Are you someone who loves soda but hates all of the artificial ingredients in a traditional soda? Are you tired of reaching out for the same boring soda brands on the grocery store shelves?
Well, now is the time to be a soda drinker. Soda creators are paying attention, and there are finally more innovative sodas on the market. Keep reading to learn about new soda alternatives.
Current Soda Trends
In 2021, soda is all about health-forward ingredients, functionality, out-of-the-box tastes, and sustainability.
Most of us grew up drinking soda. Whether you were drinking soda during pizza night Friday or you had one every day after school, no one really thought much of it. Finally, a new generation of soda makers has come in and shaken the can.
Natural Ingredients
What we put in our body matters, and that includes beverages. For a long time, people would eat right but make terrible choices when it came to what they were drinking.
Now, organic ingredients, natural flavorings and colors, and no added sugar are the new normal for alternatives to traditional soda.
Functionality
People no longer want to drink empty calories that are not providing any health benefits. Adding functional ingredients like prebiotics, probiotics, vitamins, and minerals, is a new trend in the soda world.
Innovative Flavors
Cola, lemon-lime, diet-cola, and orange are not going to cut it anymore. This new generation of soda lovers wants more diversity.
They are looking for flavors like raspberry ginger, grapefruit mint, cucumber lime, and green tea and honey. Flavors that make them feel like they are sitting by a pool, even when they’re not. Flavors that make their taste buds wake up.
Sustainability
Sure, recycling, turning off the lights, and being mindful of water consumption are all ways to be more sustainable. However, we can also be aware of the products we are purchasing.
Soda brands are starting to understand sustainability more and more, and they are making changes to their production practices to be more sustainable. Small-batch craft sodas are coming on the market using locally sourced ingredients to try to reduce their overall impact.
New Soda Alternatives
Here are new soda alternatives that keep up with the current trends soda connoisseurs want.
Prebiotic Soda
One of the newer soda alternatives on the market is prebiotic soda. The importance of gut health and probiotics have been known for some time now, but these live bacteria in probiotics need something to sustain them in the gut. That is where prebiotics come into play.
Prebiotics are special indigestible plant fibers that are used to feed the probiotics. Prebiotics can benefit bone health, weight management, and metabolic function.
VINA Prebiotic Sodas are made with organic inulin. Inulin is a prebiotic that is especially high in chicory root. We use apple cider vinegar, which has its own health benefits, including gut health, weight management, and supporting metabolic function. We also give your brain a boost with brain-supporting trace minerals like iron, magnesium, copper, and iron. Our prebiotic sodas are flavored with organic fruit juices and sweetened with organic stevia.
Zero Sugar Soda
Sure, diet soda has been around for a long time, but what is in those traditional diet sodas? Diet sodas have been made with artificial sweeteners that can do just as much damage as regular sugar. Traditional diet sodas can actually make you crave more sweets, causing you to gain more weight, which defeats the purpose of anything being called “diet.”
Well, what is one to do if they love the traditional taste of soda, but do not want to consume a lot of sugar, and artificial is out of the question? There are soda brands on the market that use natural sweeteners like stevia in their sodas. While they may not have any added health benefit, they do help in eliminating harmful sugar, or sugar alternatives, from your daily pop.
Craft Soda
The idea of craft beer has been around for a long while—small-scale brewers making small batches of beers. Soda lovers have taken this concept and brought it to the soda market.
While some may have sugar as an ingredient, craft soda makers use natural ingredients to make new, out-of-the-box soda. You'll find some traditional flavors like root beer and cola, but some are completely imaginative, like birthday cake, botanical-based flavors, or even bacon soda.
Probiotic Soda
As we know, gut health is all the rage, and probiotics are an important part of gut health. That is what probiotic soda makers are bringing to the market. These sodas are made with all-natural ingredients with the added bonus of live probiotics to support the gut.
Why not just sip on some kombucha—isn’t that the same thing? Not exactly. While kombucha may be a great option for some, it’s far from perfect. Kombucha has a small amount of alcohol from the fermentation process of the tea. Generally, this alcohol content is less than .05%, but kids, pregnant women, and anyone who wishes to eliminate alcohol altogether may choose not to drink it.
Kombucha also has a very strong taste, which people tend to either love or hate. Probiotic sodas take the benefits of kombucha but put in a delicious, non-alcoholic beverage.
Sparkling Juice
Sparkling juices with new and exciting flavor combinations have been popping up on the market recently. These drinks are similar to fruit-flavored sparkling water, which has been around for a while now. The difference is that sparkling juice is more about the juice and less about the water. These drinks are usually made by adding a little bit of sparkling water to different juices.
While these sodas do have sugar from the fruit juices, there are no added sugars. Sparkling juice drinks usually have around 20 grams of sugar, depending on which fruits are used. Traditional sodas, on the other hand, have around 40 grams of added sugars, usually from high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup may have harmful effects on metabolic function, blood pressure levels, inflammation in the body, and brain health.
Sparkling Tea
Do you love the taste of tea but also love the fizz of soda? You are in luck! There are now beverages that combine the delicious flavors of tea with the invigorating bubbles of soda. These new sparkling tea beverages are made with tea with added fruit juice for sweetness and added flavor.
Naturally, these drinks will have some caffeine. Tea products contain caffeine, but not as much as coffee. These are perfect for a little boost of energy if the 3 pm slump gets you, and you need that little jolt of caffeine.
Conclusion
The soda market is changing quickly. Soda drinkers want health-forward drinks with funky flavors. They want to purchase from companies that keep sustainability top of mind. There are fun new alternatives to soda on the market that will leave you feeling sweet and bubbly without all the artificial ingredients.
If you are looking for a delicious soda alternative, look no further than VINA Prebiotic Soda. We are bringing healthy ingredients and delicious tasting soda together in one can.
Sources:
Prebiotics, probiotics and your health | Mayo Clinic
Just How Bad is Diet Soda for You? | Cleveland Clinic
10 Health Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup | Irene's Myomassology Institute | irenes.edu)
