Six Reasons to Avoid Soda

The CDC reports that Americans have significantly increased their soda intake in the last 30 years.

In the past, bottles were much smaller and not consumed regularly due to access and cost. Now, soda comes in supersizes and with free refills. As a result, many Americans have developed a sweet tooth when drinking soda.

This massive increase in sugar intake has created a long laundry list of health issues in the US, such as weight gain, diabetes, obesity, and poor liver function. While each person may not experience all of these health issues, there isn’t any health benefit to drinking soda. Lastly, sugar in and of itself is addicting. It causes inflammation, so getting off of sugar can significantly impact your overall health.

 Reasons to Avoid Soda

Since soda is high in sugar, we should treat this drink as a dessert, only drinking soda sparingly. When we are drinking soda daily, a myriad of health issues can arise, including any one of the following issues.

Reason #1: Your Liver Needs a Break

Give your liver a break! Most sodas contain high-fructose corn syrup, which is metabolized by the liver and can lead to fatty liver changes and elevated triglycerides. In addition, corn syrup sweeteners are often genetically modified. As a result, they contain a high percentage of glucose, leading to a high insulin spike following consumption.

Reason #2: Your Teeth Become Unhealthy

Drinking soda erodes and darkens teeth, giving your pearly whites a not-so-attractive patina. Soda stains your teeth, discoloring them. In addition, the sugar from soda promotes acid in your mouth, which leads to cavities.

Reason #3: Drinking Soda Increases Your Risk of Osteoporosis

Phosphoric acid in soda inhibits calcium absorption, which means that your body cannot absorb the calcium you are eating during the day. If you can’t absorb calcium, your bones won’t be able to regenerate, and you’ll have a poor bone density which can put you at risk of breaking bones or increased osteoporosis.

Reason #4: Soda Increases Weight Gain 

Since sugar is pure calories without nutrition, drinking soda daily will add additional calories to your diet, which leads to weight gain and the development of type 2 diabetes or T2DM. This type of diabetes is preventable by diet; however, when you are eating sugar constantly, you increase your risk of diabetes. If you become diabetic, you won’t be able to eat any sugar, so you’ll want to consider that before you pick up your next can or big gulp.

Reason #5: Soda Consumption Distracts from Good Hydration

When drinking soda daily, we often stop or reduce the amount of water we drink. This is because we feel hydrated and satisfied from drinking soda. However, soda does not hydrate the same as water. In addition, many sodas contain artificial sweeteners, flavorings, colorings, and added caffeine, which can wreak havoc inside our body, especially if you are dealing with gut issues or an auto-immune disease.

Reason #6: Artificial Sweeteners

Research linking artificial sweeteners and cancer has been shown in recent medical tests. In addition, the daily consumption of diet drinks has a 36% greater risk for metabolic syndrome and 67% increased risk for T2DM, both of which lead to excessive weight gain and a myriad of secondary health issues.

Saccharin (Sweet N Low) has been linked to bladder cancer in lab animals. It is about 300x sweeter than sucrose, commonly known as table sugar, but has a bitter aftertaste. Acesulfame potassium, an artificial sweetener that resembles saccharin, is found in many diet foods and chewing gum.

Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal) has been linked to brain cancer, leukemia, and lymphoma in animal studies. In addition, it is an excitotoxin and can negatively impact neurological functioning in some individuals.

Sucralose (Splenda) has been heavily researched, and study results showing adverse health effects remain inconsistent. A recent study showed elevated blood sugar and insulin levels after ingesting Splenda. It has also been shown to increase one’s risk of insulin resistance over time. Splenda is considered an organochlorine. Other well-known organochlorines include the chemical DDT and digoxin, one of the most poisonous substances known to humans. Splenda is made from sucrose and chlorine, making it 600x sweeter than table sugar.

Healthy Alternatives to Soda

Before you reach to grab that next can of soda in your fridge, try substituting your soda for one of the following beverages. You may be surprised and find a new favorite drink!

Herbal teas such as mint, chamomile, or fruit teas are a great choice to drink instead of soda. Fruit teas and other herbal teas can be made cold for a refreshing cool drink in the middle of a hot summer day. Next, make infused water by simply adding mint, cucumber, rosemary, orange, lemon, or lime to a freshwater pitcher for flavored water to enjoy. Then, pick up sparkling or mineral water with lemon, lime, orange, or berries for a healthier option to regular soda.

To find out more and receive personal guidance on restoring your gut health, check out my gut health program https://www.wholeessentialsnutrition.com/services.html or call today +1 (801) 513-3522 to book your complimentary consultation with Whole Essential Nutrition!