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| Honest Fizz & Zevia Natural Sodas |
So like many Americans I love soda, pop, fizzy lifting drinks, or whatever you may call them. The problem is they can be bad for you and while drinking water is much better for you, it does not satisfy my cravings. So I struggled to limit my intake to one soda per day until I discovered an alternative.
Now, a lot of people ask me, "Hey, what are you drinking?"..... "Is that an energy drink?".... "Do you know the Muffin Man?" OK, maybe not the last one but the first two for sure. My answer is usually something like this: "I am glad you asked, I'm drinking Zevia (or Honest Fizz) the all natural soda sweetened with Stevia to help keep me strong!" <Thumbs up and shameless promotional flashing of the label while smiling much too much>
Perhaps not quite that dramatic, but hey if they need someone to do a commercial and spread the word, I'm available.
So what in tarnation (Tar Nation/Tar-nation/tar-nay-shun, idk) is Stevia? Well, it's a plant based, all-natural sweetener with zero calories! Oh boy, here comes the backlash...
"Isn't that like Aspartame?" "What about Splenda, what's the difference?" "I bet that causes cancer." "I want a Crumple Horned Snorkack."
Stevia is different because it is an all-natural sweetener that comes from a plant. Both Splenda (Sucralose) and Aspartame are artificial sugar substitutes. Stevia has no calories, does not cause tooth decay, does not cause cancer, and has a negligible effect on blood glucose levels. However, some experts argue that certain kinds of Stevia can cause tooth decay, such as Stevia extract and drops stored in glycerin. This is not the case in Zevia and Honest Fizz. Although, these sodas do contain other ingredients, such as citric and malic acid from fruits that are indeed bad for your teeth if you consume too much. While not as good as drinking water, they are a great alternative to regular sodas and traditional diet sodas and still satisfy the fizzy craving for carbonation.
In the spirit of full disclosure, these sodas also contain a sugar alcohol called Erythritol, which is used as a "stabalizer." Basically this just means it makes it taste more like sugar. "Aha, so there is a catch?" Well sort of I guess if you want to be picky, which you probably do. But, Erythritol also has (almost) zero calories, no effect on blood glucose, does not cause cancer and nor tooth decay. The small amount in each soda has a negligible caloric composition.
As far as taste goes, I personally prefer the taste to regular soda after drinking it so often. My initial opinion upon switching from drinking regular soda, to diet, to diet Coke sweetened with Splenda, was that it tasted better than any diet soda but not as good as regular soda. Now I am so used to it that I find myself wishing I could get it at restaurants.
Of the two brands, I prefer Honest Fizz with Profesor Fizz (Dr. Pepper) and Orange being my favorite flavors. Unfortunately, Honest Fizz is harder to find at brick and mortar stores than Zevia. While Zevia can be found at most Whole Foods Market stores and some Target and Publix stores, I have only been able to find Honest Fizz at Big Lots stores. Originally Big Lots was selling them at $0.33/can, but after quickly selling out and going a few months without being in stock, they were reintroduced at $0.50/can which is still worth it in my opinion. You can always purchase them on Amazon here, but I find them to be too expensive, running $2.00/can or higher. Zevia can usually be found for $5.99 for a 6-pack but there is usually a printable $1-$1.50 off coupon on Zevia.com. I have occasionally found them on sale at Target for $3.33 for a 6-pack which is roughly $0.55/can. If you buy 4 6-packs at Whole Foods you get them at a slight discount of around $20 for 24 cans. The best place to purchase Zevia is usually Amazon. The most popular flavors, such as Zevia Cola, can be found in 24-packs for as little as $13-$14, when in stock. The average price is around $16-$18. Amazon also sells a variety 24-pack for around $20-$22 which is great for finding out which flavors you like.
Some of flavors do contain caffeine while other flavors are caffeine free. Zevia has a wider variety of flavors and is more readily available. But if you can find it at Big Lots for cheap, Honest Fizz tastes better in my opinion.
So the real question you should be asking is: "Why haven't you tried an all-natural soda sweetened with Stevia?" Don't forget to share with your friends and family. The post not the soda I mean. Unless your feeling generous, then share the soda. But it's sort of expensive, so maybe you should charge them. Just a suggestion.
"Isn't that like Aspartame?" "What about Splenda, what's the difference?" "I bet that causes cancer." "I want a Crumple Horned Snorkack."
Stevia is different because it is an all-natural sweetener that comes from a plant. Both Splenda (Sucralose) and Aspartame are artificial sugar substitutes. Stevia has no calories, does not cause tooth decay, does not cause cancer, and has a negligible effect on blood glucose levels. However, some experts argue that certain kinds of Stevia can cause tooth decay, such as Stevia extract and drops stored in glycerin. This is not the case in Zevia and Honest Fizz. Although, these sodas do contain other ingredients, such as citric and malic acid from fruits that are indeed bad for your teeth if you consume too much. While not as good as drinking water, they are a great alternative to regular sodas and traditional diet sodas and still satisfy the fizzy craving for carbonation.
In the spirit of full disclosure, these sodas also contain a sugar alcohol called Erythritol, which is used as a "stabalizer." Basically this just means it makes it taste more like sugar. "Aha, so there is a catch?" Well sort of I guess if you want to be picky, which you probably do. But, Erythritol also has (almost) zero calories, no effect on blood glucose, does not cause cancer and nor tooth decay. The small amount in each soda has a negligible caloric composition.
As far as taste goes, I personally prefer the taste to regular soda after drinking it so often. My initial opinion upon switching from drinking regular soda, to diet, to diet Coke sweetened with Splenda, was that it tasted better than any diet soda but not as good as regular soda. Now I am so used to it that I find myself wishing I could get it at restaurants.
Of the two brands, I prefer Honest Fizz with Profesor Fizz (Dr. Pepper) and Orange being my favorite flavors. Unfortunately, Honest Fizz is harder to find at brick and mortar stores than Zevia. While Zevia can be found at most Whole Foods Market stores and some Target and Publix stores, I have only been able to find Honest Fizz at Big Lots stores. Originally Big Lots was selling them at $0.33/can, but after quickly selling out and going a few months without being in stock, they were reintroduced at $0.50/can which is still worth it in my opinion. You can always purchase them on Amazon here, but I find them to be too expensive, running $2.00/can or higher. Zevia can usually be found for $5.99 for a 6-pack but there is usually a printable $1-$1.50 off coupon on Zevia.com. I have occasionally found them on sale at Target for $3.33 for a 6-pack which is roughly $0.55/can. If you buy 4 6-packs at Whole Foods you get them at a slight discount of around $20 for 24 cans. The best place to purchase Zevia is usually Amazon. The most popular flavors, such as Zevia Cola, can be found in 24-packs for as little as $13-$14, when in stock. The average price is around $16-$18. Amazon also sells a variety 24-pack for around $20-$22 which is great for finding out which flavors you like.
Some of flavors do contain caffeine while other flavors are caffeine free. Zevia has a wider variety of flavors and is more readily available. But if you can find it at Big Lots for cheap, Honest Fizz tastes better in my opinion.
So the real question you should be asking is: "Why haven't you tried an all-natural soda sweetened with Stevia?" Don't forget to share with your friends and family. The post not the soda I mean. Unless your feeling generous, then share the soda. But it's sort of expensive, so maybe you should charge them. Just a suggestion.
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