I have a real addiction to soda and I desperately need to cut back at least on the sugar.
My problem is, is that the zero sugar ones - whatever sweetener is used hurts my throat (and tastes awful), and same goes for the diet versions. I could force myself to drink bubbly or La Croix, but knowing myself, that’s only going to cause an awful rebound soon enough. So I’ve been trying to find alternatives that don’t break the bank. Poppi is fine and I’ve tried other low sugar bottles from online stores here and there. That’s expensive, though.
So I guess has anyone tried to cut sugar in other ways? I have tried watering things down and I’ve tried using just sparkling water to keep the carbonation but water things down. I have also tried sparkling water and powdered drink mixes and that is truly awful, imo. I haven’t tried mixing a Soda Zero with a Soda (regular) and I wonder if that would help? At least to begin sort of a transition?
I dunno. I’m babbling at this point. I know it’s mostly a test of will for addictions, but this is literally my only vice because I don’t smoke and won’t drink. So soda is the way, hahaha.
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Others have mentioned it but I want to double down! I was addicted to soda from 13-25 and I have lost a lot of teeth because of it. Sodastream helped me kick it. It’s much cheaper to maintain and using less acidic waters since you can just use your tap water (or whatever water you want) and has zero sugar. I buy liquid water flavors from Aldi that use stevia for sweetening. 100% the bubbles and they can taste a lot more than the la croix stuff. Put in as much or little flavor as you want. Combine dark cherry and vanilla for a pretty good cola taste too. Zero calories, no gunk on teeth, cost about $22 USD to maintain carbonation of the sodastream and I drink like 2-5 liters of the stuff a day. Good luck! Sugar is one of the hardest addictions out there and big cola makes sure the alternatives are expensive or taste bad. You can do this! The effects of that acidic soda and water on your body overtime does nothing but DAMAGE. love yourself!
I am a solid Diet Pepsi drinker. All day every day. I did manage a stint for a few months with the Circkle (sp?) water bottles. There are a ton on flavors online and if you buy enough it’s MUCH cheaper than what you pay in Walmart. Today I’m sick in bed and my body has been craving water. Maybe this is a second chance.
Probably not helpful, but for me I made a few changes to cut back on Cokes.
I keep the house stocked with overpriced waters and teas, and they’re in the front of the fridge so I see them first. I found I particularly like Snapple’s sugar free line. This took a lot of experimenting - be ready to spend a few months buying until you find ones you like. Don’t be shy about tossing the shitty ones either - there’s an amazing ‘variety’ of tastes here.
I also learned to make a few drinks I actually like. Right now I’m on a shaken iced tea - much like how a bartender shakes a mixed drink. Mostly just iced tea, but with a healthy splash of lemon juice, 4-6 frozen strawberries instead of ice, and sugar/sugar substitute to taste (about 1 teaspoon), then shake. Gives it a fruity-sweet flavor. And you get to eat strawberry slushies afterwards.
I do still keep Cokes in the house, but it’s the fancy glass bottle ones. They’re small and expensive, so I drink them in moderation. But simply having them in the house and knowing I can have one if the cravings really hit, somehow makes the cravings less frequent.
I felt the same way years ago. I started drinking coke zero and have no switched back. Normal Coke is waaay too sweet for me now and I much prefer coke zero. I have been drinking it close to 8 years now, and I love it way more.
One thing that helped me was that i read that real sugar binds to sweet receptors, diet substitutes bind to both sweet and bitter at the same time, and that is why it can feel uncomfortable at first. For some reason that helped me understand it and now it’s all I want to drink.
I also love Fresca
I was going to give a bunch of advice but then you answered your own question at the end.
If you want to change, you just going to have to change - that’s all there is to it.
My advice therefore is that you’re going to experience two or three days of discomfort, be prepared to deal with that.
What you need is willpower. No way around it. Your options are:
Drink soda sweetened with sugar
Drink soda sweetened with artificial sweeteners
Drink unsweetened soda
I would just stay on the seltzer until you’re used to it. I can’t even drink sugary soda anymore, maybe as a treat once in a while, but never a whole can or bottle at once. You’ll get there too.
OK, as a result of this, I went on a bit of a research trip, and found out that
a) Setzer is apparently just what you people call carbonated water, and, b) that that is because of fucking Selters, a brand of mineral water I could go out and buy in any random-ass supermarket. (Sure, if you wanna go into it, it’s because that source has a kinda funky mineral mix, and because water from there has been bottled forever, but whatever.)
There isn’t really any point or punchline here, I just think our world is very silly.
I love seltzer, I have also lost my taste for sugary soda. But I can still down a whole can without issue, but now I see it as indulgence similar to ice cream
The best thing you can do is buy carbonated waters.
It sucks but after a few months of not drinking soda you won’t crave it anymore.
You said you tried powdered drink mixes, have you tried the liquid? I cannot stand the powdered variety, either. I feel like you have more control over the flavor and the mix with the liquid varieties.
They’ve really helped me kick my soda habit.
ETA: Just some recommendations, avoid the Crystal Light brand, they taste like artificial sweetener. I personally go for generic store brands(Laura Lynn, Great Value), but Mio is a solid choice with a wide range of flavors. Just avoid their Iced Tea unless you really like canned tea. That’s exactly what it tastes like.
Seconding this. A lot of the flavors have food dyes but you can also find stevia and more “natural” colored flavors at aldis and other stores, as well!
i got used to LaCroix and prefer it to sugary sodas now after my taste buds went back to normal.
any sugary soda tastes grotesque to me now.
i think liking sodas is a symptom of desensitization to an absurd amount of sugar.
sugar damages your liver just like alcohol (former expert in drinking both here), so it’s worth desensitizing your taste buds to the normal soda amount of sugar.
Zero sugar Gatorade. I’m trying to quit too, addictions suck. I won’t let my kid even have soda, maybe once a month he gets a coke.
Soda used to be fermented fruit juice, you could make your own.
sodastream + mio really helped me kick the habit. i still have a soft drink every now and then when i’m out, but at home i stick to fizzy.
i didn’t enjoy any of the sugarfree soda mixes i tried (powder and syrup). i also can’t stand diet/zero sodas.
I have a real addiction to soda and I desperately need to cut back at least on the sugar.
Add 1/20th to 1/4 parts water to whatever serving size of soda you drink. Easy peasy does it best.
I dont know if it will irritate your throat or not as it sounds like you may have an allergy to somw sweeteners, but I have been drinking Clear America sparkling water for a couple years now and it tastes lightyears better than bubbly and la Croix. It is artificially sweetened (aspertame I think?), zero calories, but most of the flavors absolutely do not taste like they are artificially sweetened. Strawberry is the best and is my go to. But the cherry limeade, black cherry, and tangerine are all really good as well. I have my entire family drinking them as a treat when they come over. You can only buy them at Walmart, in the water/sparkling water section.
Try Sparkling Ice water! Very low sugar, but tastes just as sweet as soda to me. They also make energy drinks if that’s your vibe
