This Healthy Soda Resembles a Favorite Childhood Treat

According to the CDC, 63% of adults in the U.S. report drinking sugary beverages once a day or more. This could include sports drinks, flavored water, coffee, tea, and of course, one of the worst things you can drink — soda.

Although most sodas have artificial ingredients and coloring, what makes them so bad is the amount of sugar contained in one small can or bottle. A 12-ounce can of A&W Root Beer, for example, contains 43 grams of sugar. That's more than the amount of sugar in a slice of chocolate cake, two Snickers bars, or your favorite Starbucks latte.

If you love the taste of soda but don't want all that extra sugar, you may have discovered some of the healthy alternatives out there, like my personal favorite, OLIPOP. These alternative sodas have a fraction of the sugar, taste great, and are even beneficial for your health. Some of the other options out there, as far as alternative soda brands, are Poppi, SunSip, and Zevia.

After trying numerous OLIPOP flavors, I've narrowed down my favorites to five different ones, including one that tastes like one of my favorite childhood treats. Here's a look at what's different about prebiotic sodas and which five flavors I enjoy the most.

Prebiotic sodas started becoming popular around 2018, when brands like OLIPOP and Poppi emerged. This type of soda is one made with prebiotic fiber, a non-digestible fiber that's good for your gut health.

Prebiotics can benefit your digestive system by increasing the amount of good bacteria in your gut. This type of fiber occurs naturally in many foods, including garlic, onions, bananas, and apples.

There has been skepticism about the benefits of drinking prebiotic sodas. Poppi even faced a lawsuit after one individual discovered there are only 2 grams of prebiotic fiber in one Poppi can. However, despite the skepticism of some consumers, especially on social media, there are benefits to drinking prebiotic sodas.

OLIPOP sodas have up to 9 grams of dietary fiber in each beverage, and most have about 2 grams of sugar. While drinking OLIPOP alone is unlikely to positively impact your health, if you're swapping a soda with over 40 grams of sugar for an OLIPOP, you will see the benefits of drinking prebiotic soda instead.

OLIPOP currently has 20 different soda flavors, including spin-offs of classic sodas, like Cream Soda, Vintage Cola, and Ginger Ale. They also offer a variety of fruity flavors like Lemon Lime, Classic Grape, and Cherry Cola. Out of all the flavors I've tried, here are my top five favorites.

If you're looking for a refreshing and fruity soda, the Strawberry Vanilla flavor is the way to go. It's fruity and sweet, with a hint of vanilla. Most of the strawberry sodas I've tried have a pretty prominent artificial flavor, but this soda tastes like real strawberries.

This soda is the perfect refreshing drink for summer. It essentially tastes like a strawberry milkshake in soda form. With a combination of strawberry juice, apple juice, and carbonated water, it's the perfect bubbly treat for warm days.

The Classic Grape OLIPOP is another fruity favorite. If you're a fan of grape soda, you'll love this spin-off of the classic soda flavor. It's sort of like a mix between sparkling grape juice and your favorite grape soda.

When I'm looking for something a little less sweet and a little more tart, the Classic Grape OLIPOP hits the spot. This soda has concord grape juice, apple juice, and a hint of lime, which gives it the perfect balance of flavors.

When you think of cream soda, the main flavor that likely comes to mind is vanilla. Some early recipes of cream soda contained actual cream or sometimes egg whites to give the beverage a creamy consistency. But this OLIPOP flavor is everything you love about cream soda without the added sugar.

The Cream Soda OLIPOP is so delightful, you would never guess it only has 3 grams of sugar. It's sweetened with stevia leaf, and the vanilla marshmallow flavor is so spot on that I could never go back to regular cream soda.

Next time you want a root beer float, grab this OLIPOP flavor instead of your go-to root beer brand. It's creamy, sweet, with just the right amount of bite. You won't even miss the added sugar of traditional root beer.

Root beer has always been my favorite soda, and it's hard to find good alternatives to classics like IBC Root Beer, A&W Root Beer, and Barq's Root Beer. I've grown to love the Classic Root Beer OLIPOP so much that regular root beer is just too sweet for me. It has everything I love about root beer without all the added sugar.

Classic Root Beer was my absolute favorite OLIPOP flavor until the Orange Cream was released. I haven't liked every OLIPOP flavor I've tried, but this one captured the flavor of orange creamsicles in a way that still surprises me every time I open a can.

Talk about nostalgia in a can — the Orange Cream OLIPOP is the ultimate trip down memory lane. If you were a fan of orange creamsicles as a kid, you'll love this soda. It captures all the fruity, creamy flavors of that childhood ice cream treat without being too sweet. This flavor was originally released as a seasonal option in 2021, but has since been added as a permanent flavor.