If you are accustomed to drinking carbonated beverages every day, you may want to know if fizzy drinks during pregnancy are safe. While they may not hurt the baby, the high sugar content and caffeine may not be the healthiest for your pregnancy. One issue is that the sugar content in fizzy drinks can replace valuable nutrients that need to get to your baby.

You may want to check with your doctor about recommendations, but this article explains some of the pros and cons of drinking soda while you are pregnant.

Can You Drink Fizzy Drinks During Pregnancy?

Many pregnant women wonder, “Is soft drinks bad for pregnant women?” Research shows that caffeinated fizzy drinks during pregnancy are safe in small doses. You should not be taking in more than 200mg of caffeine while you are pregnant. Keep in mind that each caffeinated soda has around 35 to 55 mg caffeine per 12 ounce can. This means you should only be drinking a few cans daily. You also need to take into account that some foods may have caffeine in them like chocolate, coffee, tea, and energy drinks.

A fizzy drink or two every day isn’t really a problem, but you need to remember to replace fluids lost from caffeine use and make sure you are eating enough healthy foods for a good balance.

Risks of Fizzy Drinks During Pregnancy

Caffeine

Dark colored fizzy drinks and even some light colored ones have caffeine in them. It is important to know that caffeine can cross the placenta into the baby’s bloodstream. A little caffeine won’t have any effect on the baby, but the more you take in, it can begin to affect their growth. Excess caffeine also raises the risk of having a miscarriage. It also makes your body lose more fluids and you can easily become dehydrated.

Click here to learn details about caffeine content in common foods and drinks.

Artificial Sweeteners and Additives

There are a few risks to drinking sodas that contain these during pregnancy. Risky additives include:

• NutraSweet – (Aspartame) Small amounts of this artificial may be safe. It is recommended that pregnant women drink no more than one 12 ounce can of aspartame fizzy drink daily.
• Saccharin – (Sweet and Low) Saccharin was found to cause birth defects in rats if used in large quantities. They didn’t even prove this artificial sweetener is safe even in small amounts during pregnancy, so it is recommended to steer clear.
• Sucralose – (Splenda) There is very little research on the safety of this additive.

Alternatives to Fizzy Drinks During Pregnancy

This article may leave you asking yourself, “Can I drink cold drinks during pregnancy?” The answer is yes, of course! If you crave fizzy drinks or cold drinks during pregnancy there are plenty of healthy alternative beverages that are lower in sugar, caffeine and without additives.

First and foremost, you need plenty of water while you are pregnant. Water can help relieve a lot of different pregnancy symptoms including constipation, itching skin, and tired feeling. The only issue with plain water is that it doesn’t taste very good. It is important to make sure you get your required 8 glasses of fluids daily. If that means a cold or fizzy drink or two then let’s take a look at some healthy alternatives.

1.      Lemon-Lime Fizzy Fake

If you love lemon-lime fizzy drinks, you can have them! This alternative is a version that doesn’t have any artificial flavorings or high fructose corn syrup. Take a glass of sparkling water and squeeze in a little fresh lemon juice and lime juice. You can add a little stevia herbal sweetener and stir. Make sure you only use a tiny bit of stevia as it is a very potent sweetener. Enjoy!

2.      Veggie Fizzy

If you don’t already have a juicer, now is a great time to find one. Try a juice with different combinations such as carrot/apple, tomato/carrot/apple, or celery/cucumber/pineapple. You can toss in a bit of seltzer water and you have a veggie fizzy. No need to add a sweetener if you pair up the veggies with a fruit. Plus, you get all the added vitamins that are good for you and baby. Careful not to juice too much during pregnancy, it can make you gassy from the fiber. Once daily is a good rule of thumb.

3.      Fizzy Punch

Crave fruit punch and a fizzy drink at the same time. Take cranberry juice, apple juice, and grape juice and mix together in a pitcher. Keep this punch cold in the fridge for a cold sweet drink. You can mix ½ seltzer and ½ of the fruit punch mixture for a “fizzy punch.”

4.      Fizzy Cherry Limeade

Limeade is a timeless drink that people have enjoyed for centuries. Lime, water, and sweetener can quench any level of thirst. You can make this with a twist by mixing lime juice with seltzer and stevia. Squeeze in a little cherry juice and drop the cherries all into the drink. If you don’t have fresh cherries, a dash of grenadine syrup will work too.

5.      Fruit Fizzy Water

This water gives you both whole fruit slices and a fizzy drink all in one. Pour yourself a glass of seltzer water and add in slices of the following fruits:

• Apples
• Strawberries
• Grapes
• Sliced Oranges
• Watermelon
• Cherries
• Pear
• Kiwi

You can mix a few of them together or use them individually. Be creative and you may just find a new favorite drink you can’t live without.