I watched one video about beans on Instagram, and now my feed has bean thrown into fiber video purgatory. But I’m glad that happened because I do need to consume more fiber. Americans, on average, consume only about half of the recommended daily fiber intake of 20 to 25 grams. Thankfully, there is a growing market of prebiotic and probiotic beverages to help. Brands like Poppi and Olipop have been around for years, but Pepsi has now entered the chat with a prebiotic cola line.
It’s currently available in two flavors: Original Pepsi and Cherry Vanilla. Each can provides three grams of fiber sourced from corn soluble fiber. Three grams might not sound like a lot, and truthfully, it isn’t — but when most people are lucky to hit half their daily fiber goal, every little bit counts. Beyond the fiber, Pepsi Prebiotic Cola is low in sugar and calories, and sweetened with cane sugar and stevia rather than artificial sweeteners. Oh, there’s also 38 milligrams of caffeine.
As someone who has tried plenty of prebiotic sodas, I was genuinely curious how these would stack up against the established players, and I came away pleasantly surprised. With Poppi and Olipop, there’s a certain quality to them that subtly signals “this is a prebiotic soda.” With these colas, that’s absent. While they don’t taste exactly like classic Pepsi or regular Wild Cherry Pepsi, they do somewhat remind me of their Pepsi Zero Sugar counterparts, which I’m a fan of. Although their flavor is a tad toned down compared to the previously mentioned zero-sugar cola. Surprisingly, my tongue didn’t notice the stevia, which I suspect might’ve been masked by cane sugar.
Now, three grams of fiber is admittedly modest. Olipop, for example, packs around six to nine grams per can — hitting roughly 20 to 30 percent of your daily value — and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wish Pepsi could match that. But I’d also guess that pushing the fiber content that high might come at a cost to the taste, so it’s probably a reasonable trade-off. However, these Pepsi Prebiotic Colas do offer a price that makes Poppi and Oilpop’s prices eye-popping. I paid a little over nine dollars for an eight-pack, which works out to just over a dollar a can. That’s half the price of the previously mentioned brands.
Some of you might be saying I should get my fiber from fruit, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, and of course, those are the best options. However, I don’t see anything wrong with sneaking a little extra fiber into my day with something that tastes better than other prebiotic/probiotic colas and is also cheaper. Much like fiber videos in my Instagram feed, I have a feeling these are going to keep showing up in my life — and I’m completely fine with that.
Purchased Price: $9.19
Size: 8-pack/12 fl oz cans
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 30 calories, 0 grams of fat, 35 milligrams of sodium, 6 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 5 grams of sugar (including 5 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 38 milligrams of caffeine.