Put down the soda and step away…
Posted: October 30, 2011 Filed under: Misc. Recipes and Food | Tags: Aspartame, Diet Soda, Soda, Weight gain 6 Comments »Okay, we need to talk. Are you sitting down? Do you drink soda or as we call it in the Midwest, pop? If so, please, please, please, PPLLEEAASSEE stop. Here’s why…
Soda
Leads to weight gain (big time!)
Has zero nutritional value (so, why drink it?)
Is acid forming (which causes heartburn and acid reflux)
Contributes to tooth decay and stained teeth
Can weaken bones
Leads to high blood pressure
Can cause insomnia and other sleeping disorders
Can cause higher risk of cancer
Doubles the risk of kidney disease
Promotes kidney stones
May deplete potassium
Can damage your skin
Can lead to blood sugar disorders
-I know what you’re thinking (sometimes, my psychic powers amaze me), that you don’t have to worry because you drink diet soda, right? Wrong.
Diet soda
Has the same acidic effect as regular soda
Has been found to increase the possibility of weight gain by 41%
Have artificial sweeteners that can lead to serious health issues (read below)
Aspartame may cause:
Headaches
Fatigue
Joint pain
Short-term memory loss
Dizziness
Effects on hormone production
Inability to concentrate
Depression, irritability and moodiness
Seizures
Nausea
Numbness
Trouble sleeping
Muscle spasms
Difficulty breathing
Heart irregularity
*Aspartame otherwise known as: NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful and Equal-Measure
IMPORTANT INFO: Cutting one pop (soda) daily from your diet eliminates about 250 calories. Assuming you make no other changes to your diet or exercise regimen, this will help you lose about a ½-lb. of body fat per week. Cutting out a two-pop-per-day habit will lead to a weight loss of 1 lb. per week. –LIVESTRONG.COM
STEPS TO STOP DRINKING SODA/POP
- Remove all the soda from your house. Give it to a neighbor that you don’t really like. j/k :)
- Substitute soda for water (flavored with lemon or lime juice, frozen fruit or a splash of organic apple juice) or green tea (you can even use a small amount of raw honey).
- Keep your water bottle close by so you never “feel” thirsty.
- Think about the money you will save from not buying soda.
- If you have children think about the example you will be setting for them.
Remember, I’m only telling you this because I love you. :)
Green tea and water for me…good post buddy…
The boys think I’m the mean mom because we don’t allow soda so I made Tyler read your article and he says how much do I have to drink for that to happen to me…..ONE tyler ONE…..LOL…he’s not buying it.
TOO FUNNY! Since, our kids are grown up, I don’t even know what juices are good? What do you give the boys to drink?
Den: You’ll have to share the information about your new travel tea mug.
Hi! Wondering What are your thoughts on:
-Club soda
-one diet soda a day
-coke zero which I believe is splenda
Just curious! I crave the carbonation more than anything and never thought of myself as “addicted” to diet coke (rarely more than a glass a day) till I was out of it one day…I was raging!! Scary
love your blog!!
Hi Kim! It seems that club soda/sparkling water are a healthy alternatives to soda/pop. It didn’t have any negative health benefits.
One diet soda a day probably won’t hurt you, but if I were you, I’d start substituting it for the club soda and eventually leave the diet soda for special occasions.
So, last but not least, the coke zero. It has a lower amount of Aspartame than diet soda, but they added another artificial sweetener, something called Acesulfame. I have no idea what it is but now you are getting two sweeteners instead of one. I try to stay away from any ingredients that I can’t recognize.
Thanks for the questions! I didn’t know about the coke zero sweeteners, so I learned something as well.
I’m so happy to hear you enjoy reading my blog!