Zevia is a carbonated drink brand that sells zero-calorie soda alternatives that the brand claims are naturally sweetened.
In this article we’ll review the ingredients in Zevia based on published medical research to give our take on whether the drinks are healthy, whether we’d recommend them, and whether we consider them to be healthier than Coke.
Zevia Ingredient Review
Zevia sells soda in 15 flavors, which all have similar ingredient lists. The ingredients list above is from Zevia Cola, but consider our comments about this formulation true for all Zevia sodas.
The most important active ingredient is stevia leaf extract, which is a natural sweetener sourced from a plant with the botanical name Stevia rebaudiana. We consider this to be a significantly healthier option than added sugar.
A 2020 medical review on the health effects of stevia found that the plant has a number of health benefits. It exhibits antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and hypotensive (blood-pressure-lowering) properties.
The researchers noted that stevia also may exhibit an anti-fertility effect, so it may not be the best option for couples trying to conceive. Even in the context of this information, we consider it to be significantly healthier than added sugar, because stevia appears to have favorable metabolic effects while added cane sugar has negative metabolic effects. Stevia is also calorie-free, while added sugar contains significant calories.
To be clear, we believe the optimal health decision is to avoid sweetened drinks altogether, but a soda made with stevia is a healthier choice than a soda made with cane sugar in our opinion.
If Zevia were made with carbonated water and stevia leaf extract alone, we would recommend it. However, the drink also contains several additive ingredients we recommend avoiding from a health perspective.
Citric acid is a preservative and flavor enhancer that can be sourced from citrus fruits, but is typically sourced from a fungus called Aspergillus niger when used in manufacturing. A medical review published in the Toxicology Reports journal documents that citric acid can cause inflammatory reactions in some patients that require medical intervention.
There’s no evidence that citric acid is inflammatory to most individuals, but given that a small subset of the population appears to react poorly to it, and given that it has essentially no nutritive value, we recommend avoiding it entirely.
Zevia also contains natural flavors. As we documented in our review of Sparkling Ice, another soda brand positioning itself as healthy, there are some toxicity concerns associated with food and beverage flavoring agents, and the term “natural flavor” does not describe the specific chemical compounds used. We recommend avoiding all products containing natural flavors, unless the manufacturer describes the specific flavoring agents used (at which point consumers and researchers like us can evaluate the safety of those ingredients).
This soda does contain caffeine, but at a very moderate dose of 45 milligrams (mg), which is around 50% of the amount in one cup of coffee. We have no issue with this ingredient or dose.
Overall we do not consider Zevia healthy due to the addition of two additive ingredients, and we would not recommend this brand.
Is Zevia Healthier Than Coke?
Since many consumers drink Zevia as a natural alternative to commercial sodas like Coca-Cola, it may be useful to compare the ingredients in both. The above ingredients list is from Coke.
The first active ingredient in Coke is high fructose corn syrup which is one of the unhealthiest processed food ingredients on the market in our opinion.
Not only is high fructose corn syrup intake associated with unfavorable health outcomes like obesity and diabetes, it may be even less healthy than other caloric sweeteners like cane sugar according to a recent meta-study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.
The study authors found that high fructose corn syrup intake increases risk of obesity and diabetes.
We consider stevia to be a much healthier alternative to high fructose corn syrup. It’s also notable that one 12 ounce (oz) can of Coke contains 39 grams (g) of added sugar and 140 calories, while Zevia contains 0 g added sugar and 0 calories.
Coke also contains phosphoric acid, which may have negative effects on bone health depending on the dose and the number of sodas consumed, based on the results from a 2013 medical review.
Both drinks contain natural flavors which we recommend avoiding.
Overall we believe that Zevia is a significantly healthier option than Coke, and if using Zevia can help wean consumers off Coke, we think that will be a net benefit to their health.
YouTube Dietitian Review and Taste Test
A YouTube review of Zevia published by dietitian Nicole Hoskens answers many consumer questions, such as can Zevia cause weight loss, and what the difference between stevia and table sugar is.
The dietitian also taste tests every flavor of Zevia:
