Soda’s not good for you. Period. We know it, you know it. The dentist definitely knows. But that doesn’t mean you can’t crack open a cold can of orange fizz every other afternoon. Even with sparkling water on every shelf and sugar taxes in half the cities, Americans still drink over 38 gallons of soda a year. So clearly, we’re all committed to this terrible decision.
If you’re going to drink one, you might as well know what you’re getting into. Some sodas are basically sugar with a side of caramel coloring. Others are more like battery acid with a cherry twist.
To that end, here are 12 of the unhealthiest sodas still on the shelves, ranked from “this will melt your teeth” to “this will melt your teeth slightly less.”
1. Nitro Pepsi Draft Cola
62g sugar | 230 calories | 140 mg sodium
The worst offender on the list, Nitro Pepsi, sounds like it belongs in a monster truck rally. It’s infused with nitrogen for a “creamy” mouthfeel, but one can deliver 124% of the FDA’s daily added sugar limit of 50 grams—or a whopping 248% if you follow the American Heart Association’s stricter 25-gram recommendation for women. To put that sugar content in perspective, your nitrogen-infused experience comes at the cost of cramming 15 teaspoons of sugar into one can, which is absolutely bonkers.
Bonus fact: The Center for Science in the Public Interest confirms that Nitro Pepsi packs about 32% more sugar per ounce than regular Pepsi because it comes in larger 13.65-oz cans (not standard 12-oz) and is more concentrated with high-fructose corn syrup.
2. Mountain Dew Code Red
46g sugar | 170 calories | 105 mg sodium | 54 mg caffeine per 12 fl oz
Red dye, caffeine, and enough sugar to make your pancreas cry, perhaps. Code Red takes everything problematic about soda and cranks it up a notch. And if you’re already drinking coffee in the morning (which can easily contain 95-200 mg+ per cup), piling this on top means you’re dancing on the edge of caffeine overload.
3. Welch’s Grape Soda
51g sugar | 190 calories
Although it contains ‘real grape juice’ in the form of grape juice concentrate, this minor ingredient doesn’t make the beverage healthy in any way. Welch’s Grape Soda is basically liquid candy with just enough fruit to legally say it has fruit. You’ll probably need about 20 minutes of moderate jogging to burn off just one can.
4. Mountain Dew Live Wire Orange
46g sugar | 180 calories
This orange-flavored sugar bomb is often described as tasting “like orange Gatorade’s hyperactive cousin.” It’s got the same sugar load and caffeine content as Code Red (54 mg per 12 oz), but delivers its sugar rush with a distinctly artificial orange flavor that’s somehow both familiar and unsettling.
5. Nehi Orange Soda
50g sugar | 190 calories
An old-school Southern favorite with a big nostalgic following, Nehi Orange might bring back memories, but it also brings a hefty dose of sugar and calories. One can of this soda could max out your entire daily sugar budget in about 30 seconds.
Worth noting: The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that most men consume no more than 36 grams (9 teaspoons) of added sugar per day and women consume no more than 25 grams (6 teaspoons).
6. Mountain Dew Voltage
46g sugar | 170 calories | 55 mg caffeine
Blue raspberry flavoring, a splash of citrus, and a side of ginseng. It sounds fun until you realize it delivers 11 teaspoons of sugar and nearly as much caffeine as an espresso (a single espresso shot has about 63 mg of caffeine on average, compared to Voltage’s 55 mg). Also, your dentist will not be impressed.
7. Sunkist Orange Soda
44g sugar | 160 calories | red 40 & yellow 6 dyes
Artificial coloring and syrupy sweetness aside, some research suggests potential behavioral effects in sensitive kids. Sunkist is one of those sodas that tastes like childhood nostalgia, but packs nearly a full day’s worth of added sugar into a single can.
While studies have shown mixed results on whether artificial dyes like Red 40 and Yellow 6 might worsen hyperactivity in some children (particularly those already prone to ADHD symptoms), the real villain here is the sugar bomb. At 44 grams per 12-oz can, you get 87% of your daily recommended added sugar intake in one sitting.
8. Stewart’s Orange N’ Cream
45g sugar | 180 calories | 80 mg sodium
Stewart’s has a cult following for its classic glass bottles and old-school cream soda flavors. But under the vintage branding, it hides a sugar count that rivals some smaller or lower-sugar milkshakes (and that’s saying something since we all know how notoriously sugary milkshakes can be). Tasty? Absolutely. Healthy? Not so much.
9. Mountain Dew (Original)
46g sugar | 170 calories | 54 mg caffeine
The one that started it all. Mountain Dew remains a favorite among soda lovers and gamers alike, but it’s also one of the highest in both caffeine and sugar. Two cans, and you’ve essentially had dessert and a large coffee.
Worth noting: Mountain Dew contains 92% of the daily recommended sugar intake in just one 12-oz can, making it one of the more sugar-dense beverages on the market.
10. Pibb Xtra
39g sugar | 140 calories | contains polyethylene glycol
It looks like a Coke clone but comes with an unusual extra: polyethylene glycol. While this ingredient is famously used in laxatives like Miralax, it is approved by the FDA for use in food products, typically in very small quantities, where it can act as a solvent or stabilizer. Still, finding a laxative ingredient in your soda is certainly… noteworthy.
The real concern here, though, is the sugar content, which exceeds the American Heart Association’s recommended daily limit for added sugars in a single serving.
11. Dr Pepper
41g sugar | 150 calories | caramel coloring
Beloved for its 23 mysterious flavors, Dr Pepper delivers 40 grams of sugar—that’s equivalent to eating about eight sugar cubes worth of sweetness in liquid form. Those enigmatic flavors (rumored to include everything from cherry to licorice) mask what’s essentially a sugar delivery system, with some caramel coloring thrown in for good measure. Your dentist definitely knows what those 23 flavors really are: expensive.
12. Sprite / 7Up (tied)
39g sugar | 140 calories
They’re both loaded with high-fructose corn syrup, but here’s where they split: 7Up Original actually contains no artificial coloring, while Sprite contains caramel color (which is an artificial dye). So if you’re trying to avoid artificial colors, 7Up wins this round. Either way, you’re still chugging the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of sugar – but at least with 7Up, it’s clear sugar without the added colorants.