303120 Fri Apr 21 17:59:19 -0700 2006 11 29 Not About Food 0 1702305 I don't drink soda and was pretty excited when I read this - thinking that perhaps there was ONE soda I might drink on occasion. Just be aware that to the 7up people, "100% natural" means: Ingredients: Filtered carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, natural citric acid, natural flavors, natural potassium citrate. HFCS is natural? Uh huh. Sigh. OK, probably best that I stay away from soda anyway.... Fri Apr 21 17:59:19 -0700 2006 0 krissywats 1 1702313 I guess they meant it was natural as opposed to aspartame or splenda. I'd have to consider HFCS to be "natural" -- by which I mean that although it's highly processed, it's not artificial. Fri Apr 21 18:36:03 -0700 2006 1702305 0 Ruth Lafler 2 1702315 The FDA has very explicit rules on what can be labeled "natural flavor": Anything "derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof." It's essentially meaningless without further qualification. As the 7-Up situation demonstrates. Fri Apr 21 19:05:15 -0700 2006 1702313 0 Jef 1 1702332 Not sure if you live near a Whole Foods, but they make a house soda (the Whole Foods 360 brand) that uses Cane Sugar as the sweetener, not high fructose corn syrup. Another bonus, the soda is pretty cheap. Some of the flavors are better than others-- I like the ginger ale. Sat Apr 22 07:35:34 -0700 2006 1702305 0 cal 2 1702348 Here's another vote in favor of the Whole Foods house brand sodas sweetened with cane sugar. I really like them, and for those who like 7-Up (I don't), the Whole Foods Lime Soda is a virtual duplicate of the mass-market product, albeit with only naturally-derived ingredients. On the topic of "natural", it is always useful to read the ingredient labels, due to the wide variation in what is considered to be natural. And, even if something is truly natural, it is naive to automatically assume that it is healthful. For example, arsenic is a natural substance, yet few of us would knowingly consume it. Since is has just been revealed that U.S.D.A. approved commercial chicken feeds frequently contain arsenic, it would be interesting to know if the chickens that are labeled "natural" are raised on this type of feed. Sat Apr 22 14:14:30 -0700 2006 1702332 0 JB 3 1702350 You're absolutely right. I'm an avid label reader (annoyingly, often) and I am amazed at what companies call 'natural'. I realized some time ago that 'natural' can mean anything however, I am more prone to believe some brands than others: for instance if Lay's say 'natural' I know they are probably trying to simply play on the 'healthful' trend right now, whereas if Annie's says 'natural' I'm more likely to trust it based on the brand's track record as an organic/natural brand. The general rule of thumb - literally: the ingredient list should be no longer than your thumbnail and have nothing in it you can't pronounce or is more than six to nine letters. Sat Apr 22 14:25:32 -0700 2006 1702348 0 krissywats 1 1702366 What do you think of Pure Cane Sugar? Link: http://www.dublindrpepper.com/ Sat Apr 22 21:53:05 -0700 2006 1702305 0 Like-Go-Eat? 2 1702368 I love Dr. Pepper but haven't had it in years - would try it with cane sugar in a second!! Sat Apr 22 23:45:34 -0700 2006 1702366 0 krissywats 3 1702371 My hubby got a bunch of sodas (including this Dr. Pepper) from Galco's. He never got around to doing a side by side tasting but he didn't find the taste anything particularly transcendent. If you want to try some neat sodas, try Galco's, but shipping really adds up. Link: http://www.sodapopstop.com/home.cfm Sun Apr 23 11:32:15 -0700 2006 1702368 0 Chris VR 4 1702416 I live near Galco's Old World Grocery and have seen several cane sugar versions of soft drinks. Several come from Mexico (Coke - Pepsi) and are sold in many Mexican food restaurants. I like root beer and several of us got together for a blind taste test after a visit to Galco’s. We bought several brands but all agreed that Sioux City Root Beer and Sarsaparilla was the best. I think it had more to do with recipe then just cane sugar. I am glad it cost so much at Galco’s because I was doing some serious growing when I first started buying it by the case. Then I finally just had to stop (not sodapopstop.com but stop soda pop). Galco's Old World Grocery (old time and hard to find sodas – Delaware Punch, Dad’s Root Beer, Orange Crush, Dr. Browns, NEHI, Moxie, Sioux City Root Beer and Sarsaparilla) 5702 York Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90042-2617 (323) 255-7115 Cross Street: Avenue 57 http://www.sodapopstop.com/ Sun Apr 23 23:39:41 -0700 2006 1702371 0 Like-Go-Eat? 1 1702433 Let me suggest flavored seltzers - sparkling water. For the first couple of days, you miss the sugar. But after that, one has a healthy, reasonably natural, cheap beverage. And it's nice to have a tall, cold, fizzy glass of beverage to drink that isn't jacked up with caffeine and full of 140 calories! ed Mon Apr 24 10:32:58 -0700 2006 1702305 0 e.d. 1 1702511 A nice alternative to soda is this: Take a glass and fill it half way with freshly squeezed orange juice and fill the rest with plain seltzer water. Sort of like a virgin mimosa. You can substitute whatever kind of juice as well. If you want the sweetness of soda, add a little bit of simple syrup. Wed Apr 26 00:59:16 -0700 2006 1702305 0 TYR