Are you ready to break up with sodas?

Photo by Food Photographer phototastyfood.ru on Unsplash

What’s soda doing to you?

Would you say that sodas have been part of your life forever?  Any habit can be challenging to give up, but but a soda habit is especially hard to kick, given its addictive nature.

Most of us know that a sugary drink like soda isn’t the ideal beverage. However, research shows that getting sugar in liquid form is much more damaging to the body–and the mind–than getting it from solid food.

That rush of sugar, consistently consumed, can lead to all sorts of inflammation, as well as insulin resistance, diabetes, belly and visceral fat, weight gain, fatty liver, increased risk of heart disease, cancer, dental problems, gout, and dementia.

Soda’s far-reaching health-related effects

Imagine that 15% of the calories we take in come from sweetened beverages! Sixty percent of children and 50% of the U.S. population drink soda once a day, according to a study published in the journal Obesity in 2017. And one can of soda a day increases a kid’s chance of obesity by 60%.

For us women who try to do the right thing by drinking diet sodas, we actually end up drinking twice as much as people who drink regular sugar-sweetened sodas.  Artificial sweeteners are more addictive than regular sugar and tend to make us gain weight easier.

The gallery of sugary rogues

The American Heart Association (AHA) has highlighted the dangers of over-consuming these and many other high-sugar foods:

• Regular soft drinks,
• sweetened tea and coffee,
• cakes,
• cookies,
• pies,
• candy,
• ice cream, and
• other sweet desserts.

Of these items, regular soft drinks contribute the highest percentage (33%) of total added sugar in the diets of Americans.   

Consider these two culprits: 

• One serving of Coca Cola, which is about 12 ounces, contains 39 grams of sugar.  For women, the maximum daily intake of added sugars should be around 24 grams.
• One serving of Crystal Pepsi contains a whopping 69 grams of sugar.

So, what are your options?

I know what the soda struggle is like.  I was a Coca Cola addict, and it took me a good while to wean myself from it and to choose healthier alternatives. So, if giving up soda has been on your mind, I recommend a slow and steady approach.  If you’re worried about caffeine withdrawal headaches, for example, baby steps will get you to your destination easier than going cold turkey.

The key is to integrate tasty replacements for your soda habit.  Here are a few alternatives to consider as you make that switch.

Fruit-infused water

If you crave something sweet, add fresh fruit to your water. You’ll stay hydrated, and it will taste sweet and refreshing. Plus, you get bonus vitamins from the fruit. Some of my favorite infused water recipes include berries and lime, strawberry and basil, watermelon and lime, and orange.

You can also try Hint fruit-flavored water, which has no artificial sweeteners and comes in still, sparkling, and caffeinated versions.

Or you can try Vitamin C water with powdered Vitamin C; lemon water; and water spiked with apple cider vinegar, stevia, and baking soda.

Flavored sparkling water

La Croix sparkling water, or one of the many other available brands, can be lifesavers when you’re craving a fizzy soda. It may take some time to get used to them as you switch from soda, but find a flavor you enjoy and stick with it until you develop a taste for it.  Once you do, you’ll wonder how you drank those sugary, syrupy sodas!

Black coffee

Coffee is best in moderation and without adding anything to it, but you can work your way to that point if you’re not there yet. Coffee is an excellent pinch-hitter to avoid caffeine withdrawals from soda, so sip on a cup a day to keep the headaches at bay.  After a week or two, you could decrease your consumption to 1/2 a cup of coffee and work your way down to no caffeine.

Unsweetened iced tea

There’s nothing like iced tea on a hot day. If you’re from the south, though, you may be looking at me sideways when I mention drinking it unsweetened. Unsweetened tea has fewer sugar additives than soda, so add a tiny bit of stevia to sweeten it up without going into sugar overload.

Herbal tea

Herbal teas, served hot or cold, can really perk up your taste buds while providing great health benefits. Green tea, chamomile, chai, and peppermint taste great and will keep you from consuming excess sugar.

I promise you’ll feel so much better once you start eliminating soda. Try some of these alternatives and you’ll wonder what took you so long to ditch the soda habit!