Prebiotic Soda 101: Our Tests & Advice

Let’s talk soda with prebiotics!

Before we go into detail on our taste tests, let’s first do a 101 on prebiotics (and their cousin, probiotics). What are prebtioics? How do they differ from probiotics? (And yes, there is also soda with probiotics.)

Here’s a quick primer from our book, Baby 411:

What are PREbiotics?

These are complex starches or polysaccharides in food that help the gut grow the good bacteria your gut needs. This is what sustains the healthy gut environment.

Prebiotics are found naturally in whole grains, honey, bananas, garlic, onions, leeks, and artichokes. Other food and beverage products (yep, prebiotic soda is an example) are fortified with them.

Note: prebiotics basically provide the nesting ground for good germs. So, even if someone doesn’t take prebiotics everyday, the benefits have longer lasting effects.

Prebiotics are certainly safe and they are the building blocks for good germs. The first three sodas recommended in this article have prebiotics.

What are PRObiotics?

These are “good germs” (bacteria or yeast) that help the body digest food. They are found naturally in yogurt, kefir, kombucha, tea, and sauerkraut. They also come in liquid, capsule or powder form.

One dose has about 1000 times more “germs” than what is in a serving of yogurt. Note: the good germs are only present when you ingest them. So once a person stops taking them, the benefits go away.

The last soda recommended in this article (Culture Pop) has probiotics (Bacillus Subtilis).

How much sugar?

Soda gets a bad rap for its sugar content and it is true: there’s a lot of sugar in regular soda (roughly 40 grams in one 12 ounce can).

Prebiotic soda is often sweetened by the sugar substitute stevia (and sometimes organic juices or agave). Sugar in the brands recommended below ranges from 2 to 9 grams—so that’s a lot less than standard soda.

Our Taste Tests

As always, we do blind taste tests so we aren’t influenced by brand names or fancy packaging. We tried several brands of prebiotic soda in different flavors. Here are the ones we think are best:

About the Authors

Denise & Alan Fields are consumer advocates and best-selling authors. The Fields have authored 12 books with three million copies in print, including the best-selling guide to baby gear, Baby Bargains.

The Fields have been featured and quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times.

As consumer products experts, the Fields have been guests on the NBC Today Show, Good Morning America and ABC’s 20/20.

How We Pick Products To Recommend

We often turn to our readers (3 million strong!) to find products to recommend. We ask our parent readers for their favorites and consider their real-world experiences in our recommendations.

When we test a product, we always purchase it with our own monies. We do not take free samples, as we believe that compromises our independence.

We also fact check manufacturer information with our own measurements. If a maker claims a product weighs X pounds, we will weigh it to make sure. If the battery life is supposed to be six hours, we will see how it stands up in the real world.

In some cases, we will do interviews with experts in the field to get additional feedback on products.

To get hands-on time with products, we regularly meet one-on-one with gear companies and even tour manufacturing facilities. (When we do this, we pay our own travel expenses).

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do extensive research, evaluating products with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability.

We make our living from affiliate commissions, but we always recommend what we think are the best bets for our readers (not the ones that are the most expensive). We are always looking for products that offer the best bang for the buck.

Our independence is a key reason why we have been doing this so long. As we mentioned above, when we purchase a product for hands-on testing, we do so with our own money.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported!