RE: Taste of banana - A story written in five minutes
Would it be an option for you to switch to (black) coffee as an alternative for the caffeine you speak of?
Or, depending on whether or not this habit is obstructing your weight related goals, could you swap some (or all) soda for diet soda instead?
Or, best of all, would it be possible to get plain carbonated water, or maybe flavored carbonated water as a replacement? For me, personally, I love black coffee for the caffeine, and carbonated water (sometimes flavored) for the bubbly mouthfeel.
Pardon me for asking another question here; do you sip your soda or down it in one go?
Chances are you could have just formed a habit of having a glass near you and will take a sip every now and then, regardless of what is inside. Try changing that for a better alternative.
I can do both; sometimes I sip, other times I drink it more rapidly. It usually depends how thirsty I actually am. Coffee is something I've considered, I just haven't acquired a taste for it yet. Try as I might, I can't drink more than half a cup. I actually can't stand diet soda either, it just tastes weird to me. I also drink some non-carbonated caffeine filled drinks, but those also have sugar, and I just can't get into the habit of drinking anything that has caffeine but no sugar.
Part of it definitely is an unconscious habit, though. I'm fully aware that I sometimes just drink whatever I have with me without really tasting it.