Healthy Sodas aren’t Healthy when Overconsumed

In recent years, there has been an influx of healthy sodas on the market. They are all advertised as better for you and have little to no sugar. While the second claim is correct, the first claim might not be as truthful as you might think. When overconsumed, these sodas can be just as bad as sugary sodas like Pepsi. We will be focusing on three main “healthy” sodas on the market and how they are bad when overconsumed; Olipop, Poppi, and Slice. 

1. Olipop

This soda brand is branded as a prebiotic soda. This means it promotes gut health and contains plant roots like chicory root. In reality things branded as prebiotic aren’t beneficial. There is no scientific evidence to back up the claim that prebiotic items actually help you. It is a buzzword that companies use to promote their products, and has no evidence behind it. Olipop does have the natural taste that it claims to have, but in terms of health it has 5 grams of sugar and has anywhere from 30-50 calories per can. When overconsumed, it can lead to bloating and can damage your liver in the long run. 

2. Poppi

Like Olipop, this brand claims that their sodas can improve digestive health, immune support, and better control of blood sugar. It does use natural ingredients and no artificial sweeteners, and each can contains an average of 25 calories depending on the flavor. Poppi is the healthiest soda here, but it isn’t good for you. It does have less sugar and calories than soda, but if you consume too much of it, like more than four a day, it can lead to bloating and stomach problems. It isn’t bad for you in moderation. 

3. Slice

Like Olipop, this brand says that their soda prompts prebiotics. Unlike Olipop, however, Slice also promotes probiotics and postbiotics. Postbiotics is essentially the waste your body produces, and probiotics are the microorganisms that reside in your gut. None of the ingredients on the nutrition label can promote postbiotic health, only probiotics. Slice has the same ingredients and calories as the other two sodas, but uses extracts rather than real fruit juices. Slice sodas are only slightly different from regular sodas, and post the same risks when overconsumed. 

In the end, treat these healthy sodas like regular sodas. Don’t drink too much in one day and make sure to actually read and consider nutrition labels.