I’ve always had a packed lunch. Growing up, my sister and I were appalled by the idea of hot lunch. I am not exactly sure what originally fueled our hatred for such a common thing, but nonetheless, our mom graciously took it upon herself to pack our lunches from a very young age. 

However, despite the fact that she does her absolute best to come up with new things to put in my lunch that will make me more inclined to actually sit down and eat it, for some reason, school lunch, hot or packed, has just never been my thing. 

But, one fail-proof method that always makes me excited to eat my lunch is a fun drink to wash down my meal. If you were to open up my Vera Bradley lunch box on any given day, you would most likely be met with a yellow gatorade, a LaCroix, or some combination of an energy drink or vitamin water. 

The number-one drink that I prefer to have is from a brand called Olipop. Olipop is a prebiotic soda that has similarly flavored products to common sodas such as Rootbeer or Coca-Cola, but it claims to be a healthier alternative. 

I have tried the root beer flavor, and although it does resemble the original soda flavor, my personal favorite one to drink is strawberry vanilla. Aside from the fact that the packaging is absolutely adorable, the taste itself is very sweet yet refreshing. 

However, when the store is out of my favorite Olipop flavors, my next favorite drink to get is kombucha. Kombucha is definitely an acquired taste. It tends to be very strong, and if you don’t like carbonation, it’s definitely not for you. 

My favorite flavor is golden pineapple from the brand Synergy. This specific flavor is on the sweet side and doesn’t have as much of the apple cider vinegar taste that people dislike in many kombucha flavors. 

The second best brand that offers the biggest variety of flavor options is Kevita. When it comes to the Kevita brand, my favorite flavor is lemon ginger. 

Although I personally love carbonated drinks, I understand they aren’t for everyone. If that’s the case for you, I highly recommend the brand Vitamin Water. Vitamin Water has a large variety of flavors, but by far the best one is strawberry lemonade, quickly followed by watermelon. 

The best part about this drink is that most of the time, it’s actually sold in our school cafeteria. However, I do think I should note that the blueberry lavender flavor is horrible. I got it one time to substitute my regular strawberry lemonade. I made the mistake of being enticed by the promise of lavender in my drink. However, it left such a horrible aftertaste in my mouth that I could hardly finish it, and I haven’t purchased it since. 

Aside from that specific flavor, I still love receiving a drink with my lunch, so whether you get a hot lunch or pack your own, maybe consider trying one of these options next time you need to spice up your lunchtime experience.