Is Pilk, a Pepsi-Milk Mixture, a Healthy Drink?
Pepsi’s holiday commercial this year has been stirring up a little controversy, literally: The spot on Instagram, which features Lindsay Lohan, shows Santa mixing his traditional milk with soda, a concoction dubbed “pilk, for Pepsi-milk.” This naturally got people curious about the drink, which is now trending on TikTok and other social media, where it’s racking up millions of views as influencers worldwide try it. So, is the combo any good, and is it good for you? Everyday Health’s staff registered dietitian-nutritionist examines the trend (and comes up with a truly healthy holiday drink).
What Is Pilk?
Although the commercial and social media buzz made it trendy, combining soda and dairy beverages is nothing new. After all, the first ice cream float is reported to have been invented in Philadelphia in 1876, according to a journal article, and drinks like the Black Cow (ice cream and root beer) have been documented in historic cookbooks as early as 1917, notes FoodTimeline.org.
Those drinks could easily have evolved into a simple combination of Coke or Pepsi and milk, sometimes called “dirty soda.” Many trace the first public mention of Pilk (then called “Pepsi milk”) back to the beloved television show Laverne and Shirley, which aired from 1976 to 1983. Rumor has it that actress Penny Marshall, who played Laverne Di Fazio on the show, loved Pepsi milk so much that she worked it into the show so that she could also enjoy it onscreen.
Pilk also isn’t a uniquely American phenomenon. As Bon Appetit points out, many cultures have their own versions of soda and dairy combinations. Korea even has a canned version, per Lotte.
What Are the Nutrition Facts of Pilk?
Pilk is generally made by combining equal amounts of Pepsi and whole milk. While this combo may sound strange at first, many who have tried it describe it as similar in flavor to an ice cream float. While there’s no exact recipe for Pilk, if you were to combine ¾ cup each of whole milk and Pepsi, this one 12-ounce beverage would set you back about 187 calories, 6 grams (g) fat (3.4 g of that from saturated fat), 29.5 g sugar (20.7 g of that from added sugar), 207 milligrams calcium (making it a good source), and 0.2 micrograms of vitamin D. For comparison, the same 12-ounce serving of cola contains 156 calories, 1 g fat, 37 g sugar (all of them added), and no calcium or vitamin D, per the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Is Pilk Healthier Than Soda?
Mixing milk with soda certainly makes it a better choice than soda alone, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s good for you. Milk adds nutrients you won’t get from soda, including protein and vitamin D, and is an excellent source of calcium, and phosphorus, according to the USDA. It has also been shown to be more satiating, likely due to the protein, so may actually help you feel full and avoid spiking your blood sugar, according to past research.
Unfortunately, whole milk contains about 4.6 g of saturated fat per cup. The American Heart Association (AHA) has identified saturated fat as a nutrient of concern for heart health because it can increase “bad” LDL cholesterol levels which, in turn, increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. As a result, the AHA recommends limiting intake to no more than 5 to 6 percent of your daily calories. For example, in a 2,000-calorie diet, that works out to a limit of about 13 g of saturated fat per day. In other words, 1 cup of whole milk will put you well on your way toward your daily saturated fat limit.
Research also shows that diets high in added sugar, per Harvard Health, and high in saturated fat, per MedlinePlus, are directly linked to an increased risk of heart disease — and pilk has both. While fat has been vilified for years, it turns out that sugar may actually be worse for heart health than even saturated fat, despite studies to the contrary (many of which were funded by Coca-Cola, according to an article in The New York Times). To make matters worse, some research suggests that a diet high in sugar and saturated fat may increase risk of depression.
That’s not all. Other research has linked frequent soda consumption with tooth decay and enamel erosion. Adding milk to your soda may decrease this effect, but research on the effect this pairing may have on dental health is lacking, so proceed with caution.
You can make pilk slightly healthier by making it with skim (aka nonfat) or lowfat (1 percent) milk to cut down on the saturated fat, but it should still be only an occasional treat. Similarly, using diet soda in place of a regular variety will cut back on calories, but will add artificial sweeteners to your glass. While this is a personal choice, artificial sweeteners should be consumed in moderation, as recommended by Mayo Clinic. Additionally, a study published in September 2022 in The BMJ found that regularly eating artificial sweeteners may put you at risk for heart disease.
A Healthier Fizzy Dairy Drink Recipe
While pilk may not be the best drink to toast the holidays with, you can still enjoy a creamy, fizzy, sweet treat and stay on track with your health goals. An egg cream is a classic beverage you’re likely to find at an old-fashioned soda shop. In contrast to a mixture of cola and milk, an egg cream is made with unflavored seltzer water, milk, and a small amount of chocolate syrup. To make the recipe even healthier, we’ve made the chocolate syrup and used lowfat milk. The result is something we’re sure even Santa would approve.
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