At the grocery store today, I saw the ever-present mountains of soda. This time of year, they are covered in halloween decorations, but usually they encourage you to throw a football party or celebrate March Madness. The pile that caught my eye consisted of Pepsi products which, I will admit, I enjoy from time to time. Today there was a new box – a retro looking beverage called Pepsi-Cola Throwback. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read the fine print: the cool thing about Throwback is that it is made with natural sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup!

Controversy surrounds high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). There is evidence that suggests HFCS causes health problems, and evidence that suggests that it isn’t any worse for you than sugar – depends who funds the studies, I think. I’m not going to enter that debate, but I think most people can agree that the more natural the product is, the better we feel about consuming it and giving it to our kids. If we’re going to eat sweet things, sugar seems like the best, most time-tested choice. Between the two varieties of Pepsi, caloric content is the same but the real sugar variety has 1 less mg of carbohydrates and has 10 mg more sodium. But let’s focus on what’s really important- how does it taste?

In a very informal blind taste test, my husband was quick to spot the real sugar in the Throwback. Really, they are quite easy to tell apart- the Pepsi containing HFCS is much sweeter, but not in a good way. The Throwback was plenty sweet, but the sugar had a more subtle taste which allowed other flavors to come through. I didn’t remember soda having other flavors, so it was a pleasant surprise. Pepsi Throwback tastes great! The flavor is less harsh and much more enjoyable, and if you’re in the mood to drink a soda this is the one you want!

I hope Pepsi Throwback is a sign of a trend to produce more natural products, which as a mom I’m all for. While we all need to be responsible consumers and watch our sugar intake overall (sorry, Pepsi still isn’t a health food), I support their efforts. I’ll probably buy another case or two, and maybe have that football party after all.