5 Easy and Healthy Swaps for Soda

Did you know that the best way to reduce your sugar intake is to cut down on sugary drinks?

But if you’re in the habit of a long cool soda, you’re going to find yourself twitching and wriggling. You’ll be consumed with thoughts of that soda that you can’t have.

Until you cave in and go for “one sip”. Before you know it, you’re back to your “soda habit”.

Give yourself a break!

You don’t need to hand cuff yourself to a lamp post every time you see an image of a can of soda.

Find a healthy replacement for your soda.

The trick is to find one that you really enjoy. You might need to spend a bit of time getting used to them.

You know what I say to my picky kids? You need to give something new a chance to be loved!

Now, before you go and reach for that can of diet soda, please stop!

Artificial sweeteners aren’t great either. They don’t help your body “reset” the sweet “thermostat”. They just trick your body into thinking it’s a sugar fix.

You want to retrain your body so that it doesn’t need any sugar fix.

Trust me on this one! After a while, you won’t crave sugar in the way you used to.

(If you’re getting lots of sugar from other sources that won’t work. If you want to reduce your sugar intake, your body will get used to it and no longer crave it.)

These are my favourite drinks to keep me going without resorting to added sugar.

5 Healthy Alternatives to Soda

1.Mint water

Add a drop or 2 of mint essential oil to a class of ice cold water. (Make sure you have an essential oil that is ok to consume.)

Mint water is great for when your energy levels are slumping. It’s like jumping into a refreshing sea.

It’s also great if you’re feeling a little sick.

2. Fizzy water

Plain fizzy water with no added sugar or flavours. Great in the evening.

For a special treat, add a splash of fruit juice.

3. Water with a slice

Flavour your water with a slice of lemon, lime or cucumber. You can try any fruit you like! (Although you’ll get better results from ones that have some juice.)

4. Infusion

You can either buy a “tea bag” to make your infusion. There are SO many to choose from.

Or you can use some fresh herbs. I love mint, fennel and occasionally sage.

Turmeric tea is also a lovely way to start the day. I add a splash of cider vinegar. Turmeric is a great anti inflammatory. An acquired taste. My husband hates, but I love it!

5. Iced tea, no sugar

Cool and refreshing in the summer. If you make iced tea without any added sugar, you won’t spike your blood sugar levels.

Diluted Fruit Juice

If you can’t bear the thought of no sugar, try diluted fruit juice as a half way house. Fruit juice is full of sugar (albeit naturally occurring.) Think of it as “fruit with the good bits taken out”.

My motto is “nothing is forbidden in moderation”, so fruit juice is fine in small doses.

If you dilute it, it’s more thirst quenching and you reduce the sugar content.

Author Bio

Dr Orlena is a health coach. She helps busy mums go from "I can't lose weight" to feeling fit and fabulous. Find out more about her here.