SoBe or not SoBe…

This past weekend I received a text from a friend asking what I thought about SoBe beverages. Before I ever buy any product, I dissect the ingredient panel to make sure it’s a healthy product with ingredients I want to put into my body. My friend knows this, so along with the text came a photo of the ingredient panel he was inquiring about. After looking at the list I decided I personally would not promote the product in question, but rather share what I thought about some of the ingredients and let him be the judge.

SoBe, a Pepsi product, makes teas, fruit flavored elixers and has a vitamin water line – Lifewater. I’m not going to target one of these product in particular. Each line/flavor has different ingredients, so I’m only going to talk about the general ingredients I found in the products I reviewed and let you be Sherlock Holmes on your next trip down the beverage isle.

I cannot stress enough how important it is that you look at the ingredient list and not focus on the maketing tactics. It is a well know fact that consumers will spend more money on a product which appears to be healthier. In the marketing of these products you will hear a lot of talk about vitamins and minerals, which are all good for you, but these drinks also have some potentially harmful ingredients typically listed before the vitamins and minerals in the ingredient list. I’m not going to talk about the vitamin and minerals they speak of – most of them are deep into the ingredient list which means there probably isn’t a lot in the product.

I’m happy to say some of SoBe’s drinks are sweetened with my sweetener of choice, stevia. (stevia is an herb that just happens to be sweet!) But some of the products contain sweeteners that won’t get my approval! I’ve seen sucralose in a few of them and even the seemingly healthy coconut water you’ll see sugar as the second ingredient!

Here are just a few ingredients commonly found in SoBe products. I only reviewed a few of the products – but you get the idea.

Erythritol – a sugar alcohol which can cause cramping, diarrhea, anxiety attacks as well as problems falling asleep and restless sleep.
Potassium benzoate and potassium sorbate  – chemicals used in preserving
Coloring agents – caramel color, red 40, and some natural coloring chemicals/dyes. Food dyes have been found to link to cancer and cause ADHD and allergies. (Read More)
Citric acid, which provides a sour taste, is also commonly used as are other mild acids.
Modified Corn Starch, xantham gum and gum arabic – generally used as thickeners commonly used in salad dressings and ice cream. I’m not sure why they are used in a product like this.
Glycerol ester of wood rosin, glyceryl abietate, Ester gum – food additives used as an emulsifier and stabiliser, and is added to keep oils in suspension in water. This is pretty common in soft drinks and eyeliner pencils.

I’m going to let you decide if you want to consume SoBe but I’m going to stick to drinking my water and tea. Keeping our bodies hydrated with water not only helps with weight loss, it flushes toxins from your system.