Soft Drinks? What's the deal?

[pdm1981]

Which ones are really safe? I've been drinking Dr. Pepper with no problems but what about the others out there? For some reason I've been craving Ginger Ale and other soft drinks lately. I'm just tired of the same old same old. Depending on where you look, the caramel coloring is bad, of malterdextrin, or god only knows what. Everyone makes the claim but it's so easy to find a contradiction. I figure this is the safest place to start. What are your favorites?

[kareng]

Never found any mainstream sodas with gluten.  

[Ennis-TX]

I can not have carbs or sugars I turned to Zevia soda, not quite the same and I have to add bit of monk fruit to it. But they are color free, mostly free of crap, sugar free, and certified gluten free. They make knock offs of every flavor. I also found Sweet Drops stevia flavoring and make my own soda or flavored water with them that taste a bit like soda again having to add monk fruit sweetener.

Open Original Shared Link

Not the best tasting but damn pure and free of crap.

[pdm1981]

I actually thought about getting a soda stream and putting my own fresh fruit juice in it. All it is though is soda water and juice though.

[pdm1981]

On 7/13/2017 at 9:13 PM, Ennis_TX said:

I can not have carbs or sugars I turned to Zevia soda, not quite the same and I have to add bit of monk fruit to it. But they are color free, mostly free of crap, sugar free, and certified gluten free. They make knock offs of every flavor. I also found Sweet Drops stevia flavoring and make my own soda or flavored water with them that taste a bit like soda again having to add monk fruit sweetener.

Open Original Shared Link

Not the best tasting but damn pure and free of crap.

Looks like they have their own version of Dr.Pepper too. I think I saw it at Krogers but skipped over it cause the price. I'll give it a try. I never got around to trying the Veggie Elite but instead tried a protein powder made by BioChem. Not too bad and no reaction yet.

[pdm1981]

On 7/13/2017 at 8:08 PM, kareng said:

Never found any mainstream sodas with gluten.  

What about store brands like Kroger?

[Ennis-TX]

12 minutes ago, pdm1981 said:

Looks like they have their own version of Dr.Pepper too. I think I saw it at Krogers but skipped over it cause the price. I'll give it a try. I never got around to trying the Veggie Elite but instead tried a protein powder made by BioChem. Not too bad and no reaction yet.

Yeah I got the mtn dew knock off for nostagla,,,not quite right needs a bit of lemon lime and monk fruit but I mate it taste closer. Yeah I know biochem is purer then Veggie Elite, uses hemp and cranberry instead of rice and  sancha inchi. Issue is the pricing is a extra $10 more and you get 10 ounces less of product even. Heck I buy the Veggie elite and water it down with cheaper Pure pea and mrm sancha inchi, xylitol, pure vanilla bean powder, Ceylon cinnamon, and pure uncut stevia. from other companies to get a nuttier flavor, lower gum ratio, and make it last longer since I love the flavor.

[kareng]

35 minutes ago, pdm1981 said:

What about store brands like Kroger?

Yes.  I can't even imagine gluten in a soda.  Just read the ingredients.  Or don't drink them.  It's not like you will not get enough of the important cola or fizzy nutrients.  

[LilyR]

On 7/16/2017 at 10:00 AM, kareng said:

Yes.  I can't even imagine gluten in a soda.  Just read the ingredients.  Or don't drink them.  It's not like you will not get enough of the important cola or fizzy nutrients.  

So does caramel coloring or natural flavors usually not contain gluten in the US? I was curious too about sodas.  I don't drink them often, but in the summer heat, once in a while I do like sipping on a very icy soda.  There is this special Pepsi that is in a gold can with the year 1893 on it, and it's a ginger version of their soda that is so good.  I love to pour it over a lot of ice and sip it.  I was wondering if I dare try one or not.  I've been so in the mood for one with this hot, muggy weather. 

[kareng]

Just now, LilyR said:

So does caramel coloring or natural flavors usually not contain gluten in the US? I was curious too about sodas.  I don't drink them often, but in the summer heat, once in a while I do like sipping on a very icy soda.  There is this special Pepsi that is in a gold can with the year 1893 on it, and it's a ginger version of their soda that is so good.  I love to pour it over a lot of ice and sip it.  I was wondering if I dare try one or not.  I've been so in the mood for one with this hot, muggy weather. 

No they don't have gluten.  Coloring, on the slight chance it ever started as wheat, is so highly refined that the gluten protein is long gone.  I suppose that there could technically be a "natural wheat flavor"  but even then, those things aren't the proteins.

[LilyR]

6 minutes ago, kareng said:

No they don't have gluten.  Coloring, on the slight chance it ever started as wheat, is so highly refined that the gluten protein is long gone.  I suppose that there could technically be a "natural wheat flavor"  but even then, those things aren't the proteins.

Thanks for that info.  I am grabbing one of those ginger Pepsi's when I grocery shop tomorrow.  Thanks so much.  I love water and drink that pretty much all the time all day long  (and some coffee and tea), but in the hot summer sometimes even ice water just doesn't seem to quench my thirst.  It's good to know we can have a soda once in a while.  

[Ennis-TX]

5 minutes ago, LilyR said:

Thanks for that info.  I am grabbing one of those ginger Pepsi's when I grocery shop tomorrow.  Thanks so much.  I love water and drink that pretty much all the time all day long  (and some coffee and tea), but in the hot summer sometimes even ice water just doesn't seem to quench my thirst.  It's good to know we can have a soda once in a while.  

DO NOT drink the 1893 Pepsi soda. The stuff uses malt extract, just recalled that huge issue that brought up with people. 

[LilyR]

On 7/16/2017 at 9:17 AM, pdm1981 said:

I actually thought about getting a soda stream and putting my own fresh fruit juice in it. All it is though is soda water and juice though.

I would love to try the soda stream recipe to make coca cola.  It has like all citrus and spices in it, and it sounds so good.  We got one for my daughter years ago, but the bottles were left drying too close to the stove one time and dented in a little, and I heard that if they get near heat they are no longer good (or safe, because of the plastic or whatever).  So I want to save up to get the glass bottles for it sometime and try making some fresh sodas without all the chemicals.  Although we could just make the flavored syrups and then add it to seltzer water. You don't technically even need the soda streamer.  My Italian relatives used to make sodas by using different fruit syrups they made or bought and adding that to seltzer water.  We'd have strawberry, or raspberry.  Those are the two flavors I remember the most. 

[kareng]

4 minutes ago, Ennis_TX said:

DO NOT drink the 1893 Pepsi soda. The stuff uses malt extract, just recalled that huge issue that brought up with people. 

It wasn't listed in the ingredients I just read on-line for the ginger?  But, just read the ingredients & if it has malt - it will list it.  then it may not be safe for a Celiac.  Its hard to tell if the extract is gluten-free or not.

[LilyR]

2 minutes ago, Ennis_TX said:

DO NOT drink the 1893 Pepsi soda. The stuff uses malt extract, just recalled that huge issue that brought up with people. 

Thanks so much for that info.  I guess I better get a different soda instead.  Or maybe I'll just get some lime and seltzer and be on the safe side. 

[kareng]

Just now, LilyR said:

Thanks so much for that info.  I guess I better get a different soda instead.  Or maybe I'll just get some lime and seltzer and be on the safe side. 

Read the ingredients.  It must be listed id its an actual ingredient.  I just looked at some of the ginger kind line and that wasn't mentioned as an ingredients

[LilyR]

2 minutes ago, kareng said:

It wasn't listed in the ingredients I just read on-line?  But, just read the ingredients & if it has malt - it will list it.  then it may not be safe for a Celiac.  Its hard to tell if the extract is gluten-free or not.

Maybe they changed the ingredients?  So, as long as it has no malt, it should be okay?

[LilyR]

I found a site that contains the ingredients on the Pepsi Ginger 1893 cola.  It does not mention malt or malt extract.  The website says it was updated July 2017. 

Open Original Shared Link

 

[kareng]

Just now, LilyR said:

I found a site that contains the ingredients on the Pepsi Ginger 1893 cola.  It does not mention malt or malt extract.  The website says it was updated July 2017. 

Open Original Shared Link

 

I saw in several places a picture of the ingredients on the can/box.  But we should always read the ingredients, just in case they have changed and the site isn't updated.

[Ennis-TX]

Black can plain has malt flavoring in the natural flavors and caused a issue last year for a lot of people.

[kareng]

1 minute ago, Ennis_TX said:

Black can plain has malt flavoring in the natural flavors and caused a issue last year for a lot of people.

Its not listed.  Do we have a statement from Pepsi.  Malt "flavor" may just be a flavoring - not actually barley

[GFinDC]

This page on the Pepsi site has a chart that lists allergens that are in some of their beverages.

Open Original Shared Link

It's a pretty handy chart to look at and find the info.  Their sodas are not listed as having wheat, but they didn't put barley in the chart.  Rats.

[Victoria1234]

Makes me wonder when the FDA is going to call gluten an allergen...