Zevia Zero Calorie Orange Soda - 12 Ounce Cans (Pack of 24) | Naturally Sweetened, No Artificial Ingredients | Perfect for Keto Diet, Weight Loss & Healthy Lifestyle

I want to start my review by mentioning that the taste and experience you have with Zevia will have ALOT to do with the diet and food you surround it with. As a Registered Nurse who has modified their diet to decrease my intake of sugar and concentrated sweets for personal health reasons, I can say that I had a much different experience with the ZEVIA line before I watched my diet and limited sweets, to now where I try to limit my intake of sugar to fruits only and to less than 20 grams total a day. That being said, I have broken down my review into two sections, the review of the flavors themselves, and the ZEVIA product line overall. For non Zevia drinkers, just know that the main issue to get over with any Zevia product is the classic Stevia aftertaste that can stay on your palette. How much that aftertaste bothers you is influenced by your typical sugar intake in your daily diet in my personal opinion. If I ate a diet like I used to, I know that Zevia products would taste weird at best, and bitter and bad at worst.(REVIEW OF THE TASTES)Cola/Caffeine Free Cola, 5/5- As mentioned in other parts of my review, I was and still am a HUGE fan of bottled Mexican coke which uses real sugar instead of High Fructose Corn Syrup. Since starting my low sugar diet, the Cola flavored Zevia has been a much welcomed substitute instead. I know some people mentioned issues with the clear vs. colored Zevia, but I have only tried the clear Cola and have enjoyed it on the several occasions I've tried it. If you need a healthy Coke/Pepsi substitute, this is a great flavor to start with. 5/5Ginger Root Beer, 4.5/5- Growing up, I can't say that I was a big fan of root beer, but I did have it occasionally or with root beer floats. I'm not sure if the Root Beer Zevia will work for floats, but in terms of a root beer substitute the flavor is spot on. I know that if I was a big Root Beer person, the Ginger Root Beer Zevia would work fine for me.Ginger Ale, 5/5- Not so much as a teenager, but more as an adult I've begun to develop a fondness for ginger ale. Having changed to a low sugar diet, the Ginger Ale Zevia Flavor has become my go to flavor of choice and the one I drink and order the most. Personally, the Ginger Ale flavor is the lightest in the Zevia lineup in terms of a strong flavor, so to me this is the perfect carbonated drink to have with a big meal or dinner that most people can enjoy.Cream Soda, 5/5- Let me start off by saying, that since having Vanilla Cream Coca Cola back in High School, I have not had any Cream soda since in my lifetime. But since it came in the variety pack, and it was the only cold soda in the fridge one night, I gave it a shot and it tastes like classic Cream Soda. This may or may not be your favorite flavor, but if it is, to me it was spot on.Grape, 5/5- In terms of fruit, my go to flavor is Orange. Since the Grape was available in the variety pack, I gave it a try one night and it wasn't bad at all. If I had to say anything, I would say that Grape Zevia does more Justice to Grape than Orange does for Orange in my opinion. Grape has not been a big soda favorite in my life but if it is for you, the Grape Zevia wouldn't be a bad substitute to try.Black Cherry, 4.5/5- Tried it as part of the variety pack, can't say I'm a fan of black cherry soda in general, but it does the flavor justice. If you like Black cherry, the Zevia flavor is a good substitute.Lemon Lime Twist 5/5- One of my favorite flavors for personal reasons, The lemon lime twist has been a good substitute for sprite, sierra mist, and other lime flavored soda, so this is a great zevia flavor to get.Orange 3/5- Growing up, Orange flavored soda was always in my top 5 soda flavors to have. As a big fan of the Zevia flavor line, I was surprised to be slightly disappointed with the Orange flavor Zevia take. As I mention in my grape soda flavor review, I felt that Grape Flavor did more justice to grape that the Orange Flavor does to Orange. Unlike the classic Zevia aftertaste that you need to get used to, my issue with the orange was the citric acid taste that stayed in my mouth and just gives the soda to much of an artificial taste. Still tolerable, but not in my top 5 Zevia flavors for sure and not one of the flavors I would pay for.Mountain Zevia 5/5- Growing up, I was not a big Mountain Dew fan, but would have it occasionally if there was nothing else available or at parties. I have to say, that the Zevia take on Mountain Dew was pleasantly surprising, and for any fan of the Dew, the Mountain Zevia soda is an excellent substitute.Dr. Zevia 5/5- Growing up, I had my classic soda flavors that I would have more often than I should have for health reasons, and Dr. Pepper was one of those sodas. When I tried the Dr. Zevia Flavor, I found it enjoyable and a great substitute to the real thing.Grapefruit Citrus 4.5/5- Growing up, Squirt was one of my favorite sodas, followed by the sugar free version from Pepsi Fresca. In terms of Zevia flavors, the Grapefruit Citrus is a good attempt at interpreting those sodas. The Grapefruit Citrus is not one of my personal top 5 Zevia favorite flavors, but if your a big fan of Grapefruit sodas, Squirt, or Fresca, give Grapefruit Citrus a shot.(REVIEW OF THE ACTUAL ZEVIA PRODUCT ITSELF)As a nurse, I deal with many patients that have multiple ailments and comorbidities, most of which having issues with either diet, or exercise. One of the most important topics that I can ever teach or talk to someone about is the danger of Sugar (mostly Fructose, but Sucrose and Glucose are included as well) and its impact on overall health, especially if your diabetic. This is a topic that I can really get into and has motivated me to become either a nutritionist or a diabetic educator in the future, but that's another topic for another day. Anyways, I've realized that for many, decreasing sugar intake is a problem and difficult, but especially for those who carelessly drink concentrated sources of sugar daily, mostly in the for of juices or sodas. When educating patients, of course complete to 98% elimination of sugar entirely (15-20 grams or less is what experts have agreed upon) would be best for their overall health, this of course is not realistic for many for various reasons. Instead, I at least encourage the elimination of concentrated sweets. Because many have grown accustomed with having sugary beverages, or fizzy drinks with some or even all meals, I usually recommend Zevia for those people. Though there have been studies on artificial sugars and their link to cancer, and though some diet sodas don't have some of those cancerous ingredients anymore, the fact is that artificial coloring can have unwanted health effects, and artificial sugars besides the whole cancer thing, throw your body's natural regulation of sugar and insulin off in the long run. So in researching better options for patients and for myself, I came across Zevia. It has been noted that there is no long term research from the effects of stevia on the body in the long run (or monk fruit), but research that is available is promising (following taken from healthyeating.sfgate.com):1) Glucose Control- The effect of steviol glycosides in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics was evaluated in a study published in 2008 in the "Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology" journal. The results showed that post-treatment blood glucose levels were not significantly different from baseline measurements in the groups that were given stevia. Additionally, stevia was well tolerated by the subjects and had no side effects.2) Insulin Sensitivity- A study published in 2005 in the "Hormone and Metabolic Research" journal evaluated the effect of stevioside, a glycoside in Stevia rebaudiana, in rats fed a diet consisting of 60 percent fructose. Stevioside was found to decrease plasma-glucose concentrations, improve insulin sensitivity and delay the development of insulin resistance in the rats. Based on these results, the authors concluded that stevia may also be helpful for diabetics.3) Weight Control- Stevia has no calories. In contrast, a gram of sugar contains about 4 calories, and there are about 4 grams of sugar in a teaspoon. If you put 3 teaspoons of sugar in your coffee, that's 48 calories for just 1 cup of coffee. Using stevia in place of sugar can help you maintain and achieve a healthy weight. That's important because more than 80 percent of people with Type 2 diabetes are overweight.Besides diabetic health and sugar regulation, the ingredients are definitely more natural derived than those in other sodas. I recommend Zevia as a nurse to many people I meet and have become a big fan of it myself over the last 6 months. Though the taste may be lacking in certain flavors compared to a 30-46 gram sugary soda (mexican coke bottles are my favorite and perfect example), it all depends on the food you eat/drink around the Zevia. As someone that has really watched sugar intake in all forms as part of their diet, Zevia is very sweet and gratifying, but I know that if I were to eat/snack like I used to, drink soda, eat frosted flakes for breakfast, have a high sugar protein bar as a snack, and eat at yogurtland 3-4 times a week like I used to, Zevia would probably taste alot worse. Take it from someone that knows how tempting, delicious, and dangerous sugary foods/drinks can be, trying to be a healthier person starts with making the right decisions every day, and Zevia can be one of those decisions.I went KetoCarnivore recently but never heard of this product. WHY? Because there are many, many opinions, videos, books etc. on the whole Keto and Keto Carnivore way of eating but an awful lot of this info is conflicting and is strictly someone's un-educated opinion. To be clear, YOU need to do your own research and only trust those people who are credible and have done research on what they are telling you, do not blindly follow and believe just anyone, we are talking about your HEALTH here. If their opinion sounds really far-fetched, beware.Anyway, for myself I have pretty much settled on the advice of several professionals I follow on You Tube, Dr. Ken D. Berry, a family physician, and Dr. Sten Ekberg, Olympic decathlete & holistic doctor, both also have books for sale on Amazon. I recently watched a video by Dr. Ekberg and he mentioned Zevia. I listened and watched his facts presentation and was very impressed with them. The only sweetener in Zevia is Stevia. I am well acquainted with Stevia since I have used it for many years. And, since I am determined to not buy any more P***i soda I was looking for a carbonated beverage that would meet my requirements for my eating plan. Did a search on Amazon and up it popped. I liked the ingredients and promptly ordered a case.For those of you who don't like the taste of Stevia, well, I'm sorry. It does have an aftertaste but I am so used to it it doesn't bother me at all. I don't consider it bitter or bad, it's just there. Others may try it and say yuck! Our perceptions are different! For the price, this multi-flavor case is the best way to try several flavors. Some I found were overpowered by the Stevia but I am mainly after the fizz and sweetness. Good luck!I have ordered this a few times now, and the more that I drink it, the more that I really love it. Now, I do have a favorite root beer (Boylan Bottling Natural Root Beer Soda), however I don't always have $50 to get it. It is what it is, and I just got to make do. It was either a choice of this (Zevia) brand, or another cheaper alternative. It was the "creamy" part of the description that made me want to try this one.Now, when I got them, I did try one next day (after putting some in the fridge). It was surprizingly, really, really good! And, there most definitely was no aftertaste. It was super "creamy", and very delicious!Kind of related (sorry for TMI), but I do (or, did) suffer chronic constipation. My doctor had me not take any more OTC laxatives as they were making my situation far more worse (as in, they just weren't working). So, a few years ago, he started prescribing me Sorbitol (this is a sickeningly overtly-sweet sweetener/ laxative). This stuff tasted so nasty, and I had the hardest time downing a dose. Enter in, Zevia...I was not at all, expecting any (medicinal) results from drinking Zevia. It tasted relatively good, so I was happy. But, within just half a can of consumption, I found myself running to the bathroom. Like every single day, half a can, and I just had to go immediately! So, I decided to look up "stevia", as I had never had that, and found out that it is in fact a natural sweetener. So, if you have a sensitivity to natural sweeteners as apparently like I do, you may want to counter in that fact, before you buy it. Now, I am usually at home (at any given time) regardless, so I prefer to still drink this (almost daily) for how it helps to correct my chronic problem, as I seem to no longer suffer it now while drinking Zevia. Sorbitol, is not recommended to take every day, only as needed. So, with drinking just a half can of Zevia, and I'm going that same day, well I can honestly say that I have not been constipated for months.Now, I recommend drinking this straight from the can, I drink half and then put plastic wrap over the top and will drink this next day. I say this, about drinking from the can directly, because the color of it is very off-putting, I mean if you are used to drinking (normal) root beer. When you pour Zevia into a cup/ or, glass, it is crystal clear. And, I feel like I'm not drinking root beer, which then (kind of) mars the taste for me.If you suffer chronic constipation, I'd recommend giving this a go, as it tastes a million times better than just straight up Sorbitol. All in all, I'm really glad I tried this, as it is now a permanent staple in my diet.