Okay, so, I was looking at the label on my Diet Pepsi can today, and I started wondering what’s actually in this stuff. I mean, I drink it all the time, but do I really know what I’m putting into my body?
So I grabbed a can of Diet Pepsi and flipped it over to check out the ingredients list. First thing I noticed was, of course, carbonated water. That’s a no-brainer, right? It’s gotta be fizzy. It was not caffeine free, but it was sugar free and calorie free.

- carbonated water
Then, moving on, I saw “caramel color.” That makes sense, it gives the drink its, you know, cola color. I guess that’s pretty standard for most sodas, right?
- caramel color
Next up, I spotted “phosphoric acid.” Now, I’ve heard that term before, but I wasn’t quite sure what it does. Sounds kind of intense, doesn’t it? Maybe it’s for the flavor, or to keep it fresh?
- phosphoric acid
And then, the big one, “aspartame.” I know this is the artificial sweetener that makes it “diet.” I’ve definitely heard things about aspartame, good and bad. I guess it is better than sugar.
- aspartame
My thoughts
Anyway, after looking at the ingredients, I realized that most of them are probably pretty common in a lot of the food and drinks we consume. But it’s still kind of weird to think about all these things going into something as simple as a soda. Maybe I should do some more research on some of these ingredients, just to be a little more informed.
I started looking around the internet and it looked like Diet Pepsi and Pepsi Zero Sugar are about the same when it comes to health and being sugar-free and calorie-free. It was an interesting little experiment. I will probably keep drinking Diet Pepsi, but maybe I will try to be a little more mindful about what I’m putting into my body.