Thursday, August 12, 2010

ZEVIA-the Zero Calorie Drink Review & Giveaway! CLOSED

A couple of months ago I reached out to a company I had heard about.  The folks at ZEVIA were making a zero calorie all natural soda and I just had to give it a try.

If you're like me, over the last few years, you've become more concerned with what you put into your body and with what you feed your family.

I confess I use to be a diet soda addict....yes, it's true!
A bout with aspartame poisoning 3 years ago put an end to my relationship with diet sodas and artificial sweeteners.  And drinking regular soda and all those extra empty calories was just not an option for me.
 But there were times I sure missed having a fizzy soda experience.

And then in walked ZEVIA into my life!

ZEVIA is the 1st all natural zero calorie soda.  There is nothing artificial in it.  You can kick all those diet sodas to the curb now. ;-)
Not only is ZEVIA zero calorie but it's gluten & dairy-free, has a zero ranking on the Glycemic Scale and certified kosher.

So what makes Zevia sweet?
Two things.....Erythritol and Stevia.
Erythritol is a natural product found in many fruits and vegetables. It's technically a sugar alcohol and is extracted via a natural fermentation process.  I buy it at the health food store and have used it as a sweetener in my home in baking for years.
The other sweetener used is Stevia.  Also known as Sweet Leaf it is sourced from the stevia plant, an herb that has been grown and used as a natural sweetener for centuries in Central and South America.  Stevia has become popular in recent years in the US so I'm sure you've heard of it before.

ZEVIA has a website HERE.  There is a very thorough Q&A page located on the website HERE.

So the fine folks at ZEVIA agreed to send me a 6 pack to try out.
And the verdict at Chez Sluggy?

Two big thumbs UP for ZEVIA!

I tried the Orange, Twist(a lemon-lime flavor), Black Cherry, Ginger Root Beer, Dr Zevia(a Dr. Pepper/Mr. Pibb type flavor), and Cola varieties.  The only one I didn't get to try was the Ginger Ale.

All of the 6 flavors I tried were very good.
They were as fizzy as any diet or regular major brand of soda I have ever had.
The flavors were bright and enjoyable and you'd be hard pressed with the fruit flavored varieties to tell them from other brands of those flavors.
I especially thought the Black Cherry and the Ginger Root Beer flavors were great.  These two were my favorites.  The Black Cherry had a very strong cherry flavor. The Root Beer was intriguing from the first sip as it had a different note of something besides the root beer flavor mixed in.  After I read the can closer I saw it was GINGER Root Beer, so that 'special' extra flavor was the ginger root.  I have to say that the ginger really Really enhanced the whole root beer experience.  I may never go back to drinking plain old root beer again.  ;-)


So did I miss the sugar....the cane sugar and the HFCS that all the leading soda manufacturer's put in their soda?
Not one bit.
Some people find that the sweetener stevia has an aftertaste.  This is true for me.  It's sort of a licorishy taste.  But then again, ANY sweetener you consume gives off an aftertaste, even natural cane sugar and especially those artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose.  After awhile though you get use to it.

I'd much rather get use to the stevia aftertaste than the others since it means I'm NOT ingesting all those extra calories associated with cane sugar or high fructose corn syrup or the unhealthy chemicals of the artificial sweeteners.

Zevia does cost more than the major brands of soda.  Using quality, better-for-you ingredients does cost a bit more, but aren't you worth it?   I look at it this way....I'm frugal in lots of other ways, so I can spend a bit for other things, like a soda that is better for me and better for the environment.

ZEVIA might not be readily available at your local grocery store or beverage outlet as it's new.  There is a store locator on their website HERE.
I can tell you that the WEGMAN'S grocery chain carries Zevia, as do some Natural and Health Food Stores here in PA.
You can buy ZEVIA directly by the case, on the company's website if you can't find a local outlet.


WIN IT!
The folks at ZEVIA have graciously consented to let one of my readers receive a free 6 pack of assorted  flavors to try for themselves.


*** FOR your chance to WIN....go to the ZEVIA WEBSITE and come back and tell me what flavor you would most like to try and why.

For additional entries.....
You can earn additional entries by doing any or all of the following--

1. Become a follower of "DON'T READ THIS; IT'S BORING"...(just click on the follow button on the right side bar) and leave a separate comment for it.  If you already follow, just say so in a separate comment.
2. Go "Like" Zevia on Facebook and leave a separate comment that you did.
3. Subscribe to "DON'T READ THIS; IT'S BORING" via RRS feed and leave a separate comment for it.  If you already subscribe, just say so in a separate comment.
4. Blog about this Giveaway and leave a separate comment that you did and the link or URL to that post.

If you do all these things you will receive FIVE entries into the Giveaway. 8-)


This ZEVIA GIVEAWAY will remain open until August 24th at 11:59pm Eastern Time, at which time I will select a winner via the random number generator.
Any questions?... feel free to email me directly.

Good luck to all!

*Official Legal Mumbo-Jumbo and Disclaimers....Zevia supplied me with product for the purposed of conducting my taste-test & review.  All opinions expressed here are my own and I was not compensated for my views otherwise.  All product information was obtained from the company's website.

Sluggy

14 comments:

  1. The ginger root beer sounds great. Unfortunately, they do not sell it here in GA where I live.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I don't drink and never have drank diet drinks. Blech! But I'm willing to try this one.

    I'd try the cola...a true test, for me, as to whether this product tastes good or not.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I also subscribe to it in Google Reader.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I "like" Zevia on Facebook.

    (And I'll probably be back tomorrow to say I blogged about your giveaway.)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I would love to try the Root Beer, that's my favorite soda flavor!

    demureprincess7(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am a follower of your blog.

    demureprincess7(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  7. I follow your blog and am posting a comment--I want to try Cola. I thought I entered this once. It is about time that stevia was in drinks.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I like Orange Crush, but I don't like all the sugar it contains, so I would like to try Zevia's version of orange soda.
    bkittie@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'd like to try the ginger root beer. It sounds delicious.

    kristen_yeh (at) yahoo (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Holy cr@p! How have I not entered this???

    I would want to try the Dr. Zevia. I love Diet DP.

    fperkins2000 @ yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. I am a Sluggy follower.

    fperkins2000 @ yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. I subscribe to your feed on my Yahoo homepage.

    fperkins2000 @ yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete

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