I’m Thirsty, But Water’s Not Cutting It

Healthy soda alternatives for the summer

Although America’s obsession with soda is on the decline, not everyone has their health in mind when sipping from a refreshing beverage. 

We get it. When it’s boiling hot outside, it becomes rather tempting to guzzle down an ice-cold fizzy, sweet pop, doesn’t it? And water can get rather boring after a while, we know.

We are in no way trying to persuade you to give up your favorite fizzy drinks and switch entirely to drinking water. Remember, no judgment here. But we do want to offer some healthy (and yummy) alternatives to try instead.

Soda’s shocking Health-deteriorating facts

There really are endless studies to show what detrimental effects soda has on your health – heart disease, stroke, colorectal cancer, and diabetes are just to name a few. 

It’s also linked to obesity. A study published in the journal Appetite suggests how drinking soda can trigger sweet cravings by dulling your sensitivity to sweet tastes, sparking a vicious cycle of eating foods and drinks with added sugar.

We feel that Kelly Kennedy, RD, staff nutritionist for Everyday Health, puts it very well indeed:

“Soda has no nutritional value, and therefore, there is no nutritional benefit to having it…just one can of cola contains over 9 teaspoons of sugar — that’s 1½ times more than the American Heart Association recommends a woman have in an entire day.”

And don’t get us started on diet soda. Last week we published an article, “Why Diet Soda Is As Bad For Your Teeth (And Waistline) As Regular Soda”, which examines just how detrimental diet soda can be for your health.  

But all that aside, sometimes fizzy, sugary drinks really do hit the spot when you’re perspiring in the middle of summer, don’t they? So what other options are there?

We recommend trying some of these healthy soda alternatives, which are so delicious and refreshing, we really don’t think you’ll ever have to go back to drinking soda again!

Fruit-infused water

You can find flavored water everywhere these days, but they’re usually loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners, which, as we all know, aren’t exactly great for our health. 

So we recommend making your own fruit-infused water by slicing up some of your favorite fruits, veggies, and herbs. For example, you could try adding some berries, cucumber, mint, lime, watermelon, or oranges to a flask of iced water for a refreshing and delicious summertime beverage!

Iced Herbal tea

What’s your favorite herbal tea? Green, raspberry leaf, vanilla, chai? Herbal teas have so many health benefits and are a great alternative to those sugary, chemical-fueled fizzy drinks. 

We recommend popping a teabag of choice into a glass or portable flask full of water, add some ice cubes and voila! If you want to add a bit more sweetness to your drink, you may want to add a spoonful of honey or agave, so it’s a little bit more pleasant on the palate. 

Natural fruit juice pop 

Now, you have to try this, as we believe it’s as close to soda as you can get – without the bad stuff!

We recommend juicing your favorite fruits and adding seltzer water or sparkling water and ice. It’s so simple but so delicious. 

What flavored soda do you usually go for? Is it strawberry, orange, or grape? Juice a handful of your chosen fruit in a juicer or blender, mix in your fizzy water and add the ice cubes. It’s so refreshing and has zero added sugar. Plus, you will be receiving endless amounts of vitamins and antioxidants from your freshly juiced juice. 

We recommend mixing one part juice to three parts of fizzy water so you get a good, strong flavor to your bubbly concoction. We don’t know about you, but we’re salivating already!

Lemon and Lime sparkling water

Can’t give up your favorite citrus-flavored soda? Well, you don’t have to! One of the healthiest and refreshing options out there is to add some slices of lemon and lime to a glass of sparkling or seltzer water. And if you’d like it a bit sweeter then add some honey or agave to the mix. 

It really does go down a treat on a hot summer’s day. Just don’t forget the ice cubes. 

Kombucha

We love kombucha! Not only is it absolutely delicious, but it’s an excellent source of gut-friendly bacteria and an excellent source of probiotics. It’s also packed full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals which have been shown to be very effective against bad bacterial growth and to help combat disease. All in all, kombucha has been proven to improve digestion, metabolism, immunity, liver function, heart health, and much more.

You can either brew your own kombucha at home or find it in the refrigerated aisle of the natural food section at the grocery store. It really does go down well on a hot summer day. 

We hope you enjoy trying out some of these healthy soda alternatives. Please do comment below if you have any of your own concoctions. We’d love to hear about them!

Soda the tooth eroder

We can’t stress enough how important it is to cut down, and if you can, completely eradicate soda from your diet. Soda literally erodes your teeth and feeds bad bacteria in the mouth. 

If you do find yourself giving into that sugary temptation, be sure to give your mouth a rinse with water afterward. This will help wash off some of the sugar clinging to your teeth before the tooth-eroding acids kick in. 

Use our enamel-restoring tooth powder

What you brush your teeth with is everything!

Toothpaste (even the healthy ones from natural stores) are full of harmful ingredients that actually cause gum disease, rather than prevent it. Take a look at our article, “Toxic Ingredients In Your Toothpaste,” for more information about this. 

We recommend brushing your teeth with our 100% natural tooth and gum powder, which not only puts all the essential nutrients back into your gums but helps in the remineralization of tooth enamel.  

Good-Gums is free from all chemicals and toxins and has absolutely no nasty stuff whatsoever. Good-gums is also 100 % cruelty-free, vegan, and is completely safe to ingest.

Remember, what’s good for your mouth is good for you!

Click here to try our herbal tooth and gum formula. 

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