When it comes to the world of low calorie drinks the clear winner in the soda world is Diet Coke. They have been the leader for many years and their sales far surpass their biggest competitor Diet Pepsi. The Keto space also has a clearly defined leader when it comes to low calories cola style drinks in Zevia. There are others out there, but when you talk Keto cola you are talking about Zevia. This creates a lot of questions we plan to answer today. Let’s do this. Zevia vs Diet Coke.
Macros in the Zevia vs Diet Coke Battle
The similarity in macros is very noticeable at first glance of the labels and makes you think that Diet Coke and Zevia are equals when doing keto. Zevia has zero calories, zero fat, zero carbs, and zero protein. This matches up with that of Diet Coke which also has zeros across the board.
In fact, the only major difference in macros is sodium. Diet Coke shows 40 grams of sodium. On a traditional diet this might be something to consider, but when it comes to keto, 40 grams of sodium is a welcome addition to your day. For macros we have a tie here.
Ingredients in the Zevia vs Diet Coke Battle
Macros is where most of the similarities between these two drinks ends. The issues begin and end with the ingredients in the two cans. When looking at Zevia you see only carbonated water, citric acid, stevia, and natural flavor. That’s five items, we encourage on a keto diet. Even the sweetener of choice is the gold standard for a keto diet.
Looking at Diet Coke we see eight ingredients. Carbonated water, caramel color, aspartame, phosphoric acid, potassium benzoate, natural flavors, citric acid, and caffeine. You will notice right off the bat we have a few things that are hard to pronounce and one in particular that is a red flag in our Keto world… aspartame (more on this little devil later.)
Breaking Down the Ingredients in Diet Coke
For the sake of this blog let’s just break down the ingredients in list form so you can see what you’re putting in your body:
Carbonated Water – also found in Zevia this is simply water that carbonation is added to.
Caramel Color – this is a coloring that is made by heating corn sugars. Yes, I’m writing a keto blog and had to type the words corn and sugar in the same sentence. No good can come of this ingredient.
Aspartame – lot’s more on this later. Just know going in there is nothing good that comes from it.
Phosphoric Acid – provides a tart flavor in drinks and helps with preservation.
Potassium Benzoate – this is a straight up preservative used universally for most foods to help with longevity.
Natural Flavors and Citric Acid – we can put these together as they are very common in most foods and help with both flavor and preservation.
Caffeine – your happy little friend that most of us in the working world live on if we have chosen not to turn to cocaine (I kid, I kid… but I need it).
Why Does Aspartame Tip the Scales in Zevia vs Diet Coke?
Aspartame is likely the most famous artificial sweetener on the market today. Branded most often as Equal, aspartame is 200 times sweeter than traditional sugar. Many products we use today including over the counter and prescription medicines contain Aspartame.
Aspartame is approved across most major food jurisdictions and considered safe with most studies not showing any “major” side effects. The only accepted side effects from literature I’ve read is aspartame can interfere with gut bacteria changing the way our bodies digest food.
Not bad, eh? Well, if you dig deeper, you will find a lot of anecdotal evidence from studies such as those posted on Science Daily that point to a link between aspartame and “learning problems, headache, seizure, migraines, irritable moods, anxiety, depression, and insomnia.” There is also a large group of keto people that feel aspartame leads to insulin resistance.
Where Does This Leave Us?
Let me be clear in saying the above issues are not confirmed in a manner that has swayed the opinions of decision makers in the food and drug administration, but… how do you want to handle that risk? The fact is Zevia is a great alternative for a cola-based product. It has a known sweetener that is keto approved, and with fewer preservatives is the clear choice.
I’m not a scientist or alarmist, but if I can reduce the risk by opening a different can, you will find me at the store walking down the Zevia aisle.
Bill
