How to spot zero-calorie drinks: Simple tips for diners
You visit a restaurant and order a meal, accompanied by a zero-calorie drink. After a short while, the waiter delivers your order, and you begin enjoying your meal. Suddenly, you reach for the cola and realise it isn’t what you ordered. How can you avoid this?
You've surely experienced mixed-up or incomplete orders before. Instead of sweet potatoes, you often get regular ones; the pizza arrives without sauce, and the drinks are not as requested. Today, we'll focus on the issue of drink mix-ups. It turns out that customers sometimes receive different drinks from what they have ordered. It's not just about receiving Sprite instead of Mirinda or orange juice instead of apple juice, but something entirely different. This is where the well-known Cola Zero comes into play. In a glass, it looks almost identical to the regular version, but thankfully, you can tell them apart.
Zero-calorie drinks vs sugary drinks: How to tell them apart?
An intriguing post appeared on Reddit where a user asked how to distinguish Cola Zero from regular cola:
At McDonald's, I received a sugar-free cola and assumed that "sugar-free" meant it was safe for diabetics. However, about an hour after drinking it, I noticed my eyes couldn't focus, which I believe is a symptom of excessive sugar intake. The last time I drank sugar-free cola, I didn't experience any problems. Is there a way to check whether I'm drinking diet or regular cola? Fast food employees are usually too occupied and don't have the opportunity to check, and the person handing out the order is usually not the one who filled the cup.
The user received a multitude of responses, some of which were quite interesting. One person suggested applying a thin layer of the drink to the outside of the lips. If it dries without sticking, it indicates a zero-calorie beverage. Similarly, one can dip a finger in the cola; if it feels sticky, there is sugar present. Another essential rule, and one that many forget, is simply purchasing drinks in a bottle or can. We don’t always know what's in the dispenser.
How to distinguish zero-calorie drinks without "finger dipping"?
We frequently realise we've received a sugary drink after the first sip. However, just a quick glance at the glass can be enough to differentiate the drinks. It’s simpler than many people think. The difference lies in one subtle detail: the colour of the drink.
Cola Zero, the sugar-free version, simply has a darker colour. Why does this occur? Classic Cola is more carbonated, meaning it contains more bubbles, which lowers the concentration of other ingredients. That’s why it appears lighter. Cola Zero has less air and is more concentrated, hence its darker shade. Now you know how to distinguish zero-calorie drinks from regular ones. Only very simple tricks are needed.
