Skip the Soda!

So everyone knows soda is not exactly a health food, but how bad is it? 

Well, the average can of soda contains 120-150 calories (ALL FROM SUGAR) which means there are about 10 teaspoons of sugar in every 12 oz. can of soda. So YES, that makes it is LIQUID CANDY! Eliminating only 1 can a day of regular soda from your diet ALONE can lead to a 12-15 pound weight loss over a years time. 

So switch to diet, right? Well not exactly. Diet, just like regular, contains unnecessary food dyes, but also has aspartame. Aspartame is the non-caloric sweetener used in the majority of diet sodas. It is 200 times sweeter than sugar and conditions the pallet to crave sweeter foods and drinks throughout the day. The body is not getting the carbohydrates from the sweetness of the diet soda, and this lead to the craving of carbs. Aspartame causes headaches in many people and studies have proven it causes tumors in rats. Recent research has showed those consuming diet soda are 61% more likely of a cardiovascular event than those who don't drink soda. Does that "diet" soda still sound so appetizing?

Try some refreshing alternatives to soda:

• Flavored Water
•  Avoid purchasing flavored water since many of these contain sugar, sweeteners, and other chemicals; instead make your own...add slices of lemon, lime, orange, or cucumber for flavor and freshness!
• Seltzer Water
• Many times people crave carbonation in the soda, not really the soda itself. Seltzer water is completely harmless and is just water with carbon dioxide in it. Make sure to avoid sparkling waters if they have added sugar or sweeteners, always safe with seltzer though!
• Herbal Tea
• There are so many different flavors, many even helping certain ailments. Find a flavor that you like the best and try without adding a sweetener(herbal tea has much more flavor than regular black tea), my favorites are ones with licorice and ginger root. For a cool treat, pour over ice or make and put it into fridge until chilled.

If you do decide to still keep soda a part of your diet, do so wisely:

• Cut back, and try to limit intake to no more than 1 can a day, this may take weeks or even months to get down to this, but cut back slowly and you really can do it.
• Save soda for snack-time instead of with all the flavors of a meal.
• Account for soda calories as part of daily caloric intake.