda again. Luckily, the excessive sweetness deterred my cleaner and newly adjusted taste palate. I couldn’t just crack one open anymore, it was too sweet.

I was still craving the bubbly sensation of a drink though. To satisfy this craving, I started making my own soda. I purchased tonic water; and would make a mixed drink by dissolving a bit of honey with a bit of lemon juice, adding ice, then pouring the tonic water over.

Each time I made this drink, I would lessen the added sugar amount until I didn’t add any. As tasty as these sodas were, I just lost my desire for them, and I stopped making it.

Our taste palates and food preferences are always changing. I have learned that when I am placing strict restrictions upon my food choices, this is when they become very stubborn to change. If I am forgiving with myself and my food choices, change happens naturally and free.

 

STEP FOUR.

A few months after having stopped the mixed drink soda, I wanted a bubbly drink again. This time I tried mineral water. And this is my choice today if I want a drink with bubbles. I prefer this kind of mineral water, and choose it in a glass bottle.

 

So, how did I successfully stop drinking soda for good?

One step at a time.

I had the desire to change, and I allowed that change to happen over time, naturally. Sometimes we need to abruptly change. When I began the Alkaline Diet, that change happened overnight because I felt that was my next step.

Sometimes we only need to desire the change, and then get out of it’s way. For me, stopping soda was one of those times. I knew that I wanted to quit, and that it would eventually happen, and that was enough.

You decide the way that is best for you. Then do it. And even if you can’t decide, just start, and you’ll figure it out as you go.

Don’t worry with doing more and adding more. Sometimes the simple desire to change is enough. Besides, as you add in more good foods; you’ll crave the not-so-good less.

 

SUGGESTIONS OF DRINKS TO LESSEN THE SODA HABIT.

1. Give one of these more natural versions of soda a try. Izze Sparkling Juice contains less sugar and they have a clean taste. I serve them at family get-together’s and parties. Zevia Zero Calorie Soda is a soda that has been sweetened with stevia extract which is a good option for sugar-free sweet soda. This soda I drank for an occasional sweet drink when on a no-sugar phase of the Alkaline Diet. Both soda’s are fun to drink when you really want to have a soda and also mind your sugar intake.
2. You could make your own soda. Buy some tonic water, raw honey, and lemons to give the soda mixed drink a try. The recipe is add a little honey, add a little lemon juice, taste, then add the ice and tonic water. 
3. GTs Multi Green Kombucha is a drink that I often choose when wanting a bubbly soda-like drink. It contains vitamins and supports healthy gut-flora. Plus the color green is so pretty. Their other flavor Trilogy is delicious, and I love that by drinking this treat it is also improving my overall health.
4. Instead of soda for breakfast, a fresh vegetable juice is a much more healthful option. The juice Peek-a-boo Orange is very simple to make, and easily becomes a good morning habit.
5. At lunch or dinner, drinking a cup of herbal tea can begin to replace the habit of choosing soda first. (I know not the same as soda.) Herbal teas help with cleansing and cell renewal, something that will be of benefit to your digestive, liver, and kidney health.

 

HOW WILL YOU DO IT?

If you’ve broken the soda habit too, I’d love to hear how you did it in the comments section. And if you’re just beginning, you can do it, I believe in you!

Much Love,

Jessie

 

This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase through the link, you are helping to support the mission of Curing Vision and the price is the same to you regardless. It’s an easy way to help out without doing anything extra. Thanks, for the support!