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What can I drink instead of soda?

Stone Fighter #857783Aug 19, 2026👁️ 1.1k❤️ 139

Strategy: Patient journey

Hey everyone! I'm in the middle of a stone flare right now and have been for a while. I'm really trying to hit my daily ounces of fluid, but I'm not quite there yet. I'm working on drinking more water, but I also drink coffee and soda.

My mom has been wondering lately if my increased soda intake is what's causing my kidney stones. I know she's probably right, and from what I can tell the link is the high fructose corn syrup and phosphoric acid, especially in the darker sodas.

My question is: what's a good alternative to soda I can drink, and are there any sodas that are generally safer when you're craving one or dealing with an upset stomach (like ginger ale)?

Thank you all so much for your help!

Comments (22)

Stone Fighter #57D5F3May 8, 2026

I have a carbonation machine, and I'd just add lemon to it whenever I wanted a fizzy drink. There are flavoring alternatives for those too. There are also zero-sugar carbonated water brands you can buy if you'd rather go that route. I'm not really a sugary drink person anyway, so others who chime in may have better suggestions.

Stone Fighter #5BD62AMay 8, 2026

I thought bumping up my intake with anything (water, coffee, soda) would help, but apparently it just made it last longer and hurt more. I was trying to do the right thing and failed.

Stone Fighter #666C70May 8, 2026

Ideally you switch from soda to water. When they tell you to drink 3L a day, they don't mean 3L of soda—they mean water. If you miss the carbonation, you can switch to Bubly or LaCroix.

Stone Fighter #C16081May 8, 2026

Try Polar seltzer waters. My son got me into them as a soda replacement. I love the cranberry lime one. You get that fizzy feeling without all the bad stuff.

Stone Fighter #775F1FMay 8, 2026

For years I mostly drank soda, juice, energy drinks, etc., and nowhere near as much water as I should've. Then I got a 6mm kidney stone and realized I needed to cut the soda and drink more water. I picked up the Mio flavor shots from Walmart—they're sugar-free and basically just citric acid for flavoring. Mix them into carbonated water and it's just like soda, plus you can make it as sweet or strong as you want.

Stone Fighter #5BD62AMay 8, 2026

I finally found a water bottle brand (not the water, the actual bottle) that I like and want to drink from, and I have two in two different sizes, plus the biggest size (40 ounces) on the way in the mail. I'm hoping having several around the house helps.

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