Zevia: The Diet Sav(i)our

Well, I love me some pop (soda, Coke, etc). It's probably my greatest vice of the food and drink variety.

Since I am changing my eating lifestyle by watching the calories I intake and limiting them not just in number but in kind (i.e. low sugar, limited breads, etc), I really should not drink sugary sodas. My favorite pops all have sugar (or even worse, high fructose corn syrup), and I will not drink normal diet sodas, as I seem to get headaches when consuming aspartame, and none of the tastes are very good.

In addition, I've got kidney stone problems which "normal" sodas aggravate (due to the phosphoric acid I believe).

So, I will drink carbonated water if given a chance. I enjoy it just fine, but every once in a while, I want a good, strong flavor in my fizzy water. On occasion I've tried those packets that you pour into your drinks, but I generally don't like the flavors of those either.

I thought I was up a creek without a paddle. I couldn't find a decent pop substitute.

I suppose in the long run it doesn't matter, and I should be able to do a low calorie lifestyle while denying myself one of my great pleasures.

I am fortunate that I have found a replacement that actually tastes pretty good. It's not Dr. Pepper, but it's a whole lot healthier and has zero calories.

As you can probably tell from the title, the soda's name is "Zevia". I'm not too keen on a few of the flavors (Cola leaves a lot to be desired). My two favorites are Dr. Zevia and Zevia: Black Cherry. The label claims the product is a "natural" diet soda, made with stevia, an herb that has a very sweet flavor.

Now my wife and I have been onto stevia for about three years. Many different iterations of it exist in the stores, and for the most part they're all okay. Some are vastly better than others.

What is the point of this post? I don't think I would be able to keep going on this low calorie lifestyle change without the occasional "splurge" of these Zevias. They may not be decadent like Dr. Pepper (still my favorite), but they are good enough to curb the craving and provide a bit of a smile and feeling of being "pampered" while desperately trying to change a lifestyle that needs to be modified in order to bring me to better health.

So... thank you Zevia for the little gift you're giving to me through your yummy goodness.

You can read more about the sodas on Zevia's website:

Zevia

That's it for me today.

"Father" out.

Six Months Ago?

How time flies.

It has been six months since I last posted. It doesn't seem that long ago.

Since I posted, we've had the new baby and are still getting adjusted to life with #6.

I've been off and on the wagon a lot over the past six months, but mostly off.

As a New Years' Resolution, my wife and I are working together to get healthier. Not only are we counting our calories, but we are also trying to exercise more and watch the quality of the food we're eating -- more veggies and whole grains.

Since we have several children, and I don't make a lot of money, we can't afford wonderful ingredients all the time, but it's getting better.

One of the promises we made to one another or perhaps we should call it a resolution, is to write once a week on our blogs. So... here you have it. I'm not going to post my meals every day, but I may do a once-a-week blitz to let you know what we've been eating. Or better yet, maybe I'll just list some of those things I've been eating that I've enjoyed.

I also think I'll talk a little about what's going on in my head. Who knows? We'll see.

As they say in internet jargon... TTFN.