Soda drinks can be difficult to resist at times for people. The sugary sweet taste, energizing jolt and pleasant fizz are preferred after a dinner. Similarly, it rids the drinker from the afternoon slump and quenching thirst during movies. However, it is a bad habit to consume soda regularly irrespective of being an intensive or occasional drinker. Discussed below are some reasons to change the habit as soon as possible. According to clinical nutrition professor Sandon, soda drinkers run the risk of consuming excess calories. All of these calories come from mixed sugars and they have no value in minerals and vitamins. Soda is harmful to health in more ways than one for studies show the connection with diabetes and tooth decay. It is equally bad for the human bones. Sandon points out that it may be somewhat related to the phosphorous content of soda.
Sodas free of sugar have no calories but they aren’t good for health either. Some of the research on these drinks revealed that such drinkers can be obese or overweight. Moreover, the diet drinkers run similar health risks as the regular soft drinkers which included bone thinning and tooth decay. Among the women, it is also related to depression and heart diseases. Consumption of diet soda may be the first step towards the elimination of extra calories. However, Sandon suggests gradually refraining from diet sodas for better health.
People tend to have soda addiction which can be tough to get rid of. However, nutritionist Sacks suggests gradually cutting back on consumption. It could be like lowering from multiple servings per day to one and then to three servings a week. It provides a great chance for adjusting gradually to the change. Adding water to Soda before consumption is also a good step in the right direction, suggests Sandon. It reduces the sweetness content which would be gradually adjusted by taste buds. The download of a calorie-checking mobile app could be a healthy and useful step. By recording every serving of Soda, attention should be given to lower soda intake.
One of the convenient ways of quantifying calories is considering the amount of exercise required to burn extra calories. As per research, the researchers suggested taking walks or jogging for a certain duration at corner stores about soda bottles. Such advertisements have been successful in getting attention from teenagers who settled for smaller soda bottles during purchase after reading. According to Sardon, sipping unsweetened and ice tea brings health benefits from the tea’s phytochemical content. Those who dislike plain tea can also mix mint, lemon, artificial sweetener, or sugar at transition stages. One glass of water intake during the soda-dinking urge period can quench the thirst. As per an expert recommendation, it is better to switch to a brand with limited artificial ingredients.
Flavored or plain seltzer water consumption will help in controlling the sugary content present in soda. Bubbles will give almost the same feeling as drinking a soda. The addition of orange, cucumber slices, and lemon can be quite delicious to drink water.
Image credit: Karen Roach