We all know the short term effects that soda has on our bodies- the sugar rush, the caffeine rush, the sugar crash followed a little bit later by the caffeine crash. It’s a vicious cycle that we put our bodies through. But what about the bone loss, the tooth decay, and kidney stones among other things?
One can of soda contains approximately 10 tsp. of sugar, a 20 0z soda has around 17 tsp. and a 2 liter has about 27-28 tsp. Wow! Do you realize that you aren’t supposed to consume more than 10 tsp. of sugar a day? I know what you are thinking- I’ll just have diet- WRONG! Diet soda contains artificial sweeteners that cause you to crave other sweets (not including that it can still cause other medical problems we will be discussing here in a minute). Do you know what sugar does? Especially when mixed with acid? It causes tooth decay and can even help move along gum disease. So now your teeth are rotting out and you have crashed from a sugar high and now you are miserable emotionally.
Oh, how does soda affect your moods? Well, we know that soda contains caffeine (except for caffeine free soda, which still isn’t good). And we all know that caffeine is a stimulate, which means it gives you a feeling of having energy but then you crash and you feel tired which can make you cranky and feel depressed. So what do you do? You naturally reach for that second soda and repeat the cycle. Hmmmm…. Does this sound familiar? Isn’t this how addiction works? Caffeine can also affect your sleep cycle. Ever wonder why you are so tired after tossing and turning all night but can’t figure out why you can’t sleep? Put the caffeine down, especially in the late afternoon and evening and see how that works for you.
So now you wonder how soda makes your bones weaker? Well, we have to look at what it contains- phosphoric acid. It takes calcium from the bones and even keeps your body from absorbing new calcium that you take in which results in bone loss and eventually osteoporosis. This also affects the kidneys. When the body is being stimulated by caffeine to urinate often and that urine contains large amounts of calcium, you can get kidney stones. Kidney stones are basically calcium deposits that have to pass through your kidneys and can be very painful to eliminate from your body.
What about the dyes in soda? The yellow number 5 dye that is found in a variety of sodas has been linked to several issues such as ADHD, asthma and allergies. Do you really want to have something in your diet that can cause your allergies to get worse (especially with Spring around the corner and all the other allergens out there)?
And last- soda makes you fat! Yes, I’m not going to be politically correct and call it obese, because no matter how you look at it, it isn’t pretty. There is nothing good that comes from soda, especially the extra fat it adds to the body- and I am not talking about on the outside. Fat can form around your organs and in your liver- and soda can add to that! It’s not healthy to have fat around and in organs! And we all know most women hate having it on the rest of their bodies! This can cause a variety of health issues all on its own anyway- we are talking heart, respiratory, metabolism problems… the list can go on.
I hope that this helps you see how important it is to put the soda down for good and choose healthier alternatives such as water and 100% fruit juices (in moderation). Every time you take a sip, think about what it is doing to your body and ask yourself if this is really the way you want to feel?
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