Choose a no-added-sugar mixer when you want a flavoured drink alongside food, not as a replacement for a snack you need before exercise. University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust advises that exercise snacks include carbohydrate and protein; check the drink’s sugars, sweeteners and warnings separately.
The first decision is whether you want a drink for flavour or food before exercise.
A no-added-sugar lemonade or zero-sugar tonic can accompany a snack. Read both the ingredients and nutrition panel: the label on the front does not tell you which sweetener is used or whether any sugars remain.
If you have gone a long time without eating and want food before training, choose the snack independently of your drink. University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust advises that exercise snacks include carbohydrate and protein, with minimal fat.
Schweppes Slimline Tonic Water contains aspartame and carries a warning that it contains a source of phenylalanine. If either matters to you, check the exact pack rather than assuming all slimline tonics have the same ingredients.
Decide what the drink is for, then compare labels for the flavour and ingredients you want.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Drink or snack | Decide whether you want flavoured refreshment or food before exercise. A drink labelled zero sugar is not a carbohydrate-and-protein snack. | If I need something to eat after a long gap without food, I will choose a snack and treat the mixer as an optional drink. |
| Sugars and labels | Compare sugars per 100 ml and for the amount you intend to drink. Check the ingredients as well as claims such as “no added sugar” or “light”. | I want to limit sugars in my drink without assuming that no added sugar means zero sugars. A “light” tonic may not meet my no-added-sugar preference. |
| Sweeteners and warnings | Read the sweetener names and any warning on the exact pack. Schweppes Slimline Tonic Water contains aspartame and carries a phenylalanine warning. | If I avoid a particular ingredient, the sweetener matters as much as the sugar figure on the nutrition panel. |
| Flavour | Choose between tonic’s bitter profile and a lemonade-style citrus drink. Check each product’s ingredients rather than assuming drinks in the same category use the same formula. | I would rather pick a flavour I want to drink, provided its ingredients meet my requirements. |
Choosing a drink for its lack of sugar does not make it a snack containing carbohydrate and protein.
If you need food before exercise, choose a snack for that purpose and decide separately whether you want a mixer with it.
Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Indian Tonic lists fructose, while Fentimans Naturally Light Tonic lists sugar. A lighter version of a tonic does not necessarily meet a strict no-added-sugar requirement.
Check the ingredient list and nutrition panel rather than relying on “light” in the product name.
Sweetener choice and warning statements may change whether a drink suits you. Schweppes Slimline Tonic Water, for example, contains aspartame and carries a phenylalanine warning.
Read the ingredients and warnings on the exact product you plan to buy.
A previous product listing may not describe the pack you receive, which matters when you are checking particular ingredients.
Use the current pack label for your final ingredient and nutrition check.
These examples distinguish labelled no-added-sugar drinks from tonics described as light; a brand name alone does not establish the ingredients of every product it sells.
Slimline Tonic Water is a tonic option for someone seeking a drink with no listed sugars.
Tesco No Added Sugar Cloudy Lemonade offers a citrus alternative to tonic.
Its labelled no-added-sugar citrus drinks include Diet Lemon & Lime and Cloudy Lemonade.
Refreshingly Light Indian Tonic is an option to consider for its tonic flavour, not for a strict no-added-sugar requirement.
Naturally Light Tonic Water is another tonic to assess by its ingredients rather than its name.
Britvic announced a zero-sugar Indian Tonic can in September 2023.
These options are a slimline tonic and a citrus-flavoured zero-sugar drink for anyone choosing a mixer alongside food, rather than food for pre-exercise fuel.
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For tonic flavour alongside a snack, this pack contains 150 ml cans. The drink contains aspartame and carries a warning that it contains a source of phenylalanine; choose food separately if you need a carbohydrate-and-protein snack.
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For a lemon-and-lime drink alongside food, this option comes in 330 ml cans. It contains aspartame and acesulfame K and carries a phenylalanine warning. Confirm the number of cans before buying, as the product information gives conflicting pack counts.
Not when you need food before exercise. University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust advises that exercise snacks include carbohydrate and protein; choose the snack for that purpose and the mixer as an optional drink.
No. “No added sugar” and “zero sugars” are different claims. Check sugars on the nutrition panel for the exact drink and the amount you plan to have.
Not necessarily. Fever-Tree lists fructose in Refreshingly Light Indian Tonic, and Fentimans lists sugar in Naturally Light Tonic Water. If avoiding added sugar is your deciding requirement, check the ingredients rather than relying on “light”.
Read the ingredients and warning statement on the exact pack. Schweppes Slimline Tonic Water contains aspartame and carries a warning that it contains a source of phenylalanine; do not assume another tonic or citrus drink uses the same sweetener.