Mountain Dew

Breakdown

Ultra-processed · 5 ingredients to avoid

Mountain Dew scores 5/100 on Tallow — our avoid band. That number comes from what is on the label: the ingredients, how processed it is, and what it is packaged in. It is not a verdict on your diet — Tallow does not weigh calories, portion size or how often you eat it, so a high score means the ingredients are clean, not that the food is unlimited.

Mountain Dew lists 13 ingredients, starting with Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Concentrated Orange Juice, Citric Acid and Natural Flavor. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, so the first few make up most of what you are eating.

At 5/100 Mountain Dew scores worse than most soda & soft drinks we have scored. A higher-scoring option in soda & soft drinks is Kvas Taras Khlibnyi Bread Kvas at 95/100.