As a mom I try to make sure that my children make “better for you” choices when it comes to snacking and eating. I do my best to make healthy meals and provide my children with nutritious snack options such as chickpeas, baby carrots, sliced cucumbers and plenty of fruits. I also know that kids will be kids and sometimes they want to indulge in “junk” foods. I’m OK with that providing it’s done in moderation and not every day. One junk food (actually beverage) that we rarely ever have in our home is soda. Soda is basically liquid sugar and have no nutritional value whatsoever. We are OK with the kids having soda at a friend’s house or if we happen to go out to eat. Other than that soda is a “no-no” in our home. It’s not that we don’t like soda – we do! It’s just that I know if there is soda in the house all of us (me and my husband included) will drink it mindlessly and before you know it that 2 liter bottle is gone in just a few hours. We know a lot of families that keep their fridge well stocked with a variety of sodas and are totally OK with their kids drinking that instead of a glass of water or unsweetened ice tea. I am not one to judge but that is not for me or my family. This is why I love the SodaStream. Have you heard of it before? The SodaStream is a soda making machine. The base of the soda is water from your own home. That’s right – soda made out of water! The SodaStream is so simple to use that even children can produce soda in a matter of minutes. This is how you use it.
- Add cold water to the fill line of the soda bottle
- Insert the soda bottle into the SodaStream
- Pump down on the top 2-3 times for a second or two each time to carbonate the water
- Remove the soda bottle from the SodaStream
- Add in the flavoring
- Pour in a glass and enjoy!
IT’S THAT EASY! Check out this video that shows you just how easy it is.
- Cola
- Lemon-Lime
- Orange
- Root Beer
- Ginger Ale
- Orange Mango
- Diet Pink Grapefruit
- Pineapple-Grapefruit
They also carry specialty flavors like;
- Country Time
- Crystal Light
- Ocean Spray
- Kool Aid
- V8 Splash
Some of the flavors are available in “diet” versions too. We’re tried a few flavors and so far we are pleased. Dr. Pete is my personal favorite. I know my son liked the root beer. You might think like I thought at first – you are basically adding sugary syrup flavoring into the water so how can that make it better than soda? The flavoring for the SodaStream has less calories and sugar than other soda brands. You can also adjust the flavoring to your liking (make it more sweet or less sweet) if you want. Here are a few comparisons. As you can see the SodaStream sodas contain a lot less calories than regular sodas and considerably less sugars per serving. You can even use it just to carbonate the water and make your own seltzer water. Using the SodaStream to make soda is also better for the environment. Instead of having to dispose of plastic soda bottles you simply reuse the bottle that comes with the SodaStream again and again. It’s easy to clean out and it comes with a screw cap to keep it from spilling and the soda from going “flat”. The SodaStream is also convenient. You can make soda anytime you want – day or night. Sometimes my husband likes to have some chips and soda while watching a football game. Since I try not to keep soda and chips in our house if he has a craving for them he has to head out to the grocery store to get them. Often his craving hits at night when he will not leave the house and miss a game. With SodaStream he can make soda anytime the moods hits (as long as he has the flavoring he wants). SodaStream is also more convenient because you don’t have to lug a lot of soda from the store into your home and the flavoring takes up very little space in your kitchen pantry.
As someone who lives on the top floor (with six flights of stairs and no elevators) and in a condo no bigger than a “shoe box” I can appreciate not having to lug groceries up the stairs and not take up much space in our already over crowded condo. Honestly the only “downside” to the SodaStream is the carbonators (the canisters that add the carbonation to the water). You cannot dispose of them. You must turn them into a retailer that takes exchanges of the carbonators. Depending on where you live the retailers may or may not be easy to locate. To help you out you can do some research on where can I refill co2 canisters in places near you to help make the locating process easier. You can purchase spared carbonators online but you cannot dispose of the empty ones without turning them in to an authorized dealer. That might be a bit of an inconvenience for some people. If you would like to learn more about SodaStream and where to purchase them, as well as the variety of flavors, visit www.SodaStreamUSA.com. You can also make purchases on the website. SodaStream can be found on the various social media sites too. SodaStream would make a great gift for a college student, soda fan, or someone who is looking to cut out extra sugars and calories from their diets.
I received a free product sample in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
Maralea says
I have yet to get me a SodaStream, however, my daughter has one and I was amazed at how many flavors you can get for it. I have tried the Crystal Light and love it!
Rebecca says
While I know Sodastream would love for me to buy their flavorings, I have taken to making carbonated juice for my children and avoiding the premade flavors, as I do not believe in artificial sweeteners for children (if I can help it). Carbonate your water as you would normally, then add about 1 fluid ounce of juice concentrate (add more or less to your taste). I have found a brand of frozen juice concentrate that comes in a plastic bottle with a replaceable screw top, so I can just keep it in the fridge over the course of a few days and make new batches as needed.