4 Ways to Ditch Your Diet-Soda Dependency

Posted Tue, Apr 01, 2008, 11:02 am PDT

Diet soda's been getting some bad press lately. Whether you're worried it'll wreck your diet or just trying to cut back on your artificial-sweetener intake, check out these diet-friendly, all-natural alternatives ... courtesy of Hungry Girl!

Stevia-Sweetened Soda!

In case you don't know, stevia is an up-and-coming, all-natural, calorie-free sweetener (currently sold in packets for drink-sweetening). Well, not too long ago, Coca-Cola filed dozens of patent applications for their very own form of stevia to use in some of their sodas. But you don't have to wait 'til that stuff arrives, 'cuz Zevia's already on the market! In Cola, Orange, and Twist (lemon-lime flavored), this 5-calorie-or-less-a-serving stuff is the ultimate solution for the soda-obsessed who want to nix artificial sweeteners without turning to regular high-calorie sugary soda. FYI, the Orange is the best and the Twist is good, too. But we're counting on Coke to come out with the perfect cola...

Metromint Water!

Tired of those silly calorie-packed waters (Vitamin Water, SoBe Life Water, Snapple Anitoxidant Water!)? Seeking flavored water with no artificial stuff? Check out Metromint's line of 0-calorie H20s. This stuff is made of just purified water, mint, and natural essences. Besides the standard Peppermint and Spearmint, there's also Lemonmint, Orangemint, Cherrymint, and (our latest fave) Chocolatemint! They're all subtly flavored and super-refreshing. We can't wait to see what the folks at Metromint come up with next ... Watermelonmint, Vanillamint, Rootbeermint?!

Zenergize Vitamin Infused Drink Tabs!

One of these all-natural, 2-calorie tablets will turn your glass of water into a fizzy flavorfest! They come in a gazillion flavors, from Orange + Pomegranate to Tropical Punch. And it's pretty fun to watch the little disc dissolve in your glass (really -- try it!). The bubbly consistency makes these a fantastic soda swap. They're also PACKED with vitamins and other energizing stuff!

POM Light Tea!

Typically, all-natural iced tea is either crammed with calories from sugar or it's unsweetened and super-bland. Well, neither is the case with this awesome line from Pom Wonderful. With pomegranate extract and just enough sugar, you get a fruity-licious tea drink for only 35 calories per 8-oz. serving. It comes in Light Wildberry White Tea, Light Orange Blossom Red Tea, and Light Hibiscus Green Tea. Sayonara, soda. Wonderful, POM!

For more diet-friendly food finds, recipes, tips, tricks and more, visit hungry-girl.com and sign up for free daily emails!

And check out the first-ever HG book, Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World, by clicking here! It's packed with 165 recipes and so much more!!!

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788 Comments

1. Posted by Angela R on Tue, Apr 01, 2008, 4:09 pm PDT

Interesting.
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2. Posted by x16star16x on Tue, Apr 01, 2008, 4:34 pm PDT

Can't wait for Coke to do their thing!
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3. Posted by miss64d on Wed, Apr 02, 2008, 3:05 am PDT

Awesome! My search begins today.
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4. Posted by LANEISHA on Wed, Apr 02, 2008, 3:17 am PDT

Does anyone know if the stevia sweetener is safe for pregnant women?
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5. Posted by Anna P on Wed, Apr 02, 2008, 6:29 am PDT

I've tried the POM light tea and I absolutely loved the taste. The only problem is that it cost around $2.75 for an 8 oz. serving...
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6. Posted by Alicia A on Wed, Apr 02, 2008, 7:29 am PDT

Where in the world do you get Zevia?
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7. Posted by Kburgsqt on Wed, Apr 02, 2008, 7:37 am PDT

They said the stevia sweetener is all-natural, so I would think it is safe for anyone, including pregnant women...
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8. Posted by pndpmt on Wed, Apr 02, 2008, 7:55 am PDT

hungry girl, whoever you are, just stop all this nonsense! My daughter started reading your site and articles last year, she then became obsessed with dieting and eventually turned anorexic. I'm sure there are other people out there who suffered the same fate. Just stop all this nonsense!!
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9. Posted by Emily on Wed, Apr 02, 2008, 10:08 am PDT

pndpmt...your daughter probably had many problems other than the hungry girl website. in no way does it encourage unhealthy weight loss. maybe you should check the website out before you make such outrageous claims. but i do hope your daughter is okay.
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10. Posted by silancedogz on Wed, Apr 02, 2008, 11:46 am PDT

Not happening. After giving up smoking, getting fanatical about working out, and improving my eating habits, I have to draw the line somewhere. And I choose to draw it at giving up my diet Mountain Dew. Yes, I drink way too much of it (about a six-pack per day). But to be fair, I also guzzle at least 3 liters of water per day (no choice - the workouts demand it). Hands off my Dew. I've been pouring the stuff down my throat for as long as it's been on the market, and have yet to show any of the signs of so-called "aspartame toxicity", which is a myth fabricated by the raw food freaks.
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11. Posted by mistydawnt77 on Thu, Apr 03, 2008, 10:55 am PDT

The soda looked like a good idea until I went to their website and I noticed that erythritol is also listed as a sweetiening agent.
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12. Posted by MarkyMark on Fri, Apr 04, 2008, 5:11 am PDT

Sell Sell Sell your Soda
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13. Posted by MarkyMark on Fri, Apr 04, 2008, 5:13 am PDT

Sell Sell Sell your Soda
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14. Posted by watear@rogers.com on Fri, Apr 04, 2008, 5:38 am PDT

where do you buy the Zevia
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15. Posted by watear@rogers.com on Fri, Apr 04, 2008, 5:38 am PDT

where do you buy the Zevia
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16. Posted by chelly_2_4 on Fri, Apr 04, 2008, 8:51 am PDT

I thought I saw it at whole foods store{psst. they have a .com as well}
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17. Posted by icecycleyez on Fri, Apr 04, 2008, 9:31 pm PDT

To: pndpmt, I'm sorry about your daughter, and as a 22 yr old who has an eating disorder(anorexia/bulima) for five years, I have to info you that HG had NOTHING to do with ur daughter. Anorexia is about control, perfectism, and/or using an eating disorder as a way to deal with all the very negative problems in his or her life. HG might have helped give her ideas how to cut calories but it DID NOT give her an eating disorder so please dont blame hungry-girl. Please try and educate yourself about her disease. Anyway, I hope she'll get as close as she can to being recovered, since ED's are a living hell. God Bless.
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18. Posted by almajimenezgarcia on Sat, Apr 05, 2008, 4:19 am PDT

Do you know the trial test for Stevia and has it been tested on rats.
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19. Posted by frogkickfrolic on Sat, Apr 05, 2008, 3:11 pm PDT

Surprisingly these are some good suggestions. I laugh at people who drink those "Vitamin Waters" and whatnot. They're PACKED with sugar and calories. There is nothing good about those waters... well, maybe the lack of caffeine is good, but other than that it's horrible. As far as those new Coke sodas go, I don't think I will be trying them any time soon unless they make it in different flavors as those three just aren't very appealing to me personally. I'll continue to drink Diet Coke/Pepsi unless they come up with a better alternative that tastes exactly the same. I drink my sodas in modertation anyway.
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20. Posted by cheetagrrl on Sun, Apr 06, 2008, 7:46 am PDT

pndpmt - I'm really sorry to hear about your daughter. But if anything, HG encourages us to eat eat eat! She just wants us to make smart decisions. Don't make her a scapegoat, she does a lot of people a lot of good.
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21. Posted by Katie on Sun, Apr 06, 2008, 10:15 am PDT

I think she encourages obsessive, restrictive behaviors; she emphasizes the use of fat-free, low fat, sugar free products, and doesn't seem to allow for any exceptions. Just reading the Fridge Makeover article made me cringe. There is nothing wrong with full fat cheese, eggs, juice, maple syrup, jelly, full fat peanut butter- IN MODERATION. But she doesn't advocate moderation, simply elimination, and this is a key behavior in many eating disorders.
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22. Posted by andyseagalley on Mon, Apr 07, 2008, 12:01 pm PDT

I work in the restaurant industry and drank diet pop for years. Alot of diet pop, probably a 12 pack a day for 25 years. 6 months ago I just quit drinking it. It took a good 4 months to get rid of the craving. Mostly mental I think. Now its just water or plain ice tea.Havnt really noticed any differents in how I feel but I have lost 20 pounds. I am eating more healthy and I think the disiplin of not drinking diet soda helps me eat better. Now the smell of diet soda really grosses me out. Like I couldnt drink it if I wanted to, weird.
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23. Posted by julie_moretto on Mon, Apr 07, 2008, 12:48 pm PDT

HG does not advocate anything negative. She doesn't mandate that you follow her ideas or suggestions. Only you do that. What she does do is gives alternatives and tips, like so many other sites do. HG is a health advocate if nothing else. I wish more people followed her suggestions/tips. I don't follow all of them! Just the ones I know I can live with. This alternative to diet soda ... I'm not going follow at least for now ... I agree if Coke produces more flavors or something remotely like the real thing then maybe. If you don't like HG then stop reading it!
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24. Posted by kellyc3784 on Tue, Apr 08, 2008, 11:56 am PDT

andyseagalley, i just quit drinking diet soda myself a month ago, and now it's like drinking turpitine! i am currently drinking crystal light. it has a better taste, fewer calories and health benifits galore!
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25. Posted by Gunslinger on Tue, Apr 08, 2008, 1:49 pm PDT

I love metromint! Its so refreshing.
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26. Posted by eeliegirl on Thu, Apr 10, 2008, 5:32 am PDT

Normally I don't agree with these kinds of suggestions but this one I can go for, but not as a way to "beat a dependancy." Dependancy on an artificial sweetner isn't going to abate simply by changing to another form of sweet. That said, stevia is an excellent substitution for sugar. It's completely natural, with no manipulation to make it low-cal (like Splenda). Stevia is an herb that is naturally 300 times sweeter than sugar. It's been used in South and Central America for centuries and in Japan for over 40 years. Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia for more details. Hopefully we'll be seeing it more and more in America.
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27. Posted by Jim the Liberal on Thu, Apr 10, 2008, 11:34 am PDT

If Yahoo doesn't quit it with the health articles, I'm changing my homepage. I don't need a nanny every time I go on line!
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28. Posted by Mr OT on Thu, Apr 10, 2008, 11:34 am PDT

There is a product with zero calories and no sugar. I think they call it "water".
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29. Posted by sdevmen on Thu, Apr 10, 2008, 11:34 am PDT

Have people tried water?
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30. Posted by acruz742003 on Thu, Apr 10, 2008, 11:34 am PDT

You can drink Diet soda once in a while watching a movie in the theatres. I drink vitamin water when I go to the movies if I don't feel like drinking Diet soda.
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