The new viral drink, Pilk, which blends Pepsi and milk, is sweeping the nation this holiday season. The beverage, also called “dirty soda,” is actually a time-honored tradition among Mormon communities who abstain from alcohol and hot beverages. According to Healthline, the hashtag #dirtysoda now has 115 million views on TikTok.

There is no doubt that Pilk is trending, but is it good for you? That depends, say experts, on the type of milk you use and the ratio of Pepsi to milk. For example, a 12 oz. can of Pepsi contains 150 calories and 41 grams of added sugar. Milk has 146 calories and 12 grams of sugar. Together the drink has 296 calories and 53 grams of sugar, says Blanca Garcia, a registered dietitian.

“The amount of calories is equivalent to a snack without providing a significant source of nutrients from the soda itself,” Garcia says. The good news is that one cup of cow’s milk has 8 grams of protein and 28% of your daily calcium needs.

The bad news is that the drink contains far too much sugar. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 recommends that people over the age of 2 keep their intake of added sugars to less than 10% of their total daily calories.

That means if a person consumes 2,000 calories a day, they should limit their intake of sugar to 200 calories from added sugar, which is about 12 teaspoons or 50 grams, says Healthline. A glass of Pilk puts your intake at 41 grams. Several studies have linked sugary beverage consumption with higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease and the increased risk of all-cause mortality.

Maddie Pasquariello, a registered dietitian from Brooklyn, believes that the Pilk trend will soon fizzle out.

“While there’s nothing inherently bad or wrong about consuming soda or dairy, there’s no strong reason to be consuming either one,” she says. “When it comes to soda especially, the scientific community agrees that the higher one’s consumption of soda — and even diet soda — the higher one’s risk for a variety of chronic diseases, as well as obesity.”

However, for now, the Pilk trend is peaking.  Pepsi execs enlisted actress Lindsay Lohan to be the Pilk pitch person this season in a new advertisement to tout the beverage. Dirty soda first appeared on the beverage scene in 2010 in the heavily Mormon-populated state of Utah giving rise to chains such as Swig and Sodalicious, says Bon Appetit. Pilk, the reinvented dirty soda, resurfaced in 2020 through social media and now, with the help of Lohan, has been firmly ensconced in the beverage hall of fame.