ZEVIA All Natural Soda

Okay, to be honest, when I was asked by Mambo Sprouts to participate in a product review for ZEVIA All Natural Soda I was a bit spectacle. Honestly, I don't drink soda except on a very rare occasion, because, let's be honest, soda is not all that great for us. So how is ZEVIA All Natural Soda any different? That's what I wanted to find out. ZEVIA uses stevia, a 100% natural sweetener. Stevia is an herb in the sunflower family primarily found in subtropical and tropical South America and Central America. The extract from the stevia leaf has no calories, no effect on blood sugar levels, and is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar. ZEVIA contains none of the chemically processed artificial sugar substitutes nor any artificial colors, flavors or preservatives found in other sodas. ZEVIA is 100% natural, has zero calories, zero net carbs, zero fat, and very little sodium. ZEVIA comes in 12 varieties, Cola, Ginger Root Beer, Dr. Zevia, Twist, Ginger Ale, Black Cherry, Orange, Grape, Cream Soda, Caffeine Free Cola, Mountain Zevia, and Grapefruit Citrus.

Recently, I was able to try 6 of the varieties: Cola, Caffeine Free Cola, Mountain Zevia, Grape, Grapefruit Citrus, and Cream Soda.

Ingredients for each ZEVIA variety I tried:

• Cola: carbonated water, stevia, erythritol, carmel color, tartaric acid, fumaric acid, caffeine (45mg/12fl), and natural flavors.
• Caffeine Free Cola: carbonated water, stevia, erythritol, carmel color, tartaric acid, turmeric acid, and natural flavors.
• Mountain Zevia: carbonated water, stevia, erythritol, citric acid, beta carotene, and caffeine (55mg/12fl).
• Grape: carbonated water, stevia, erythritol, citric acid, and white grape juice concentrate.
• Grapefruit Citrus: carbonated water, stevia, erythritol, citric acid, natural flavors, and medium chain triglycerides. 
• Cream Soda: carbonated water, stevia, erythritol, citric acid, caramel color, and natural flavors.

Like many of you, I have no idea what these ingredients were when I first read the side of the soda can, so I did some research and found out what they were.

Ingredient descriptions as found on the  ZEVIA website: 

• Carbonated Water: ZEVIA uses triple filtered carbonated water for all sodas.
• Stevia: Stevia is a natural botanical native to South and Central America. For centuries, Native Americans of Paraguay and Brazil called it "sweet leaf" and used it to sweeten native foods. Stevia is used as a food additive in China, Japan, all of South America, and in the United States. The extract from the stevia leaf has no calories, no effect on blood sugar levels, and is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar. It's a perfect sweetener for diet soda. 
• Erythritol: Erythritol is a natural sugar alcohol found in fruits and vegetables, has no calories, and has no effect on blood sugar levels. 
• Citric Acid: Citric Acid is naturally concentrated in oranges, grapefruit, pineapple, lemons and limes and a perfect complement to the taste buds and personal diet. Natural citric acid adds to the refreshing flavor to any soda.
• Caramel Color: Natural caramel color that makes it look as delicious as it tastes. 
• Tartaric Acid: Tartaric acid occurs naturally in many plants, particularly grapes, bananas, and tamarinds; it is also found in wine. Most colas use cheap, harmful phosphoric acid for flavor. Phosphoric acid is used in fertilizers and detergents. It erodes tooth enamel and has been linked to depletion of calcium, a contributing factor in osteoporosis. Safe, natural tartaric acid enhances the soda's zesty, tangy flavor.
• Fumaric Acid: Fumaric acid occurs naturally in flowers and mushrooms. It contributes to the soda's flavor.
• Caffeine: Most diet sodas use artificially produced caffeine, but the natural caffeine in ZEVIA comes from coffee and tea. 
• Natural Flavors: Lime, Lemon, Cassia and Nutmeg oils are used in the colas, while grapefruit, lime, lemon and orange oils are found in the grapefruit flavor soda.
• Beta Carotene: A natural compound in many fruits and vegetables. 
• Medium Chain Triglycerides (MTCs): MTCs are found in milk fat, palm oil and coconut oil. MCTs provide quick energy as well, but since they are a fat and not a carb, they don't stimulate insulin, and you don't have the problem with weight gain. MCTs do stimulate thermogenesis, which is the process where your body produces heat by increased burning of fat. This is a good thing for people who are trying to lose fat. People who suffer from epileptic seizures have been shown to benefit from a diet high in MCTs. They also tend to lower blood sugar slightly, which may be beneficial for some diabetics. They have been shown to be antioxidants and have anti-coagulative effects, which can help with heart disease.

Two ingredients immediately caught my attention and brought up a red flag for me, "caramel color" and "natural flavors". Both of these ingredients are ingredients that may contain gluten in them. So I contacted the company to find out if their sodas are indeed gluten-free. I got this friendly response back from them in a matter of minutes! 

"We're excited about your interest in Zevia!

We take great care in choosing ingredients that are the healthiest for all of our consumers, especially those who have special diets.  You'll be happy to know that, since we began in 2007, all Zevia soda’s are gluten free. Including the caramel color in some Zevia flavors, [which] does not come from corn [and] is vegan, wheat and gluten-free."

So there you have it, ZEVIA sodas are vegan and gluten-free!

Now, how does ZEVIA taste?  All of the six flavors I tried tasted great. ZEVIA flavors have their own spin on your favorite versions from other big name brand sodas, but are light and crisp, not at all syrupy tasting. Since I don't drink soda very often, I did take notice of a unique after taste when drinking the soda; perhaps my palette wasn't use to the exotic Stevia sweetener taste or the flavor combinations and carbonization used in Zevia's sodas. Let me know what you think! So next time you find yourself needing a soda fix, why not reach for a healthier alternative, ZEVIA.  To find where ZEVIA is sold near you, click here. And right now if you "like" ZEVIA's Facebook fan page you can get a coupon for $1 off a six pack of ZEVIA!

*The opinions in this post are mine and have not been influenced by anyone or anything and I have benefited in no way by this review.

posted by Allergy Free and Cheap Like Me! at 7:00 AM