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Soda. Pop. Cola. Soft drink. Whatever you call it, it's a big part of daily life. Most restaurants have three choices if you want a free refill with your meal- soda, coffee, or water. Many fast food restaurants no longer offer ice water as a drink option. You have to pay twice as much to get bottled water, so why not go for the cheaper alternative?
Drinking soda could be your biggest barrier to losing weight. In a 12 ounce can of regular Coca Cola, you're drinking 140 useless calories and 39 grams of sugar. (Wright.)
Let's say you have two cans a day. (and let's face it, most of us drink more than 2 cans in a day. I know I do!) 280 calories, times 7 days in a week, that is 1,960 calories! A pound of fat is 3500 calories, so just by eliminating soda from your diet you prevent yourself from gaining a pound in two weeks. That may not sound like much, but over a year that adds up to 26 pounds gained just from soda alone. Plus, if you are consuming those 546 grams of sugar in a week, it definitely contributes to your risk of diabetes. Get your sugar from natural sources, such as fruits and natural juices.
You may think, "Well, I exercise so I just burn those calories anyway." Wouldn't you rather be losing weight that you have already put on, rather than fighting a constant battle to burn the excess calories you currently consume by drinking soda?
Diet sodas are no better. While they don't contain any calories or sugar, they do have their caveats. Drinking diet soda instead of regular soda won't necessarily help you lose weight, but merely not gain quite as much as you normally would. So if you have already reached your weight loss goal, an occasional can won't hurt. However, drinking soda in order to quench your thirst all the time may mean you're not drinking enough water. You should be drinking 8 glasses of water a day in order to give your body the hydration it needs.
For those of us with acid reflux, any kind of soda is a recipe for a bad day. Diet soda, or any soda for that matter, can upset the acid balance in the intestinal tract. (Frazier.) A person with acid reflux drinking too much soda can become very sick.
Also, switching to diet soda doesn't change the fact that you're doing a lot of harm to your teeth. All sodas contain acids that wear away tooth enamel, causing cavities. (Peterson.) I am not a big consumer of candy and sweets, but in high school and college I drank several cans or glasses of diet soda each day. I shouldn't have been surprised when my dentist visit revealed 6 cavities. Dental bills and dental drills should be enough to convince anyone to cut back on the soda! (Check out the Peterson link down at my sources. They have a chart listing the acid content (PH) of many different sodas- check it out to see where your favorite brand stands. My favorite is Diet Dr. Pepper and I was surprised to find out it has a PH of 3.41! Water has a neutral PH of 7.) I must mention the diet soda itself does not cause the cavities, it causes enamel breakdown- so if you're a diet soda drinker and occasionally have a regular soda or a sweet, that's where the cavities come in.
For those of us who suffer from migraines, although caffeine typically helps a migraine, it can just as easily trigger a migraine. In a list of migraine-triggering foods, two are found in diet soda- aspartame and caffeine. (Allen). Check out the Allen link in my sources- Livestrong has a list of migraine triggering foods and explains why drinking soda can contribute to migraine suffering.
Consumption of diet soda has also been linked with metabolic syndrome and loss of kidney function. (Frazier.)
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That's a lot of reasons not to drink soda! But if you're like me, you can get pretty addicted to the stuff. Quitting soda cold turkey may be very difficult. If you choose to do so, that's wonderful! I am not saying soda is a terrible thing and should be banned from everywhere. Enjoying an occasional glass isn't going to kill you, and everyone should have the freedom to make their own choices. But if you are concerned about your health, you should try to save soda as an occasional treat and enjoy healthier alternatives as often as possible. A soda every day can do a lot of damage to your body, but a soda every two weeks or every month is a more reasonable solution. Also, you'll save money at the grocery store and at restaurants. (A typical Applebee's restaurant charges around $2.00 for a soda. An ice water costs nothing! And most restaurants have lots of other great drinks now like strawberry lemonade, limeades, assorted iced teas, and even smoothies. Yum!)
Here is a great alternative to help you cut back on soda:
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In the grocery store the other day I found a fantastic deal on a particular brand of sparkling water that was on sale- Cascade Ice. They were on sale for 88 cents a bottle- much cheaper than a soda of the same size! I purchased two and decided to give it a try. I loved the Strawberry Lemonade- a sparkling water mixed with juice. It had much more flavor than any soda I'd ever had, and it was only 2 calories and 0 grams of sugar! As I am writing this I'm drinking the Wild Cherry flavored water. It's not quite as amazing as the Strawberry Lemonade, but it is VERY good and it does have a lot of flavor. However, at 198 calories and 41.8 grams of sugar in the whole bottle, it's not as healthy as the Strawberry Lemonade. ALWAYS READ YOUR LABELS! :) After doing a little research on their website, it seems they do not have the Wild Cherry flavor anymore. They seem to be focusing more on their 2 calorie, no sugar varieties. For former soda drinkers, these are your best bet as they give you the sweet taste you crave and the bubbly texture, without the guilt. Keep in mind though, varieties such as strawberry lemonade do contain a bit of citric acid, which can wear down tooth enamel if consumed too much. Try to drink regular water whenever you can.
Juices are another good alternative, but you have to be careful what you get- you may be putting useless sugars and calories into your body. The best thing you can do is buy a juicer and make juices yourself from fresh fruits and vegetables. I have tried this once with oranges- it tastes just as good as the stuff you buy out of the carton with no added sugars or chemicals. If you must buy a juice off the shelf, first look for a juice that is 100 percent juice (always read the label) and then narrow it down to the juice with the lowest sugar content. Also, try to look for juices that have some form of nutritional value that your body needs. Here are some good options:
Sunsweet Plumsmart- 100 percent juice, 3 grams of fiber, potassium. Good for digestive health. The sugar content isn't too bad for a fruit juice- 26 grams. 160 calories in an 8 ounce serving. Low in sodium at 55 mg. Nutrition Facts Plum Smart Website
V8 V Fusion Juice- The Strawberry Banana is one of my favorites, but there are many different flavors. 100 Percent juice. The strawberry banana flavor has 170 calories in 12 fl oz, 38 grams of sugar, 1 gram of protein, low in sodium at 110 mg, and is packed with Vitamin A and C, as well as containing many other essential nutrients. Keep in mind when adding up your calories, this should be considered more of a snack than a drink, as it is fairly high in calories and contains a serving of fruit and a serving of vegetables. Nutrition Facts V8 Website
Other good options:
Tropicana Pure Juices
Milk is a good option too. It does have some fat and calories and a bit of natural sugar, but it is high in calcium and vitamin D, so it's worth it. Skim milk is the healthiest option. While I like both skim and whole milk, I prefer whole most of the time so I limit it to one glass a day. A glass of milk with breakfast is a great way to start the day.
Don't forget to drink plenty of water. Water should comprise MOST of what you drink throughout the day- try to get 8 glasses a day. If you think water has a bland taste, I recommend buying jug water over tap water or bottled water. It's much cheaper than bottled water and doesn't have the small health risks of tap water. Usually I can find gallon jugs of water for around 59 cents. And when it's gone the empty jug can be recycled for multiple household uses- you can fill it with tap water and water your garden or fill pet water bowls, or cut it in half and use it as a planter, or poke holes in it and put it in your yard to use as a drip irrigation system. Or you can simply refill it with tap water if you want and refrigerate it so you always have cold water to drink. There are tons of great uses for a gallon jug.
If you keep it refrigerated and cold, and maybe add a bit of ice to it, it tastes really good, almost sweet, whereas room temperature water can be bland and warm water can make you feel like you're not quenching your thirst at all. Another good option is buying a water filter pitcher.
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There are plenty of drink options out there. Cutting back on soda is a great way to improve your overall health. It may be difficult at first, but your body will thank you.
Sources:
Wright- High Calorie Drinks and Weight Loss
Frazier- Dangers of Diet Soda
Peterson- Sodas and Dental Problems
Allen- Soda and Migraines
Other interesting articles:
Mayoclinic- Soda consumption linked to diabetes
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