I am trying to stay away from drinking sodas as they are not healthy, but they are just so irresistible and often I am tempted to have a glass, two or even more. So, maybe there is a drink less bad than sodas that I can substitute, probably a healthier one. I have heard about organic sodas. They are lower in calories, really low and they are sweetened with organic cane sugar which makes them a really healthy drink.
I am in the same boat as you, I absolutely love soda but need to cut back. I have tried the organic sodas and they're delicious but the calories are about the same as "regular" sodas. To satisfy my soda cravings I started mixing juice with flavored seltzer, I use maybe one third (or less) juice and the rest seltzer. The seltzer is no calorie and satisfies my carbonation craving and the juice is sweet so that helps with the sugary aspect of soda that I like.
It is hard but you will need to change for a healthy solution. You can decide to try out fresh fruit juices. It is so simple. Just get your fruits and crush them in a blender to get your juice. You can also buy the juice from stores if you have no time to prepare your own. It is the best substitute according to me.
I agree with mike, if you are changing do it all the way. There are healthy and more tasty alternatives, like smoothies for example, not to mention that if you are doing them at home it will possibly cost you less than buying sodas. So, ultimately you can improve your health, drink something that tastes better and save money, what else can you want?
You could try just making your own mixes with soda water. I haven't tried it yet, but I usually prepare myself some homemade iced tea by using real tea and artificial sweetener, and while it's probably still unhealthy due to the sweetener being chemical, I think it's still a much healthier option than soda and as long as you don't drink one everyday then I'm guessing it should be fine. Just be careful with choosing substitutes at a grocery since most of them will say just about anything to get your patronage, such as drinks claiming to have real fruit juice but also have chemicals and maybe even too high of calories despite supposedly being good soda substitutes.
How about coconut juice? Over here, coconuts are very cheap and they are being sold everywhere, so I would suggest that you try them as a replacement for your soda's. I think if you also blend mangoes, bananas, and other fruits then I think that it would also be a good substitute for sodas.
I've heard that people crave soda because they have a caffeine addiction. Like I said, I heard that somewhere and I'm yet to do some research to ascertain the veracity of that assertion. Anyway, if getting some caffeine in your bloodstream will cure your craving for soda why not make yourself a cup of coffee when the craving strikes and see if after a cup or two you still want to drink a soda. According to the theorist, this will completely kill your desire to drink sodas.
Sadly, it'll be more expensive to switch but better for your health. First, you have to get into why you're drinking soda to find a good replacement. For myself, I drank diet soda for the caffeine and I loved the carbonation. For others it could be sugar content or just force of habit. I replaced soda with carbonated tea. It cost more to get me started but I'm at a point where I'm saving money now. It took a bit but well worth it.
Well for starters, think about WHY you like sodas. Is it the sweetness? Is it a specific flavor? (Like do you only like one soda or do you drink a lot of different ones? Is it the caffeine boost? Is it the convenience of having a cold drink read without needing a glass? If you're trying to replace the sweetness, try a flavor enhancer like the lemonade drops, etc. If it's convenience, consider making your own drinks and adding them to bottles. If it's the caffeine, consider weaning yourself back off the caffeine and see how you feel. Then consider different caffeine sources (or energy sources in general, like getting more sleep!) Etc, etc, etc.
I ditched soda about two years ago, and I don't really miss it at all to be honest. This would be the second time I've ever stopped drinking soda for a long period of time. The other time I did that was back when I had braces. But this time around, I did it to save money and for health reasons. Plus I hate lugging cases of pop into my apartment, and then taking out trash bags full of cans and bottles. I started having seizures a few years ago, and from what I've read, artificial sweetener is one thing that can trigger them. I had been drinking a ton of diet soda for like 15+ years, usually about 2-3 cases a week. I haven't had a single seizure since I quit drinking them. I would suggest buying an iced tea brewer (anything except the Mr. Coffee one, which is a piece of crap and leaks everywhere), and brewing your own fresh iced tea. It's super inexpensive, even if you buy the brand named tea. A box of Luzianne tea bags, for example, is only about $1.50 at WalMart and is enough to make 6 gallons of tea. The unsweetened tea itself is a great palate cleanser, and goes great with just about any meal. Once you get past the cravings for carbonation and high acid sodas, tea works out perfectly. You could always add fresh lemons or limes or other fruit too, to flavor it. Crushed strawberries stirred in, or a peach puree would be good. Just add it to the drink right after you pour it, since adding slices of lemons and other fruit to the pitcher of tea can "bleach" the color out of it, making your tea look weak and watered down.
