Is Soda Paleo?
Another big question that comes up when explaining the Paleo lifestyle has to do with drinks. Namely, “Is soda Paleo?”, or “Is diet soda Paleo?”
You may already be able to answer the first question, knowing what you know now about sugar.
Pop sodas are notorious for their simple sugar content. Up to 25 tablespoons of sugar in some soda options makes some of us wonder why these products are still available to the general public, particularly to children and adolescents, who happen to like them so much.
Before we get to “the final word” on soda and Paleo, let’s look exactly at what we are talking about.
A short history diet soda 101
In the beginning, the sugar substitute used for the first diet sodas was saccharin (possibly cancer causing), which was discovered by accident by Constantin Fahlberg in the 19th century.
Basically, Fahlberg had been touching chemicals all day at work at the lab of Ira Remsen in Maryland. He did not wash his hands, went straight to dinner at home, and noticed that everything he touched had acquired a sweet taste. After recreating the substances, he finally got the substance that started the craze for no-calorie, no-sugar drinks, once it began to be used for that purpose.
By the way, saccharin was basically a reaction of three different chemicals including ammonia, phosphorus chloride, o-sulfobenzoic acid, and heat. Not too Paleo-sounding, right?
Fast forward to the 21st century, we have now other substances substituting sugar of similar questionable value. Have you noticed that some popular diet soda brands have placed the label “aspartame-free” on their cans? Seems that there is never a good consensus as to which fake sugar is the least harmful.
What’s in a cup of diet soda?
- Carbon dioxide (fizz)
- Artificial colors/flavor
- Aspartame, sometimes truvia, or stevia
- Phosphoric acid
- Potassium Benzoate
- Citric Acid
- Caffeine (when applicable)
What can I drink, instead?
There are different types of Paleo practitioners. Those who want to recreate the exact eating habits of our Stone Age ancestors would not even consider anything that does not resemble what the cavemen would have used for hydration.
Other practitioners are more interested in the nutritional content of food and drink. Chances are that they would not agree w
ith diet soda, or any soda, as a drinking choice either.
Make your own!
If the pleasure of drinking fizzy drinks leads you to hydrate more, use that to your advantage. Many people in Eastern and Western Europe prefer their water with fizz and suffer no major health complications from it. Use fizzy water and get creative with it!
Nowadays, soda-making machines let you make your own soda at home. Fizzy water is also sold in bottles, with no flavor. Make sure to get carbonated water with no added sugar!
- Instead of using the colorant-filled flavors, just use regular fizzy water and season it with natural juices. Lemon juice and fizzy water is a superb source of hydration, known to also aid to reduce inflammation.
- Fizzy water mixed with coconut water is delicious. It is the closest thing to pop you can get without the ugly side effects.
- Coconut water alone is super scrumptious and great for hydration. Mix it with fresh pineapple juice and make a natural Piña Colada loaded with crushed ice.
- Frozen cherries infused with water, mint, lemon and a bit of fizz makes the best non-alcoholic cherry mojito out there. Enjoy it 8 times a day and get all your water requirement needs without even feeling it.
The Paleo lifestyle is not about carbs, calories, or fat. It is about putting the right stuff in your body, the way we are genetically meant to process it. Our ancestors led healthy lives even in their constant war against their environmental changes. Perhaps we should look back and copy some of their best practices, so we too can enjoy a good life. That’s the Paleo-premise!
