Enjoy Healthier Soda By Making It At Home
While soda is delicious and refreshing, it certainly has never been associated with the term “healthy.” The beverage is known for being packed with a lot of hidden sugar – about 33 grams every 12 ounces. But thanks to a new food trend, you may not have to cut this drink out of your diet completely. You can still enjoy the fizzy beverage without feeling guilty. Skip the store-bought sugary cans and instead make homemade soda. Restaurants, grocery stores and private kitchens all over New York have already started to pick up this trend, infusing beverages with carbon dioxide to give them that desired carbonation.
The soda fountains in these restaurants are being prepared with syrups made from scratch using fresh ingredients like pressed and squeezed fruits, pure cane sugar, herbs, spices, phosphates and bitters.
Why are homemade sodas healthier?
Devices like the SodaStream are even being introduced to homeowners so that families can concoct their own beverages using the ingredients of their choice. Adults also use the tool to whip up healthy cocktails for the grownups. However, you don’t need a machine to make your own soda. Avoiding store-bought sodas is a less healthy alternative than making it yourself because of the way it’s prepared. Store-bought soda, water, artificial flavoring, corn syrup and sugar are all force-carbonated with carbon dioxide to produce the creation. By going the homemade route, you’re also using sugar, but the carbon dioxide is produced naturally through fermentation. Yeast cells can consume a good amount of the sugar and form the carbonation as a result.
If you’re planning on making your own homemade soda, you’ll need to collect a few bottles that have been properly sanitized. Plastic bottles are the best alternative for beginning soda makers because they’re safer than glass.
Tips for creating your own homemade soda
Enjoy a fizzy beverage without all of the added sugar and calories by creating your very own custom soda. Here are a few tips to ensure that your drink turns out perfectly:
- If you plan on using juice in your concoction, plan on straining it and mixing it with water. If you don’t, the consistency of your drink may be too thick and pulpy.
- If you’re using a machine, add small amounts of the liquid at a time rather than pouring it into the device all at once. This will give the drink time to expand.
- Learn more about beverage creation by enrolling in a culinary arts program online.
