There’s a new soda on the scene and it’s here to help support your digestive health. It’s called prebiotic soda and it’s packed with gut-supporting prebiotic fiber. But what exactly is prebiotic soda? And are these sodas as good for you as they say?

As a dietitian, I am a big fan of these buzzy sodas. And in this article, I’ll share exactly why that is… It won’t be long till you’re tempted to grab one off the shelf to try for yourself!

What Is Prebiotic Soda?

Prebiotic soda is a carbonated soft drink packed with prebiotic fiber to support your gut. By adding nutritious, high-fiber ingredients, prebiotic soda joins the soda aisle as a gut-friendly option for soda drinkers. Just like regular soda, prebiotic soda features a delicious taste and bubbly soda experience once you pop open the can. Yet a quick look at the back ingredient label highlights just how different it is from a regular can of soda...

Prebiotic Soda vs. Traditional Soda

Traditional sodas are packed with sugar, artificial flavorings, and not much else—offering very little in the nutrition department. Thankfully, new soda brands are spinning traditional sodas on their heads adding botanicals, plant compounds, and other ingredients that bump up the nutritional value in their cans. 

And one exciting new ingredient is prebiotics in prebiotic soda. This indigestible ingredient can offer up some unique health benefits that sugary empty-calorie sodas can never rival. By adding prebiotics, prebiotic soda joins the soda aisle as a bubbly, gut-friendly option for soda drinkers. Here's what makes it so different from your more traditional can of soda: 

Fewer Sugar Calories

Many prebiotic sodas contain far fewer sugar calories than a standard can of soda. OLIPOP contains 2 to 5g of sugar while the leading soda brands contain anywhere from 39 to 45g of added sugar. 

Better-for-you Ingredients

Prebiotic sodas also contain more natural vs artificial ingredients like natural vanilla or caramel flavoring and real fruit juice that help make them a healthier choice.

Instead of the high fructose corn syrup you’ll find in a regular soda, prebiotic sodas like OLIPOP use natural flavors instead, like cassava root syrup and stevia leaf. These ingredients provide the soda-sweet flavor you know and love (without all that extra sugar).

Packed With Prebiotics

As the name suggests, prebiotic soda contains a special kind of fiber called “prebiotics” that you won’t find in a regular can of soda. Nutritious, high-fiber ingredients like kudzu root extract, chicory root inulin, and Jerusalem artichoke inulin provide a great source of prebiotic fiber, helping support digestive health.

What Are Prebiotics?

Your gut has its own mini-ecosystem of trillions of bacteria and other organisms that break down the food you eat, help defend against germs, release energy, and produce vitamins. And just like any other living species, this ecosystem needs food to survive.¹

And that’s where prebiotics come in.

Prebiotics are non-digestible fibers that feed the beneficial bacteria in your gut. When you eat (or drink!) prebiotic fiber, it passes through undigested to your lower digestive tract where it quickly becomes a food source for those trillions of bacteria living in your gut.²

These trillions of bacteria in your gut—also called your gut microbiota—work hard to keep everything running smoothly for your overall health and wellness.³ And prebiotic fiber is the key to keeping your gut microbiota happy and healthy.

Prebiotics vs. Probiotics: What’s the Difference?

Prebiotics are the food source for those healthy gut bacteria. And those healthy gut bacteria are called probiotics. In other words, prebiotics feed probiotics.

You need both prebiotics and probiotics in your diet to maintain a healthy digestive system. Probiotics enhance the diversity of your gut microbiome by introducing helpful bacteria into your gut ecosystem. Prebiotics feed that ecosystem of gut bacteria so they can continue doing their very important job of keeping you healthy.⁴

There are plenty of foods that contain prebiotics and probiotics. To maintain a healthy diversity of gut microbiota it’s best to enjoy a variety of high prebiotic and probiotic food sources.

You can find probiotics in food and drinks such as:^{3 4}

• Kombucha
• Yogurt
• Sauerkraut
• Tempeh
• Kimchi
• Kefir
• Miso

You can find prebiotics in food and drinks such as:

• Asparagus
• Wheat bran
• Onions
• Garlic
• Jerusalem artichoke
• Apples
• Oats
• OLIPOP! 

Prebiotic Soda vs. Kombucha

Kombucha is another popular gut-friendly beverage. But don’t mistake its fizzy flavor for a prebiotic soda. Kombucha is a fermented black tea drink that’s known for having several health benefits. Prebiotic soda, on the other hand, is a high-fiber carbonated soda beverage.

They’re both fizzy drinks that support a healthy gut. But prebiotic soda contains prebiotics while kombucha contains probiotics. The prebiotics in prebiotic soda feeds the healthy bacteria in your gut while the probiotics in kombucha add more healthy bacteria to your ecosystem.⁴

Is Prebiotic Soda Good for You?

Prebiotic fibers help support gut health, immune health, and other factors for your health. And since only 7% of Americans are consuming the recommended amount of fiber every day, finding any way to increase this important nutrient in your diet is a good idea.⁵ A prebiotic soda like OLIPOP is high in fiber, contains zero artificial colors, and is significantly lower in added sugars than traditional sodas. 

Prebiotic fiber takes care of your gut which offers a ton of health benefits:

• Supports a healthy immune system⁶
• Increases beneficial bacteria while decreasing harmful bacteria populations^{6 7}
• Reduces occasional bloating and other digestive discomforts¹¹
• Helps promote regular bowel movements^{2 3}
• Facilitates calcium and other nutrient absorption⁸
• Breaks down cholesterol to sustain a healthier heart⁹

But it’s not just all that healthy fiber that makes prebiotic sodas good for you!

A regular can of soda has nothing nutritious about it. But prebiotic sodas offer up ingredients that support your gut without overloading you with sugar. This means you’re limiting your sugar intake and upping your nutrient intake by swapping out your regular can of soda for a prebiotic one.

When Should You Drink Prebiotic Soda?

Some prebiotic sodas contain caffeine, which means it’s best to enjoy those at least two hours before you go to bed. But in general, you can enjoy a prebiotic soda whenever you want to pop open a can of delicious and nutritious flavor! Just like a regular can of soda, prebiotic sodas pair well with a hearty meal or on their own. Or add them to your next cooking recipe!

So, Should You Make the Switch to Prebiotic Soda?

If you are a soda lover (and who can blame you if you are?), opting for a prebiotic soda instead of a traditional sugary pop or a diet soda will fuel your body with gut health-supporting ingredients with far less cavity-promoting sugar. And skipping loads of added sugars or non-nutritive sweeteners may protect your body from the negative effects that traditional or diet soda drinkers may experience. 

OLIPOP is significantly lower in sugar than leading non-diet sodas and free from non-nutritive sweeteners. Plus, there is prebiotic fiber in every can! Having a can of prebiotic soda as a part of a balanced and healthy diet can be one simple way to support your gut health while satisfying your craving for a sweet soda.

And did we mention that they also taste delicious? Give one of our many soda flavors a try today and experience the benefits for yourself! You can pick us up at your local store or order us online.

Sources

1. Heiman, M. L., & Greenway, F. L. (2016). A healthy gastrointestinal microbiome is dependent on dietary diversity. Molecular Metabolism, 5(5), 317–320. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmet.2016.02.005
2. Collins, J. (2020, September 14). What Are Prebiotics? WebMD. Retrieved August 11, 2022, from https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/prebiotics-overview
3. What Are Prebiotics and What Do They Do? (2022, March 14). Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved August 11, 2022, from https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-are-prebiotics/
4. Zeratsky, K. (2022, July 2). What are probiotics and prebiotics? Mayo Clinic. Retrieved August 11, 2022, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/probiotics/faq-20058065?reDate=11082022
5. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. 9th Edition. December 2020. Available at DietaryGuidelines.gov.
6. Sarao LK, Arora M. “Probiotics, prebiotics, and microencapsulation: A review”. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. Vol. 57, no. 2, 2017, pp. 344-371. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2014.887055
7. Holscher HD. “Dietary fiber and prebiotics and the gastrointestinal microbiota.” Gut Microbes. Vol. 8, no 2, 2017, pp: 172-184. doi: 10.1080/19490976.2017.1290756.
8. Liu Y, Zhao Y, Yang Y, Wang Z. “Effects of Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Synbiotics on Calcium Homeostasis and Bone Health With Aging: A Systematic Review.” Worldviews Evid Based Nurs. Vol 16, no. 6, 2019, pp. 478-484. doi: 10.1111/wvn.12405
9. Kenny, D. J., Plichta, D. R., Shungin, D., Koppel, N., Hall, A. B., Fu, B., Vasan, R. S., Shaw, S. Y., Vlamakis, H., Balskus, E. P., & Xavier, R. J. (2020). Cholesterol Metabolism by Uncultured Human Gut Bacteria Influences Host Cholesterol Level. Cell host & microbe, 28(2), 245–257.e6.
10. Al Bander, Z., Nitert, M. D., Mousa, A., & Naderpoor, N. (2020). The Gut Microbiota and Inflammation: An Overview. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(20), 7618. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17207618
11. Edgar, J. (2009, November 27). IBS Supplements: Fiber, Probiotics, Prebiotics, and More. WebMD. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://www.webmd.com/ibs/features/supplements-for-ibs-what-works

Meet our Expert This article is written by Lauren Manaker MS, RDN, LD. Lauren Manaker is an award-winning registered dietitian, book author, and freelance writer. Her work can be found in many major media outlets and on her women’s health nutrition-focused Instagram account @LaurenLovesNutrition. Raised in sunny South Florida and now living in Charleston, South Carolina, she has a love for the ocean and would be living on a houseboat if she had her way. She currently lives with her husband, young daughter, and 70-pound rescue pup.