If you’ve noticed the soda aisle expanding over recent months, you might be on to something. The prebiotic soda sector has exploded, casting themselves as a healthier alternative to typical pop. Prebiotic sodas are simply carbonated drinks with added fiber and sweeteners. Depending on the brand you choose, there are a myriad of flavors to choose from. Some of the best-known and most popular brands include Poppi, Olipop (There’s an interesting scientific reason behind Olipop’s name) , Simply Pop, and Slice. But you might want to avoid Coca-Cola’s Simply Pop due to its fruit juice concentrate. Though there are slight differences between these drinks, they all tend to stand out with their often brightly colored, design-forward packaging.
It’s important, however, to note that most of these sodas are made with prebiotics rather than probiotics — except for Slice. While probiotics are live bacteria cultures that live in the gut and help with digestion, prebiotics feed probiotics. By feeding the probiotics in your gut, prebiotics, which are plant-based fiber, help your gut to grow and maintain a healthy balance of probiotics. Other benefits of prebiotics include regulating bowel movements, blood sugar, and balanced hormones while supporting digestion, the immune system, and lower inflammation.
Are prebiotic sodas good for you?
Although prebiotic sodas are gaining popularity and becoming more widely available, it’s difficult to say whether or not they are helpful to your health. It’s always best to talk to your doctor when seeking to improve your health. While the general opinion is that prebiotic sodas will not hurt you and are safe to consume, there is debate over how well they work or how much you can benefit from drinking these sodas. Ultimately, more research is needed to reach any conclusions. But regardless, there are a few considerations to keep in mind.
Many prebiotic sodas are made with sweeteners to improve the flavor. While most have less sugar than standard sodas, it’s still present in the drink. Instead of relying on these sodas for improved gut health and fiber, doctors recommend increasing fibrous foods to achieve this. Try eating more superfoods like kefir. They also recommend reducing sugar intake for those who experience irritable bowel syndrome. You can, however, still enjoy these drinks just as you would a regular soda — in moderation.
