‘Healthy Coke’ Trend Taking Over TikTok (We’d Rather Switch to Pepsi, Thanks)

Photo: Catherine Falls Commercial (Getty Images)

‘Healthy Coke’ seems like an oxymoron on par with jumbo shrimp, civil war, and freezer burn. The idea that Coke (even Diet Coke) could be healthy seems laughable to us. Still, ‘healthy Coke’ is one of the most popular recent TikTok drink trends. But what exactly is healthy Coke, what makes it healthy, and does it even resemble actual Coke? Most importantly, is it something we’d ever want to drink? Probably not, but let’s still take a closer look.

It all started back in early June when a TikToker named Amanda Jones revealed that she figured out a “healthy” alternative to cola. You might be surprised by the ingredients, though. It consists simply of seltzer water and balsamic vinegar. Specifically guava-flavored La Croix.

Her recipe was so popular it’s been viewed over 7 million times and has led to countless articles and a new TikTok trend. Of course, everyone had to try it and show off whether or not it was palatable.

Now, we’re not going to try it because we already know a combination of balsamic vinegar and seltzer water is going to taste like fizzy, slightly sweet vinegar and definitely not Coke. But some doctors have chimed in and noted that (to some degree) “healthy coke” actually is fairly healthy.

If you don’t mind drinking a beverage that likely tastes nothing like cola, you can rest easy knowing you’re not ingesting all the sugar, chemicals, and random preservatives in real Coke. Also, according to doctors, ingesting balsamic vinegar might actually be good for you. It helps to lower blood sugar as well as other health benefits.

The downfall is that its acidity and the carbonation might be as bad if not worse than regular Coke on your teeth. Over time, it can weaken enamel and lead to tooth breakage and cavities. Yet another reason why we’d rather just drink regular seltzer instead…or switch to Pepsi (and we never thought we’d say that).