Courtesy of Poppi
Soda was a big no-no in my house growing up. With the exception of an occasional ginger ale for stomach aches, it wasn't something we ever had around. So it's not surprising that I don't really have any appetite for it as an adult.
I reject Coke, don't order Sprite, and I've never understood the Dr. Pepper craze — though I do enjoy the occasional root beer with a slice of pizza. But during a recent trip to Los Angeles, a super-fit and health-conscious friend of mine introduced me to her new favorite orange soda made by Poppi.
I figured if it was good enough to pass her test of things that she puts into her body, I could certainly give it a try.
Fast-forward five months and I'm now sitting in my New York apartment stocked with about seven cans of Poppi.
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The brand, which started in founders Allison and Stephen Ellsworth's home in Texas, offers six fruit-focused flavors and three more classic soda flavors. I first fell in love with Strawberry Lemon, but once I tasted Ginger Lime and Grapefruit, I knew I had a new favorite treat.
I first bought it when I saw the cans on sale at my local Whole Foods in New York. Typically, I've seen them retail for $2.50 per can (sometimes higher depending on the seller), which is pretty expensive for a soda, in my opinion. Unfortunately, I can't justify spending $30 on a 12-pack to drink multiple times per day the way Stephen Ellsworth told me in an interview that he does. But when I see they're on sale for $2 each, I treat myself.
I've also started to think of Poppi as a cocktail and wine replacement. Instead of unwinding at the end of a long day with a glass or two of wine from a bottle that probably cost around $20, I pour Poppi into a nice glass and drink that. I enjoy it just as much and I feel better afterward.
Looking at the nutrition label, it seemed like this would just be a nice beverage to sip on without feeling like I was filling my body with chemicals and unnatural sugars. But the can also states that this drink is actually good for my gut and contains apple cider vinegar and prebiotics.
I'm not a nutrition professional, so I reached out to a couple to see what they thought about it. I found out that, like many great things, the health component here may be a little too good to be true.
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Poppi calls itself a "prebiotic soda," which implies that it functions in a way that feeds probiotics, which in turn, helps to stimulate gut health, registered dietitian nutritionist Paula Doebrich told me.
Doebrich said gut health is a trending topic at the moment, and for good reason.
"There's so much research coming up showing just how important gut health is," she said.
There's a lot worth talking about, from looking into how it's connected to our immune systems, to how it affects hormones like serotonin (which are made in the gut), and studying inflammation issues. But what experts don't yet know, she said, is what the bacterial composition of a healthy gut is actually supposed to look like.
DrinkPoppi.com
Doebrich told me that apple cider vinegar (ACV) is believed to help promote a healthy gut, in part because of the acidity and how it aids the pH balance in the gut (though the professional community is somewhat split on that), and according to the Poppi team, each can of their soda contains around one tablespoon of it.
Stephen Ellsworth says the source of the ACV is what makes this drink prebiotic. However, registered dietitian Tamara Duker Freuman told me that any prebiotics that could be found in ACV would be in the form of fiber. So if there's no fiber in the drink (it would be noted on the nutrition label), it's unlikely that there are any prebiotics, Freuman said.
Regardless of prebiotic benefits, both experts agreed that even if there are little to no benefits to be gained in terms of gut health, they don't have any objections to consuming this low-calorie drink in moderation if it's yummy and enjoyable.
So that's where I'll be from now on: Blissfully drinking my Poppi whenever the craving strikes.
