Have you seen the images of sugar cubes stacked up to show how much sugar is actually in one bottle or can of soda?! It is such a powerful image, it blows the mind! An equivalent of 9.5 sugar cubes, or if you like to think in terms of sugar packets that you would use to sweeten your coffee, about 10 of those! Holy dang!

Not only is that a ton of sugar, but sugar (derived from sugar beets), and high fructose corn syrup (from corn) are the top GMO crops grown. Because these 2 ingredients typically sweeten sodas, that is a lot of genetically modified molecules being ingested!

We could go on and on about other ingredients in commercial sodas such as aspartame and artificial colors, but to keep this simple we are gonna stick to the sugar element today.

So, a smarter alternative would be a more “natural soda” indeed, or simply no soda at all. But, come on now. You know you crave a little bubbly, cold, refreshing  and sweet goodness every now and then.

The natural sodas are cool because they are void in high fructose corn syrup, but they are can still be high in sugar (but usually in the form of cane sugar, again a safer alternative), and they are typically packaged in aluminum (a toxin to our central nervous system).

So today I am sharing a recipe for an amazing sugar-free soda I learned from a friend! My daughter loves this stuff and when I served it at her birthday party this year the kids were lining up for more.

Make Your Own Sugar-Free, GMO-Free Soda Pop Without A Machine

Here is what you will need for your Natural & Sugar-Free Soda Pop:
•    Sparkling mineral water such as Pellegrino or Perrier (I prefer a glass bottle over plastic packaging).
•    Flavored liquid stevia. The two flavors we love are Root Beer and English Toffee.
•    Ice cubes (I prefer a stainless steel tray over plastic or silicone!)

Here’s how you make it:
•    Fill your glass with ice cubes.
•    Pour in your bubbly water.
•    Place 8 or more drops of your flavored stevia in and stir.
•    Enjoy!

You can add your drops one at a time until you find your perfect ratio of water to stevia. But for a full glass of soda my family generally puts in about half a dropper full.  Get creative and try other flavors as you are inspired to do so and share with us your favorites below.

So, so yummy and refreshing and not ONE GRAM of sugar which means no crazy sugar jolt, no sugar crash, no cavity creating slurpage happening here too! And everyone loves a little BUBBLY every now and then, right? Bottoms up.

Pssst: next week I am going to share my favorite pre and post workout shake with you. It is the cleanest, yummiest whey on the planet and you must know about it too!