Soda is the single biggest contributor to an unhealthy diet, and it is one of the highest calorie sources in the world, accounting for somewhere between 11 and 19 percent of all the calories consumed worldwide.
It’s cheap, addictive, and readily available; found at virtually every picnic, shopping mall, and sporting event you might attend. Often advertised as containing extra vitamins and billed as a “healthy choice,” it can be difficult to quit a soda habit. Especially as the weather warms up, and people are out and about, soda is almost always present.
Here are five reasons that you should rethink your beverage choice.
1. Soda is calorically dense. The average can of soda contains 90 calories. Typically, a person will purchase a bottle rather than a can. The average single bottle of soda is actually two servings per bottle – but most of us drink the entire thing. In short, you’re drinking hundreds of empty calories per day – all of which are nutritionally void.
2. Soda is a diuretic. Caffeine has diuretic properties, so having that soda will cause you to urinate more frequently. Soda also contains sodium, which will make you thirstier. Usually when this happens the person will reach for a second glass of soda instead of a glass of water. Soda should not replace water, but for every glass of soda you drink you should add a glass of water. How many of us, realistically, do that?
3. Drinking soda can weaken your bones. The caffeine and phosphoric acids found in soda can cause the calcium to leach out of your bones.
4. Soda is bad for your teeth. Drinking a soda bathes your teeth in sugar and can cause massive amounts of tooth decay. Be honest – you don’t really brush after each soda, do you?
5. Caffeine is addictive. In fact, some studies have shown that caffeine is as addictive as cocaine. Tests performed at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine by Roland R. Griffiths, MD found that those women consuming at least one cup of a caffeinated beverage per day were more prone to PMS. And the more caffeine they consumed, the more severe their PMS symptoms.
Instead of “Doing the Dew” or reaching for “The Real Thing,” take just a minute to refresh yourself with water. It’s the perfect beverage choice no matter the weather, or circumstance.