How I FINALLY Quit Diet Coke: Healthy Homemade Spritzers!
This recipe for Raspberry Soda is delicious. If you like bubbles in your drinks like I do, this recipe makes a concentrated syrup that you can mix with soda water, which you can buy or make with a Soda Stream. Whether you call it Raspberry Soda or Raspberry Spritzer, the result is the same: a healthy, delicious alternative to soda that will help you kick the habit!
My Soda Addiction
I have been a Diet Coke fan since way back. At the peak of my addiction I was having 4 or 5 bottles a day. I know it’s terrible for you and I know it is an expensive habit. But man, did it have a hold on me. I loved the caffeine, I loved the taste and I loved the cold bubbles. I have tried quitting many times over the years, usually cold turkey because I’m a cold turkey kind of gal. But then a day would come where I would need a cold drink and maybe a caffeine kick and it is so readily available that, without an alternative to go to, I would sneak “just one” and then it was a slippery slope and soon I was back to 4 or 5 bottles a day. I knew that I needed to find an alternative to prevent me from sneaking “just one” when the craving hit.
Finding my Soda Substitute
I tried everything I could find at the grocery store to act as my substitute. If it was a sweet drink that didn’t have sugar/high fructose corn syrup or aspartame, I tried it! Some of the runners up included:
- Vitamin Water Zero
- Carbonated coconut water
- Stevia-based pops (like Zevia)
- Stevia-based flavour drops (like Stur)
- Soda water and flavoured soda water
These were close but not quite perfect. What they did help me with was pin-pointing exactly what I needed my substitute to be: fizzy with a strong, sweet and tangy flavour with no aftertaste (sorry stevia!).
Then we got a Soda Stream (Canadian link here). Do you guys have one of these yet? Game. Changer. Soda Stream makes 2 healthy flavours of concentrate (why only 2 Soda Stream?!): Cranberry/Raspberry and Pink Grapefruit. Neither of them do it for me. I realized the best solution for me was to make my own healthy Soda Stream concentrate and make homemade spritzers! Genius. This recipe for Raspberry Mint Spritzers (aka Raspberry Mint Soda) is delicious and really does the trick!
Raspberry Mint Spritzers: Recipe Tips and Variations
- You can switch up this Raspberry Mint Spritzer recipe by keeping the ratios, but changing the ingredients. Instead of raspberries, try strawberries, blueberries or grapes.
- Instead of lemon juice, try grapefruit juice, lime juice or orange juice.
- And instead of mint, try ginger or basil. The options are endless!
- You can use this concentrate for your homemade kombucha too. I use the same amount as I do for spritzers- about 2 tbsp per bottle.
Please Comment Below
Have you ever had a bad habit that you were able to break? What are some other healthy soda alternatives that you go to instead of Diet Coke? I would love to hear from you!
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Ingredients
- 1 cup raspberries
- juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tbsp)
- 1/2 cup sugar or natural sweetener (like xylitol or erythritol)
- handful of mint leaves
Instructions
- Cook the raspberries over medium heat for a couple minutes until they soften and release their juices.
- Add the cooked raspberries, lemon juice, sweetener and mint leaves to the blender and whiz it up.
- Strain the mixture through a fine sieve to get rid of the seeds.
- Add about 2 tbsp per glass of soda water to make a delicious, tangy spritzer.
- Store the rest of the spritzer concentrate in a jar in the fridge.
This has inspired me to try and kick my terrible Coke Zero habit!
I cannot wait to try this amazing looking drink!
Quitting a pop habit is hard for sure, but I find it really does help to have this delicious spritzer concentrate in the fridge for those times when you are craving one but don’t want to give in! Good luck!