People giving up soda for health reasons don't necessarily have to sacrifice the bubbles.

"People love the idea of a carbonated beverage, but they don't want all the sweeteners," said Zegler. She said more companies have been focusing on sparkling water this year, offering up new flavors and packaging.

For example, La Croix recently introduced NiCola in the Chicago market, which it describes as cola-tasting sparkling water with no calories, sodium or sweeteners.