It’s a feeling we’re familiar with; trying to choose healthier products, then wrestling with the uncertainty of whether the new option we’ve chosen is a good one, or if there is something even better.

Substituting soda with a another beverage is such a great start, but many soda-like replacements out there can be fraught with poor quality ingredients even if they’re lower in sugar or calories than a traditional coke.

One of our followers came to us with this exact problem:

He’s certainly on the right track trying to replace his daily Coke with something a little healthier, but can he do better than Sparkling Ice? Here’s how we evaluated his current options, and provided a suggestion for an even better choice to try.

Ingredients: Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Caramel Color, Phosphoric Acid, Natural Flavors, Caffeine — (as of November 2020)

Coke contains 4 ingredients we consider harmful:

Ingredients: Carbonated Water, Natural Flavors, Citric Acid, Kiwi Juice Concentrate, Potassium Benzoate (To Ensure Freshness), Fruit And Vegetable Juice (For Color), Strawberry Juice Concentrate, Sucralose, Gum Arabic, Ester Gum, Green Tea Extract, Retinol (Vitamin A), Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3), Biotin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6) — (as of November 2020)

Sparkling Ict contains 3 ingredients we consider harmful, and 2 that are questionable:

So although this product is a little bit better than drinking a Coke every day, it’s still not a great option overall.

So is there a better option out there? Yes!

Ingredients: Carbonated Water, Strawberry Puree, Lime Juice — (as of November 2020)

Spindrift has absolutely 0 harmful ingredients, just water, fruit puree, and lime juice in their Strawberry flavor — a great option!

Making these kinds of changes in our diet is not easy, and if you’re struggling you’re not alone! There is so much money in the fight for your go-to soft drink, and the inclusion of things like High Fructose Corn Syrup, Natural Flavors, and Caffeine make these drinks highly addictive.

It may take time to feel like a healthier alternative tastes as enjoyable, but we’ve found that if you give your tastebuds a chance to adjust, they will eventually find the products with real ingredients to be just as good if not better.

By providing this analysis of ingredients, we hope to offer transparency into what you’re consuming, empower you to feel good about your choices, and, when you’re ready, encourage you to reach for something even better.

To ensure you don’t miss any product recommendations and ingredients insights moving forward, and to get your paws on the Trash Panda app as soon as it’s available, be sure to sign up for our free newsletter or follow us on Instagram.