To choose a low sugar sparkling drink, read the nutrition facts table, check the serving size, then tune the sweetness yourself with sparkling water.
- Label 30 sec read
- Serving 355 ml
- Trick sparkling water
- 0% alcohol
How to read a sparkling drink label in 30 seconds
The nutrition facts table tells you a lot, if you know where to look. The numbers apply to one serving, not to the whole bottle or can. So start with the top line, the one that states the serving size.
Then move down to the sugars line, in grams. That is the number to compare from one product to the next, serving for serving.
- Serving size: in ml, for example 355 ml for a standard can. A smaller serving means smaller numbers.
- Calories: the energy in that serving.
- Sugars: in grams, for that serving. Sugars naturally found in fruit juice count in this total.
- Ingredient list: ordered from the largest amount to the smallest. Sugars and juices are easy to spot.
Sugars, juice, sweeteners: what you are really reading
On an ingredient list, sugar goes by many names: cane sugar, glucose and fructose syrup, juice concentrate. Sweeteners show up under their own names and taste different, which some people like and others do not.
There is no single right answer. The point is to know what you are drinking and choose by taste, habit and occasion.
- Always compare two products on the same serving size, in ml.
- Find the source of sweetness in the ingredient list.
- Taste before you decide: a drink that tastes very sweet is not always the one with the most grams.
A label example: the 355 ml can
To make it concrete, here is what the label on our sparkling lemonades says, made with real fruit juice. It is a label fact and nothing more: compare it with what you usually drink, serving for serving.
Label of our sparkling lemonades, 355 ml can
| Line | Per 355 ml can |
|---|---|
| Serving size | 355 ml |
| Calories | about 100 |
| Sugars | 25 g |
Stretching a sparkling drink with sparkling water
This is the simplest way to set the sweetness: you pick the ratio. Pour half a glass of sparkling drink, top with very cold sparkling water, then taste. The bubbles stay and the sweetness lands where you like it.
Add fruit ice cubes (frozen raspberries or lemon slices): they chill and flavour without watering things down.
Half and half
Raspberry sparkling lemonade and the same amount of sparkling water, over ice, with a twist of lime.
Alcohol free spritz
Lime and mint sparkling lemonade lengthened with sparkling water and a few bruised mint leaves.
Pitcher to share
Sparkling lemonade, sparkling water, sliced fruit and plenty of ice.
Read, compare, dose
This guide does not tell you what to drink. It helps you read a label without rushing, compare serving for serving and dose it your way. A sparkling drink is, first of all, a small pleasure.
Three simple moves
- Keep sparkling water in the fridge: it stretches anything, by the glass or by the pitcher.
- Freeze raspberries or citrus slices for ice cubes that actually taste like something.
- Compare two labels side by side, serving for serving, before you fill the cart.
Low sugar sparkling drinks: your questions
How do I choose a low sugar sparkling drink?
Compare the sugars number, in grams, on the same serving size in ml, then check the ingredient list. You can also top your drink with sparkling water to adjust the sweetness.
How much sugar is in one of our sparkling lemonades?
The label says 25 g of sugars and about 100 calories per 355 ml can.
Do the sugars from fruit juice count on the label?
Yes. The sugars number includes those naturally found in the juice, on top of any added sugars.
Can I mix sparkling lemonade with sparkling water?
Of course. Pour the lemonade over ice, top with cold sparkling water and taste. You set the ratio.
