Diet Pepsi Vanilla, an acceptable alternative

I am a Mountain Dew girl, and have been since I was a child. I used to drink quite a lot of it in the past, until one day I looked at the sugar content of one can of soda, weighed out that amount in the lab, and was horrified at how much sugar one actually contained. Forty-seven grams of sugar is A LOT. One teaspoon of sugar is 4.2 grams, so each can of soda contains more than 11 teaspoons of sugar! Imagine putting that much sugar in your coffee or tea. I cut back on my soda consumption drastically after that realization, but every once in a while I would enjoy a Mountain Dew, and feel guilty.

I have managed to switch to water most of the time, and I like it. I like hot tea, and iced tea without sugar, but every once in a while I need a caffeine boost that a cup of hot tea won't satisfy, and I want a cold soda. This means to avoid the sugar, I need to drink diet soda. The problem is, I hate the aspartame aftertaste. Diet Mountain Dew is just plain gross.

I usually don't like colas, but I find Pepsi acceptable in a pinch. Diet Pepsi didn't work for me, but I wondered if one of the flavored Pepsi products would hide the taste of the aspartame enough for me. I have always like vanilla colas, so I tried diet Pepsi Vanilla.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked diet Pepsi Vanilla. There is a slight aftertaste, but nothing like that compared to a plain diet soda. It also doesn't leave my mouth feeling like it is coated in sugar syrup after I drink one, which is nice.

I now keep a 12 pack of diet Pepsi Vanilla in my home, and will drink 2 or 3 a week, relatively guilt free (because I should really just be drinking water). I also occasionally get a full sugar Mountain Dew, because I just like the taste. I don't keep any at home, however, I actually have to make an effort to get it. It is nice to have a lower calorie option, however, for the occasional soda/caffeine craving. If you are also looking for such an option, give it a try!