Olipop is a healthy soda brand, and arguably the most popular of this emerging category of drinks. The company describes itself as “A New Kind Of Soda,” and claims their product line is “Healthy Meets Delicious.”
But is Olipop actually healthier than regular soda? What ingredients are in Olipop, and how can the drinks be healthy and so sweet? Does Olipop contain any unhealthy additives? And what was our experience trying it?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Olipop to give our take on whether or not this drink is actually a healthy option.
We’ll also explain why we think Olipop is healthier than regular soda, share our experience purchasing and trying it with dinner, and compare Olipop to other popular "healthy" soda brands like Poppi to pick our winners.
Key takeaways:
- Many nutritious whole food ingredients
- Contains one inactive ingredient we consider unhealthy
- We do not currently recommend Olipop
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in the Lemon Lime flavor of Olipop are shown below:
OLISMART is a proprietary fiber blend containing natural ingredients like nopal cactus and cassava root fiber.
This flavor of Olipop provides 9 grams (g) of fiber, which is 32% of the Daily Value (DV) and is a significant amount.
Only 5% of Americans consume enough fiber according to a medical review published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, and high fiber intake is associated with optimal gut function and reduced risk of obesity.
Calendula flower is one of the ingredients in OLISMART, and this plant was shown to possess “antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and antioxidant properties” in a 2013 medical review.
We’re impressed by the fact that Olipop uses entirely natural, nutritious sweeteners like apple juice concentrate and key lime juice concentrate as opposed to white sugar.
As we documented in our Poppi Soda reviews article, refined sugar intake is clinically shown to be associated with a range of negative health outcomes like obesity and cardiovascular disease, so we believe fruit juice and concentrate is a much healthier choice.
There is only one ingredient in this flavor of Olipop that we consider to be questionable from a health perspective.
Natural key lime flavor falls into the category of food additives called natural flavors, and a medical review published in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal suggests that some flavoring additives may have negative health effects.
A few Olipop flavors have caffeine (the soda-flavored drinks, not the fruit-flavored drinks), but no more than 50 milligrams (mg), which is similar to a strong brew of green tea, and is unlikely to cause jitters in anyone who's not extremely caffeine sensitive.
Overall, we consider Olipop to be a healthy choice and to likely be a net positive to the diet of most Americans (when consumed in moderation).
We Tested Olipop
As the author of this article, I wanted to purchase and try Olipop myself to share my thoughts on its taste and healthiness.
I bought the Ginger Lemon soda from my local Whole Foods, because gingerale was my favorite type of soda as a kid.
This is the best-tasting "healthy" soda that I've tried by far. It actually tasted better than regular Gingerale to me, with a more unique flavor profile than just pure sugar.
The ginger tastes like real ginger (because it is) and you can taste the lemon juice as well. I was really impressed with how sweet and tasty this drink was with only a few grams of added sugar.
I would consider buying this occasionally if I have a sweet tooth, because it pairs really well with salty food.
I didn't personally notice any gut/digestive effects, but I don't have any digestive issues and it would probably take weeks or months of use to notice potential benefits from the prebiotic ingredients.
Overall, I'd rate Olipop an 8/10.
Olipop vs. Regular Soda
Olipop is a much healthier choice than regular soda in our opinion.
To illustrate why, look at the ingredient list above from Starry Soda, a soda brand recently launched by Pepsi.
High fructose corn syrup may be even more damaging in regard to risk for obesity and other negative health outcomes than table sugar, according to clinical research.
Potassium benzoate is a preservative that was shown to damage DNA in a 2011 clinical trial.
The above-linked study was a test tube study rather than one on human participants, which is a weaker standard of evidence, but the results are still notable in our opinion.
Olipop is entirely preservative-free, processed-sugar-free and free of citric acid. This makes Olipop a much better choice for consumers who are searching for a soda brand.
Olipop vs. Popular "Healthy" Sodas
Here's how Olipop compares to other popular soda brands marketed as healthy alternatives, in our opinion:
Poppi
Contains added, refined sugar, which is clinically shown to cause negative health effects when consumed in excess.
Fruit juice is more nutritious and less insulinogenic than refined sugar.
Winner: Olipop
Sparkling Ice
Contains an artificial sweetener, a synthetic preservative and other inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy, as we documented in our is Sparkling Ice healthy article.
Also bottled in plastic rather than canned, which is another (minor) health negative.
Winner: Olipop
Wildwonder
No unhealthy ingredients at all, and similarly nutritious core ingredients.
Winner: Wildwonder
The Story Behind the Brand
A CNBC Make It profile of Olipop has over 140,000 views and shows how the company grew to make over $20 million per month in five years:
Olipop Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Much healthier than regular soda
- Sweetened with fruit juice
- No preservatives
- High in fiber
- Low in added sugar
- May support optimal gut health
Cons:
- Contains natural flavors
- More expensive than regular soda
