People reducing sugar in breakfast drinks
If you want a fizzy drink with breakfast, compare sugars per 100ml and the amount you plan to pour. A smaller serving and a lower figure on the label answer different parts of the question.
Who is this choice for?
Tonic drinkers avoiding particular sweeteners
Tonic provides a different flavour from plain soda water. If you prefer tonic but avoid a particular sweetener, check the ingredients of the exact variety: Joybuy’s Schweppes Slimline listing, for example, names aspartame.
People with diabetes considering mixer ingredients
Check the current carbohydrate, sugar and ingredient information against your individual eating plan. Diabetes UK advises people with diabetes to speak to their healthcare team for individual advice.
What should you check?
Decide whether you want plain carbonation or tonic flavour, then compare the nutrition panel, ingredients and portion size of the varieties you are considering.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar and portion | Compare sugars per 100ml, then use the pack volume or your poured amount to work out the serving. Fentimans lists 0g sugar per 100ml for its Soda Water. | I want a sparkling breakfast drink without sugar, or I want to know how much sugar my usual serving contains. |
| ‘Light’ tonic | Read the sugar value as well as the calorie value. Joybuy lists 3.8g sugars and 15 kcal per 100ml for Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Premium Indian Tonic Water. | Tonic flavour matters to me, but I do not want to mistake a lower-calorie variety for a sugar-free one. |
| Sweeteners | Check the ingredients for the exact flavour and pack. Joybuy’s Schweppes Slimline Tonic Water listing names aspartame. | I may choose a slimline tonic, but I want to know which sweetener it contains before buying. |
| Tonic flavour | Check whether the ingredients include quinine. Joybuy lists quinine in Schweppes Slimline Tonic Water; plain soda water is a different type of mixer. | I want tonic’s bitterness—or I would rather have a plain sparkling base at breakfast. |
Common buying mistakes
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Assuming ‘light’ means zero sugar
A lower-calorie tonic can still contain sugar. Joybuy lists 3.8g sugars per 100ml for Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Premium Indian Tonic Water.
If zero sugar is your requirement, check the sugar figure on the exact pack rather than relying on its name.
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Overlooking the sweetener list
A slimline label does not tell you which sweetener a tonic uses. Joybuy’s Schweppes Slimline listing names aspartame.
Read the ingredients of the flavour and pack you intend to buy if a particular sweetener matters to you.
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Comparing packs instead of servings
Multipack counts and container sizes do not show how much sugar you will drink at breakfast.
Compare sugars per 100ml first, then calculate the amount for the portion you actually consume.
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Treating tonic and soda water as interchangeable
Tonic’s quinine-led bitterness is a different flavour choice from plain soda water.
Choose the type you want to drink, then check its nutrition and ingredient label; do not assume that two fizzy mixers have the same formulation.
Brands and mixer ranges to compare
Fever-Tree
Offers regular and Refreshingly Light Indian tonic varieties.
- Fever-Tree describes its Refreshingly Light Indian Tonic as lower in calories than its regular Indian tonic.
- The 15 x 150ml Refreshingly Light pack listed by Joybuy contains 3.8g sugars per 100ml, so it is not a zero-sugar choice.
Schweppes
Its Slimline Tonic Water is a tonic option listed in Tesco’s low-calorie mixer range.
- The Slimline variety gives tonic drinkers a distinct option to compare with standard tonic.
- Joybuy’s 12 x 150ml Slimline listing names aspartame; check the ingredients if you avoid it.
Fentimans
Makes both plain Soda Water and Premium Indian Tonic Water, which suit different flavour preferences.
- Fentimans lists 0g sugar and 0 kcal per 100ml for its Soda Water.
- Its Premium Indian Tonic Water has a different nutrition profile: Fentimans lists 4.4g sugar and 20 kcal per 100ml.
Britvic
Has described classic and zero-sugar variants of its Indian Tonic Water.
- Britvic’s September 2023 announcement distinguished the two variants in 330ml cans.
- Check the current label and listing for the specific variant you want.
Tesco
Its low-calorie mixer category includes an own-label Low Calorie Indian Tonic Water.
- Tesco’s category also lists other light tonic options for a label-by-label comparison.
- Check each individual product’s nutrition and ingredients; a category name does not establish its sugar value.
Tonic options on Joybuy
These tonic options cover a Slimline variety and two Refreshingly Light varieties. Compare their labels if you want tonic flavour with breakfast; plain soda water is a separate choice.
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Schweppes Slimline Tonic Water, 12 x 150ml
A Slimline tonic to consider if you want tonic flavour at breakfast. The listing names quinine and aspartame; check the nutrition panel and avoid this formulation if aspartame is an ingredient you do not want.
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Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Premium Indian Tonic Water, 15 x 150ml
For tonic drinkers considering a lower-calorie variety that still contains sugar. Joybuy lists 3.8g sugars and 15 kcal per 100ml for this pack; use the 150ml can size when assessing your serving.
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Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Mediterranean Tonic Water, 8 x 150ml
A Mediterranean tonic variety in 150ml cans. If you are choosing it for a particular sugar or sweetener preference, check the nutrition and ingredient information for this exact variety rather than applying figures from another Fever-Tree tonic.
Questions about breakfast mixers
Is a ‘light’ tonic sugar-free?
Not necessarily. Joybuy lists 3.8g sugars per 100ml for Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Premium Indian Tonic Water. Check the sugar value of the exact tonic you intend to drink.
What can I choose if I want a mixer without sugar?
Plain soda water is one option: Fentimans lists 0g sugar and 0 kcal per 100ml for its Soda Water. It does not offer tonic’s bitter flavour, so check the label of a tonic separately if that is what you prefer.
Do slimline tonics contain sweeteners?
Some do. Joybuy’s Schweppes Slimline Tonic Water listing names aspartame. Read the ingredients for the exact product and flavour rather than assuming all slimline tonics use the same formulation.
Is a ‘diet’ label enough when choosing a mixer with diabetes?
No. Check the current carbohydrate, sugar and ingredient information for the product. Diabetes UK advises people with diabetes to speak to their healthcare team for individual advice.