Does Ginger Ale Have Caffeine?
Ginger ale is a classic drink that was manufactured during the Prohibition in North America. It is a naturally fizzy drink with three main ingredients: ginger, sugar (or any sweetener), and carbonated water. Ginger ale does not contain caffeine, so it’s safe for people who can’t consume caffeine for any reason. Inversely, it’s not the kind of soda that you’d want if you want a stimulant, precisely because it contains zero grams of caffeine.
This may be a little confusing because ginger ale and soft drinks are generally not spoken of in the same breath as regular sodas. However, ginger ale is considered the “fine champagne” of sodas precisely because it has a more delicate taste, and it is made from a different set of ingredients.
There should be no confusion: ginger ale and ginger beer are different. Ginger ale’s origins can be traced to North America, while ginger beer finds its roots from the United Kingdom. Ginger beer expanded to other territories like New Zealand and the United Kingdom, before going global soon.
Which Soft Drinks Are Caffeine-Free?
Caffeine-free soda is almost unheard of because people think that diet soda is caffeine soda. However, this isn’t true in most cases. Diet sodas often have no sugar, but they contain caffeine because people consume caffeine-free soda to improve their wakefulness or alertness. If you want to avoid caffeine when enjoying your soft drinks, we have a couple of recommendations that you might like:
Clear sodas
Clear soda doesn’t have food colorings, and they usually don’t have any caffeine, too. These sodas also come in various flavors (sometimes over ten characters) and are perfect for people who want a sweet drink without the caffeine. Clear mixers also lack phosphoric acid, which is found in typical sodas like Coca-Cola or Pepsi. Check the nutritional information nonetheless, and check. The caffeine content must be zero.
Lemon-lime sodas
Lemon-lime sodas like Sprite and 7Up are in the same league as clear sodas; they are only flavored explicitly with a combination of lemon and lime artificial flavors. The carbohydrate content of these sodas is the same as other sodas, so they only provide the benefit of being free of caffeine; they do not benefit from having lower sugar content.
Ginger ale
Of course, we need to add ginger ale to the list. Ginger ale is still a soda no matter how to matter it tastes, and it has the additional benefit of providing relief to people with stomach issues. Ginger ale is traditionally consumed to ease the gastrointestinal problems because ginger has natural properties that counter inflammation.
Plain carbonated water/soda water
If you want better control of what goes into your soda, we recommend trying plain carbonated water or soda water. Soda water is just fizzy water that sometimes comes with a bit of flavor. Commercial soda water comes in a variety of flavors. There are also soda machines that can create carbonated water in mere seconds. This type of device can produce all the soda you might need for the day minus the caffeine and sugar if you want.
What is Diet Ginger Ale?
Diet ginger ale refers to commercial ginger ale brands that have zero sugar and zero caffeine. While ginger ale traditionally does not contain any caffeine, it does contain sugar and other sweeteners. Diet ginger ale is the best choice for people who need to control their sugar and caffeine intake. It still has the fizz that everyone likes, but it will not contribute anything nutritional once consumed.
Is Ginger Ale Good for You?
Fortunately for us, ginger ale does have some health benefits that you may want to take a look at. If the ginger ale is low in sugar (say, half of the usual sugar content of the average soda), it can help reduce fasting blood sugar by as much as twelve percent. Long-term drinking of this beverage has also been shown to improve the long-lasting markers for blood glucose levels.
Current studies show that this translates to roughly a ten percent reduction over a twelve-week study period.
Ginger ale has also been shown to improve patients’ cardiovascular outlook by as much as 28%. One last additional benefit is it can also enhance the markers of lipoproteins by almost 25%.
Is Ginger Ale Bad for You?
Consuming too much ginger ale can also produce some untoward symptoms. Heavy drinking of ginger ale can irritate the lining of the GI tract. There are also some instances when ginger ale can cause loose bowels or diarrhea. Some ginger ale, especially the organic and unfiltered brands, can irritate the delicate lining of the mouth, which may make eating slightly painful. Hyperacidity may occur when you drink any soda in excess, which means you can end up belching more than usual. Keep in mind that heightened hyperacidity can cause an upset stomach, too.
What Does Ginger Taste Like?
Ginger ale usually has a moderate taste, a mixture of sweet and mild ginger flavor. Not all ginger ales are made with pure ginger. Sometimes the manufacturers of ginger ales only use ginger extracts or ginger flavor for their sodas. The taste will be different from brand to brand – try the top brands and come up with your take on what works for your taste.
What is the Healthiest Ginger Ale?
The healthiest ginger ale is one that doesn’t have too many carbohydrates, so it can be consumed at length without causing a blood glucose spike whenever you drink it.
Is Ginger Ale Good for Weight Loss?
Ginger ale can be useful for weight loss, as illustrated by the statistics we cited earlier. As long as you consume ginger ale in moderation, it should help with your weight loss efforts.
