Fascinating reason Utah is capital of 'dirty soda' trend where regular fizzy drinks are jazzed-up

The 'dirty soda' trend in Utah has shown no signs of slowing down, thanks in part to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

The Beehive State is the home of over 100 soda shops and one of the largest LDS populations in the US.

The LDS Church health law called the Word of Wisdom requires members to abstain from 'hot drinks' and 'strong drinks,' but they're allowed to drink caffeinated sodas.  

Dirty soda is made up of regular soda with flavored syrups, juices, or fruit purees.

None of these ingredients break the LDS Church health guidelines, and celebrities like Olivia Rodrigo and Lindsay Lohan have praised 'dirty sodas'. 

The 'dirty soda' trend became popular in shops around 2010, according to Utah Tourism.

Swig, Fiiz, Quench It, and Sodalicious are just some of the chains that currently sell dirty soda.

Besides Utah, several soda shops are located in California, Idaho, and Arizona - three of the top four states in LDS Church population, according to its website.

Dirty sodas generally are non-alcoholic drinks, as booze is forbidden according to LDS Church guidelines.

'The Church's health guidelines prohibit alcoholic drinks, smoking or chewing of tobacco, and "hot drinks" - taught by Church leaders to refer specifically to tea and coffee,' an article from the church newsroom read.

Despite its popularity, some medical professionals have explained why dirty soda is unhealthy to drink.

'It is high in refined sugars and calories and does not provide any additional nutrients of benefit,' nutritionist Kristine Dilley told Yahoo Life this month.

'Per the Swig menu, diet soda is an option in some drinks, which would eliminate the calories and sugar of regular soda, but would include non-nutritive sweeteners.'

Stars from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives understand the health issues, but it's a beverage they plan to never stop drinking.

'Six out of the seven days of the week, I'm having at least one 44-ounce soda,' The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Layla Taylor said during an episode.

'I'm probably only going to live to like 50, but it makes me happy.'

Taylor's co-star, Demi Engemann, revealed that she and the fellow Mormon wives' love for soda is partially because of the Word of Wisdom.

'We don't drink alcohol or do drugs... So [soda] is kind of our vice,' Engemann said on the show.

Rodrigo is also credited to be one of the celebrities who helped make the 'dirty soda' trend popular, according to PEOPLE.

Once Swig's 2021 Instagram photo of Rodrigo went viral, the hashtag #dirtysoda was used in over 700,000 TikTok videos, according to Eater.  

Swig currently has several hundred stores in the US, and some of its future stores will be built in Kentucky, Florida, Georgia, and Indiana.

Fiiz has also gone nationwide, with some locations being in Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Ohio, and North Carolina.

TikTok users who aren't able to visit a soda shop can watch videos on the social media platform showing influencers explaining their homemade dirty soda recipes.