Do you drink soda pop?
Chances are you do. The average American consumes 1.6 cans of soda pop every day, for a grand total of 597 cans of soda pop per year. That’s 32 pounds of sugar–an amount that’s both impressive and frightening all at once. The soft drink industry is certainly glowing about this, BUT YOU SHOULDN’T BE.
Keep reading to learn more about why you MUST stop drinking soda pop:
Your Weight
Do you want to lose a few pounds and be healthier? Most of us do. Scientists at Harvard have narrowed in on one of the key reasons for rising obesity in western countries: soda pop. The new study finds that one-third of all carbohydrate calories in the American diet come from added sweeteners, with half of these calories coming from sweetened beverages. They point the finger of blame at the main sweetener used in soft drinks: high fructose corn syrup. It contains more calories than regular refined sugar and some studies suggest it reduces the body’s ability to process calories.
Of course, obesity is a complex issue – one must take into account diet, genetics, eating patterns, and physical activity – but it is not rocket science to figure out that if you were forced to consume an extra can of Coke per day (155 calories), with all other factors held constant, you could pack on at least 10 pounds by the end of the year. Studies have also found a connection between drinking large amounts of soda pop and consuming more calories through food. Either those taking sugared drinks lack the same restraint with food, or sugared drinks cause a rise in insulin that makes individuals hungrier, causing them to eat more.
But there is some good news: if you’re a regular soda pop drinker, and you want to lose some weight and improve your health, banishing soda pop from your diet is an easy way to start down this path. If you cut out two cans of pop per day from your diet (and maintain the same level of physical activity and eat the same number of calories), you can lose 1 pound in 12 days. Not bad at all.
Diabetes (Type 2)
Type 2 diabetes is rapidly increasing in developed countries as society becomes increasingly overweight and less active. Public health researchers label it an epidemic and believe much of the blame can be leveled at our enormous consumption of sugar. For example, an eight-year study of 50,000 nurses showed a correlation that suggests drinking one or more sugar-sweetened beverages (such as soft drinks and fruit punches) per day increases one’s risk of developing diabetes by 80% compared to those who drink less than one such drink per month. Interestingly, this finding was independent of other lifestyle factors.
What exactly is type 2 diabetes, you ask. If you have type 2 diabetes, either your body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Your body needs insulin to be able to use glucose for energy. Insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells. When the glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into the cells, two bad things happen: your cells are immediately starved for energy and, over time, high blood glucose levels damage your body. Having type 2 diabetes increases your risk for many serious complications, including heart disease, blindness, nerve damage, and kidney damage. Thankfully, watching your diet and getting regular exercise can help you manage this disease.
Your Teeth
As you already know, soda pop contains a high concentration of simple sugars. When you drink pop, the bacteria in your mouth ferment the sugars and produce acid. The problem being that acid dissolves tooth enamel; hence, soda pop is likely to increase your risk of cavities – holes or structural damage in your teeth. Moreover, a large number of soda pop drinks are acidic, with some even having a pH of 3.0 or lower. Sipping on acidic drinks over a long period of time will also erode your tooth enamel. Avoid soda pop and you can reduce your chances of a painful trip to the dentist and a mouthful of fillings.
The Environment
Planet earth needs all the help she can get these days. Perhaps you’re recycling your cans and bottles. That’s great, but you can do more. Millions upon millions of cans and bottles end up in landfills each year. If you’re still buying bottles and cans, you’re contributing to this cycle. Moreover, recycling still taxes the environment. Think about the fuel used to haul the bottles and cans around and the chemicals used during the recycling process itself.
You can do something about this: buy an eco-friendly reusable water container (and use it!). Check out these websites for options: KleanKanteen, MySigg, and EcoWaterBottle.
The other important part – and this will reap benefits for you directly – is to fill your bottle up with low sugar, low calorie beverages. Try good old-fashioned water. If water doesn’t excite you, try herbal tea (hot or iced) or water with lemon. You’ll lose weight; you’ll feel better; and you’ll be helping the environment!
Who out there has kicked the soda pop habit and wants to share how they did and how they feel now? Please suggest some healthy alternatives to soda pop for us too.
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Cutting soda pop is fine and I recommend it highly. About 30 years ago I quit drinking pop almost entirely. I drink about three cans of soda a year and I find I really don’t enjoy it even then. However a point to bear in mind when switching to water or other drinks to replace that soda is to be sure and NOT use any plastic bottles. Chemicals leaching from the plastic are now associated with breast cancer and other cancers as well as genetic changes in many other areas of the body. NEVER use plastic for acidic beverages like lemon water, lemon aid etc. The acids speed up the leaching process. Use glass or stainless steel exclusively.
I have known for some time that soda was not a very healthy drink. I still do drink diet sodas from time to time. But this article does not address the dangers to you health from DIET soda — no high fructose corn syrup, but think there are many other reasons not to drink soda. Article incomplete in my opinion.
Here’s another reason: the sugar industry employs modern day slaves! Haitians in the Dominican Republic forced to work and unable to leave! Not that all sugar comes from this source. But look it up.. our society’s relationship with sugar is sick not just at the level of individual health and obesity.
Hi All!
Jacquie, you’re absolutely right — there are many other reasons not drink soda pop, including caffeine content, concerns around bone density and carcinogens. (I just didn’t have enough room to cover them all!) And Eric makes an excellent point too on sugar industry’s exploitation of workers in developing countries.
I think the aspartame issue warrants a whole article on its own! So, keep a look out for that.
Cheers,
Michelle
These days, the desire for a quick fix is causing more and more health problems for teenagers in today’s fast paced environment.
Sadly, a favorite ‘quick fix’ for teenagers on the go, and one that they are becoming increasingly addicted to, is the dangerously heavy intake of caffeinated energy drinks.
Unfortunately, the bad news doesn’t stop there. Research has shown that kids who drink copious amounts of these energy drinks are at a risk of exhibiting unruly behaviors and increased violence levels.
So, if you have a teenage son or daughter, or yourself are consuming ridiculous amounts of these ‘quick fix’ energy drinks, let it be known that adopting a healthy lifestyle is safer option.
If energy drinks are a must for your life in the fast lane, there are healthy energy drink alternatives such as Verve! as distributed by EnergyCans.com
I think it is fine to talk about eliminating things that do not enhance your ability to move forward. Soda probably would not make my top 5 or top 20. Stupidity, Ignorance, Narrowmindedness, non-exposure, etc would be way high on my list. Nothing in moderation is bad for you; too much of anything is not going to do you much good so common sense should be the mantra for life but we buy into too much facile ideas; I can’t even call them facts.
I don’t drink an enormous amount of soda but then I don’t abuse anything to that degree either: eating, meat, pasta, exercise, work, drinking, sex, staying in church all day, etc.. Again, the right idea is to enjoy life without overindulging!
You are going to find that not only is soda bad for you because of the caffeine content, sugar, but the ratio also ways down on the sodium. Each can varies for sodium content anywhere from 5 mg to as much as 40 mg.
Even diet is not good, because aspartame like any chemical found in whatever, they are always going to find something that’s bad for you. So put the company out of business and what’s left, Ice cream in tubs (4 liters) has a known carcinogenic which is an anti-freeze derivative in it. Either way I’m sure there are a lot of chemicals in food that should be reconsidered as to what we are putting into our bodies changed.
So all in all I think some of you are missing a few centigrades here when you say that
by choice what you drink is considered ignorant, stupid,and not a healthy lifestyle. Either way it’s upto you the individual to make that choice to lead a better life, perhaps live longer than the next person because you made the right choice, they didn’t.
I quit drinking pop for like two months and it felt great then i started drinking one every once and awhile but that’s it and i feel sooo much better than when i was drinking it alot and i’ve lost some wieght now too…
Is it ok to drink sparkling water and add your own organic syrup to make a soda drink at home? Is the sparkling water bad for you? I found a delicious organic ginger beer cordial in my local Asda and add it to their very cheap sparkling water. It’s much, much nicer than a can of Jamaican ginger beer, lots more flavour and sparkle and no nasty additives, but it does contain raw sugar and I mix it with plain sparkling water. Does the water contain bad stuff? Please tell me.
im doing a paper on soda and diet is just as bad for you. possibly worse. its grossly scary.theres this stuff in diet soda (aspartame) and when you drink it, your body changes it into part Formaldahyde (ewwww!), and something else. but aspartame is 10% methanol. its sooo hard on your body. WHATEVER you do, avoid anything with aspartame, esp. sweet n low and all that stuff. soo not worth it in the long run. TRUST ME!