4 Healthy Alternatives to Diet Sodas

Swap out your soda for one of these fun drinks!

Did you know diet drinks may actually cause weight gain? Containing 5 calories or less per serving, many diet drinks lead us to believe we are choosing a healthy beverage. Wrong! Diet soda contains artificial ingredients including sweeteners that appear to increase cravings in the human body for other sweet things, so in the end you consume more calories, sweeter foods and desserts. So what should we choose when looking for healthy alternatives to diet sodas or artificially added drinks?

Artificial Ingredients and Your Metabolism

Not only do artificially added drinks make you crave more sweets, but artificial sweeteners also contribute to weight gain by slowing your metabolism. Cutting out diet soda may actually cut calories from your daily intake in the long run, but you’ll probably miss that calorie-free fizz. So to ease your pain, here are a few ideas to replace your diet soda faves with homemade alternatives that help you develop a taste for naturally sweet and healthy flavors.

4 Healthy Alternatives to Diet Sodas

All you need when breaking away from drinking diet soda is a little club soda, a few fruits and herbs to make your life a little sweeter. Try these delicious, and healthy alternatives to diet or artificially sweetened drinks. Combine the ingredients, blend if necessary, and serve.

Sparkling Pomegranate Juice

• 1/2 cup pomegranate juice, no sugar added
• 1/2 cup sparkling seltzer water
• squeeze of one lemon wedge
• ice

Citrusade

Citrus fruits contain soluble and insoluble fiber that can help you feel full, like an appetite suppressant. They also nourish the body with vitamins and minerals while helping the body detoxify. Citrus is great for cleansing the body of unwanted materials, including toxins, chemicals and preservatives found in common foods and drinks like soda. They taste great, with a sweet & sour flavor. Try a little cilantro with this to spice things up!

• 1 ½ cups water
• 2 tbs organic honey
• ¾ cup fresh lemon juice (3-4 lemons)
• ½ cup fresh orange juice (2 oranges)
• ¼ cup fresh lime juice (2-3 limes)
• 1 qt chilled club soda or ionized water

Agua Fresca de Melon

Want to get the party started? Frozen drinks make it cool to chill out.

• 7 cups seeded watermelon chunks
• 1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves
• 12 oz sparkling water or ionized water
• Natural sweetener (i.e organic honey) to taste
• Sprig of mint

Melon Breeze Smoothie

Hello nutrients, and flavor! This delicious green smoothie is the perfect way to cool down on a hot Summer day. Combine all of the ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth.

• 1 cup kale leaves
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 cup diced honeydew melon
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup ice

Which one of these 4 Healthy Alternatives to Diet Sodas do you want to try first? They all sound so good, don’t they?! If you like these recipes, you’re definitely going to want to follow us on Pinterest and subscribe to our daily eNewsletter.