10 Faces You Make When You Realize What's Actually In Your Soda

Why don't you have something to drink? There's plenty of soda in the fridge!

1. Phosphoric Acid

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What starts with a P and is a colorless, odorless, inorganic acid that is corrosive to metals and tissue, is used in making fertilizers and detergents, and is used in sodas to give them a "sharper flavor"? If you guessed phosphoric acid, then you're correct!

2. Calcium Disodium EDTA

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Calcium disodium ethylene-diaminetetraacetic acid (say that three times fast) is commonly used to retain flavoring in soft drinks. Yummy!

3. Sodium Benzoate

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Sodium benzoate is a chemical preservative whose purpose is to (you guessed it) "preserve" the shelf life of a product. It also makes frequent cameos as a paint additive, corrosion inhibitor, and is even used in antifreeze. Drink up!

4. High-fructose Corn Syrup

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Ahh, the crown jewel of soda ingredients, the super-sweet crème de la crème, the one and only...high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). HFCS is a thick, syrupy sweetener that is widely used as an alternative to sucrose (aka table sugar). HFCS gained popularity in soft-drink manufacturing due to the ease with which it can be stored and processed in giant quantities. Yum! Syrup!

5. Aspartame

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Do you ever find yourself thinking, Y'know, sugar itself isn't NEARLY sweet enough on its own for my tastes. I need something in my soda that's literally 200 TIMES sweeter. Well, aspartame has you covered! Here's a fun little fact: Approximately 10% of digested aspartame is broken down into methanol, which is then converted into formaldehyde. Yes, that formaldehyde.

6. Yellow 5

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Tartrazine, also known as the infamous "yellow 5," is one of the most widely used artificial food, drug, and cosmetic dyes -- and yes, it's also found in sodas. In addition to dyeing things yellow, tartrazine has been known to cause allergic reactions like asthma and hives. Hope you have your inhaler handy!

7. Acesulfame K

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Acesulfame potassium is a noncaloric sweetener that is not only difficult to spell, but, like aspartame, it's also about 200 times sweeter than sugar. And don't worry about calories -- acesulfame potassium can't even get metabolized and will make a graceful exit from your body completely unchanged, just like nature intended. CHEERS GUYS!!

8. Potassium Benzoate

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Potassium benzoate is yet another chemical preservative that is added to sodas to...well, preserve them from all sorts of gross stuff. But did you know that when exposed to heat and light, beverages with benzoate and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) can create benzene, a known carcinogen?

9. Caramel Color

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Ever wonder why your soda is brown? That's caramel color, baby! And it's got nothing to do with caramel -- it's synthesized with ammonia and sulfites under high pressure and temperatures. And here's something you may not know: Some types of caramel color contain a potentially carcinogenic chemical called 4-methylimidazole. Who's thirsty?

10. Brominated Vegetable Oil

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Derived from soybean or corn, brominated vegetable oil has nothing to do with being a "bro." It's basically used to keep all the ingredients in sodas blended together. It also happens to be patented as a flame retardant and is banned in food throughout Europe and Japan.

Don't panic! Not all sodas are created equal! Zevia is the zero-calorie soda that is naturally sweetened, clear in color, and is Non-GMO Project Verified.